There are a lot of foods out
there that, if eaten often, can turn on you and eventually push you faster
toward your demise. You know the ones: fat, juicy cheeseburgers; chili cheese
fries; chocolate cake; even good old lasagna and pizza.
Now I love most of these
foods, except for the ones deep-fried or that contain animal protein. I like to indulge in
something naughty but nice, too, ya know.
It’s just that I have dedicated
most of my life to healthy food options, to eschewing the fat and gristle so
that I may enjoy my life longer and happier. Because, I truly believe that you
are what you eat, and that to me means feeling better by eating good foods,
like:
·Fruits
·Veggies
·Whole grains
·Beans
·Nuts
·Lean protein like
fish
·Green tea
And by avoiding:
·Excess carbs
·Unhealthy fats
·Sodium
·Fatty meats
All of the above is how I
live my life most of the time…and I am a better person for it.
But I still need my killer
foods, but the good “killer.”
Recently, I have produced a
few “how to make killer foods” videos, several that have gone on to
become some of my most popular. Like this one:
Hey, I eat like a rabbit
chasing an iguana most of the time, so I try to cut myself some slack every
once and a while and eat something a tad bit bad for me…in moderation.
And rarely.
Did you know that this is one
of the most popular vegetables in Japan?
Did you know that daikon
literally means “big root”?
Did you know that this veggie
has a sweet and tangy taste?
Did you know that you can use
shredded daikon as a replacement to rice for sushi?
Wow!
You bet “WOW!”
As a vegetarian, I am
constantly in search of new and delicious vegetables. I first discovered
daikon while volunteering on vacation. My lovely wife and I worked at an
organic farm for a day and besides being great fun and fulfilling, we were
rewarded with a delicious lunch made from several of the vegetables grown
there. One of those veggies was daikon.
Yeah, but how do you eat it?
Like this:
Daikon can be eaten cooked or
raw. Add it to stir-fry, boil it and mash it up, toss it on the grill and
serve as a side dish, or bake it with the protein of your choice.
Eat it raw in a salad,
pickled as a side dish, or shred it and use it as a great way to reduce your
carbohydrate intake when enjoying sushi. I love sushi, but the rice is loaded
with carbs and difficult to digest—daikon is my savior!
Besides being a delicious
root veggie, daikon also offers these benefits:
·Low in Calories
·High in Dietary
Fiber
·Excellent Source
of Vitamin C, Potassium, and Magnesium
·Low in
Carbohydrates
·May increase
Immune System
·Heart Healthy
·Slow the Aging
Process (count me in!)
·Has
Cancer-fighting Agents
Next time you’re
cruising the produce aisle of your local grocery and see a white rooty
vegetable about the size of a baseball bat, stop and grab some daikon.
You’ll be glad you did.
I have enjoyed jicama for dozens of years, way back in the day when I first traveled across country, from New England to Southern California, and discovered this crunchy, tasty, healthy root veggie. I have been a jicama fan ever since. One of my most popular blog post over the years has been the one I am reposting below. Please enjoy (again?)...
What is Jicama?
Many of you may already know what jicama is, may already know how to
correctly pronounce it, and may have actually had some contact with it.
If that’s the case, congratulations on your acquired knowledge and
worldliness--you are more than welcome to skip this next part.
For those of you still clueless, here are a few clues:
Jicama is:
a) a tropical island in the southwestern part of the Caribbean
b) a rare skin disease that turns the bottoms of your feet purple
c) a popular spicy stew prevalent in Portugal
d) an edible root, originally cultivated in South America
The correct answer (and it should be no surprise for those familiar with my plethora of posts about diet and nutrition) is “d.”
Jicama
is a tasty, crispy, root vegetable, cultivated in South America for
centuries. It is amazingly versatile, easy to prepare, and healthy for
you.
If you would like to learn how to pronounce jicama, or are just tired of reading, watch this video:
Also
known as the Mexican turnip or potato, jicama is used in many recipes
south of the border. Its unique taste (a cross between an apple, potato,
and water chestnut) and texture (crisp and smooth) make it one
versatile veggie. Enjoy jicama:
* raw, in sweet, fruit salads, or lettuce-based salads * sliced or julienned to use with a dip * plain, eaten as a snack (squeeze of lime, some hot sauce) * diced and added to savory dishes: stews, soups, stir-fry * mashed as a side dish
Once
you taste jicama, you will ask yourself why you waited so long to try
it. And more good news: it is loaded with fiber. One cup has about 6
grams of fiber, around 1 gram of protein, and contains less than 50
calories. Jicama is also an excellent source of Vitamin C and potassium.
Simple
to prepare, you peel jicama like a potato, using either a peeler or
paring knife, removing the fibrous skin. From there, depending on how
you want to eat it, it can be easily sliced, diced, Julienned, or
mashed.
Like my late discovery of the avocado,
I did not taste my first jicama until I was well into my twenties, thus
missing out on years of epicurean enjoyment. Don't let this happen to
you.
The next time you’re cruising the produce section of your grocery store, look for jicama, and grab a couple.
The
good news: Jicama is not a rare skin disease that turns the bottom of
your feel purple, but a versatile, nutritious, and fun vegetable that
will delight you with its unique taste.
As a strict vegetarian and wannabe vegan, I don’t normally
consume a lot of eggs. Likewise, in a
perfect vegan world, I would not opt for a portion of healthy fish, as I now
do, for the excellent protein and other nutritional benefits.
But as with adding fish as a source of good protein, while
continually trying to reduce my carbohydrates, I have also started to add a few
eggs to my diet.
Eggs, you say?
But aren’t eggs unhealthy for you? Loaded with fats and cholesterol? One of the worst things one can ingest?
Ummm, actually, think again.
Eggs for years have been getting a bad rap. They are not only an excellent source of
healthy proteins and fats, but even the amounts of bad cholesterol are grossly
over exaggerated.
If loving eggs is wrong, then I don’t wanna be right…
Besides tasting awesome, as the above video can attest, eggs
also have these healthy benefits:
Besides enjoying fried in a sandwich, eggs can be eaten in
myriad ways: omelets, scrambled, boiled
and poached. Eggs also enhance many
types of baked goods and a variety of meals.
For years eggs have been getting bad press due to their high
fat and cholesterol content. But as more
research and results have been revealed, eggs just may be healthier than you
ever imagined.
As 2011 winds its way down to
the last few hours, I take this time to reflect back on what, for me, was a
very fulfilling year in many ways. A perfect year? Not by a long shot, but
one loaded with enough action and accomplishments to fill a…well, a blog
post.
This is a necessary, and
important, exercise to do, by the way. Most of us, if you are like me,
don’t take the time to look back and bask in our accomplishments. As a
constantly driven person, someone who is always looking for the next big
opportunity (I get bored easily) and challenge, I tend to push myself to the
point, at times, of exhaustion. Taking a few moments (hopefully a few days) to
go back and put a few asterisks next to your completed “to-do” list
is an excellent way to end the year.
Before I twist my arm out of
socket from so much back-patting, I must add that this post on reflection will
be followed by a post on looking ahead: embracing another arduous list of
things I’d like to accomplish in 2012.
2011 was a year of
travel—personal and business. I was fortunate enough to have visited several new
cities this year (Dublin), as well as returning to some of my favorites (Maui).
All in all, I logged over 30,000 air miles—wow, that’s a lot of
recycled air, stale pretzels, and cramped leg space!
I traversed across this great
country six times! Over two Oceans! With stops along the way at:
I began the year not knowing
my future with my current “day job,” and am ending this year with
the hope of soon getting my second promotion. It has been a very rewarding
year career-wise—a good thing!
I am blessed to work at a job
where I get to interact with and lead and mentor dozens of people each day. I
have creative freedom to use my triad of balance-mind, body, and spirit.
I was able to get my website
back up and running (and looking better than ever) after over a year of idleness! Besides
this blog, I also started another called “Mike’sDaily…”
The hits from my YouTube Page, Facebook, Twitter, my blogs and website have resulted in millions of
visitors this year. Thanks to all for the continued and tremendous support!
I published my second book
(my first is a young adult novel) this year and while the sales have not gone
through the roof, they have been steady.
I produced another round of
interesting and entertaining videos, along with another music video:
Along the way I’ve
continued to cultivate a wonderful and solid relationship with my wife of
almost twenty years, a son that just turned thirty (man, I’m/he’s OLD!), and my family and friends near by and Back East.
But mostly, I was able to
help countless people change their lives for the better, lose weight and eat
healthier, become motivated and inspired, and, hopefully, gave a few a good
laughs along the way.
Reflecting back on 2011, it
has been a pretty good year. And while it has not all been roses and sunshine,
it has been worth looking back on and taking a few moments to enjoy…and give
myself a few pats on the back.
Aloha from Maui! Please enjoy this helpful and humorous video I created on how to eat a coconut. I picked that baby up yesterday at the local farmer's market. Enjoy!
It's happening again: Wall Street is slumping, people are panicked, and the economic health of the world is in jeopardy. Sound familiar? This pattern of turbulence is very similar to what occurred only a few years ago. At that time, I wrote an article on how to survive such a drastic and life-changing financial challenge. Those words of wisdom helped me, and many others, through that crisis back in 2008; I feel the tips below are still apropos today. And one more thing:
PRACTICE PATIENCE!
How To Survive an Election-Year Financial Meltdown
I know what some of you are saying, "Why should I listen to what you have to say about the economy? You're a self-help guy, who specializes in healthy lifestyle and personal development, as well as makes funny (goofy) videos and goofy (funny) parody songs."
Why? Because in dire times like these (seen the Business headlines recently?), during the most important presidential election of our lifetime, it takes a commonsense and practical approach to combat all the craziness going on out there.
Q: But, Mike, you write and make videos about diet and nutrition, motivation and how-to, what do you know about finances?
A: As much as the next guy, and more than enough to help you.
TEN THINGS YOU CAN DO TO SURVIVE THE ELECTION YEAR FINANCIAL MELTDOWN
1. DON'T PANIC
Wall Street seems to feed on panic--panic buying and panic selling. While others overreact and sell off their stocks and put their cash in safer investments, you don't need to follow suit. Unless you need the money from those investments right now, standing pat is still the best option. Why? Because stocks eventually ALWAYS come back up--this is a historical fact. And if they don't, then we're all in trouble. This too shall pass.
2. SIT ON IT
Rarely, as a self-help, fitness guru, do I suggest sitting back and doing nothing. But, in this case, go right ahead! Pass the popcorn and park it on the couch. Okay, you still need your daily exercise, but with regards to your money--LEAVE IT ALONE. Sit on it. In fact, the best advice that I hear the most from those that get paid to know this sort of thing is: DO NOT stop contributing to your 401k or IRA. Why? Right now stocks are cheap. When the market goes down, prices go down. The more stock you purchase NOW, at lower prices, the more you will have LATER, when the market stabilizes and goes back up. Think about it.
3. KISS (KEEP IT SIMPLE, SHERLOCK!)
Simplify your life. Cut back, spend less. Analyze what you NEED versus what you WANT. If you dine out 3-4 times a week, cut that in half. Do you really need satellite TV and radio? The recent trend now is stay-at-home vacations--you spend less on gas and airfare, while discovering local attractions you may have been missing, or avoiding, for years.
Bottom line: Simplify your life and save money.
4. TAKE A WALK
How much do you spend a year on that health club membership? Figure out a way to stay in shape at home, and cancel that costly membership. Walking is one of the least expensive, but most effective, ways to stay in shape. Plus, it gets you outside, and is good for the mind and spirit. In times like these, that's a good thing.
If you desire a more strenuous workout, look into purchasing dumbbells, a stationary bike or other equipment; whatever fits your specific needs. The initial investment may smart a little at first, but will more than pay for itself for years and years.
5. INVEST IN YOURSELF
While exercise and keeping fit are vital aspects of personal growth, don't stop there. Continue working on self-improvement and personal development all the time. livelife365.com offers hundreds of self-help videos that can change your life for the better, all free of charge and just a mouse-click away.
6. LISTEN TO YOUR BOSS
There is no place continued growth is more important right now than in the job market. Now is not the time to take your job for granted. Nor is it the time to mess up the job you have. Yes, keep that resume handy and continue networking and sharpening your skills so that you are more marketable. But you also need to keep your boss happy with your work. Work harder. Do the best job you can to make yourself indispensable. Most companies will have cutbacks and layoffs--YOU cannot control this. But you CAN control your effort, productivity, and attitude.
ALWAYS be in the TOP ranked twenty percent of good performers, not the bottom twenty.
Why? GOOD companies seldom layoff GOOD employees.
Be good, listen to your boss!
7. STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS
Enjoy yourself. Enjoy each day. Live life 365. This simply means to live your life every day in every way. Yes, times are tough, the economy is a mess, the world is a bigger mess, but you can still find a way to enjoy the little things in life that have nothing to do with the bigger things that are out of your control.
Every Day Every Way
8. GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY
Now is the time to roll up those sleeves and get to work. But you're already working on self and your job; what next? Go outside, dig up the garden. If you don't have a garden, start one. Landscape. Mow the lawn. Do house repairs, spring or fall cleaning. Learn a new (inexpensive) hobby. Do it yourself. Besides saving you a ton of money, DIY is good for the mind, body, and spirit. A sense of self-accomplishment goes a long way. And if you're picking ripe tomatoes off the vine, you're not worrying about Wall Street. Besides, growing your own will save you more money in the long run (and they taste so much better, too!). Can, bottle, preserve, or freeze whatever you can't consume now, and have a winter of homegrown, inexpensive veggies.
9. BALANCE YOURSELF
And your portfolio. The only movement you should be doing with your portfolio is rebalancing it. This simply means you need to take a look at your asset allocations. When there are sharp fluctuations in the stock market, your assets will also shift. But do me a favor, check with your financial consultant before you do anything.
As for you and YOUR balance: you should always be working on managing your Triad of Balance, the harmonic balance between Mind, Body, and Spirit.
10. VOTE FOR CHANGE
Now, more than ever, we need some major changes in Washington. If YOU do not like what is happening in YOUR life due to decisions made by our political leaders, YOU have the power to CHANGE it.
The current financial meltdown we are witnessing needs to be fixed. Fixed fast! We have the choice to keep on making the same mistakes that have led us here.
Or opt for CHANGE.
For the better.
I hope these tips help make dealing with these turbulent times a bit easier. And always remember that YOU have more power than you think to CHANGE your LIFE.
If you picked anything other than D, then I suggest reading on. In fact, no matter what answer you gave, understanding this tasty and versatile vegetable is well worth the effort.
Zucchini is one of the few varieties of squash that was developed in Europe, Italy to be specific. Now popular worldwide and found in most gardens in the United States, zucchini probably migrated to America during the 1920s, brought over by Italian immigrants. Being an Italian-American, may I be the first to say: “Grazie tanto!”
Now that we know how this delicious veggie got here, let’s take a look at how to prepare it.
I love dicing small zucchini and adding them to my salads. Mixing with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and lettuce, zucchini add an additional crunch and nutritional value to a simple salad.
Another way to eat zucchini is grating them to use for breads. My mother used to slice zucchini up, add tomatoes, onions and peppers, and simmer in a skillet, and then serve it up with fresh Parmesan cheese as a mouthwatering side dish to one of the many Italian meals she used to make. You can even eat the zucchini blossom.
But one of my favorite ways to prepare this squash is slicing one of the larger ones in half, scooping out all of the yummy insides, and mixing that with anything from rice or quinoa, along with tomatoes, black olives, artichoke, carrots—anything you can think of—and then topping it off with mozzarella cheese and baking it. Oh, and don’t forget to drizzle in some extra virgin olive oil—can you say: “Buon appetito!”
Zucchini is very low in calories, and therefore a good food to add to your daily diet if you are trying to lose weight—and who isn’t, right? It also is high in antioxidants, vitamin C, and manganese. Also a good source of beta-carotene, zinc, potassium, and dietary fiber.
Consuming this versatile and delicious vegetable may also help combat many cancers, improve prostate health, and act as an anti-inflammatory.
No matter how you slice it (pun intended); zucchini is one of the most popular squashes in the world. Easy to grow, tasty, healthy for you, and simple to serve. What’s not to like?
Come on, who doesn’t know how to eat, right?But there are certain foods that we eat all the time that are not that simple to prepare.Take, for example, my latest video:
If you’re like me, you love asparagus, but may not know the best way to eat it.The above video should help.
Some of my most popular videos are those where I demonstrate how to prepare and eat many of my favorite foods.Like this one:
Simple, right?I know, we all have been chowing down on watermelon most of our lives.Okay, how about a more challenging food?
There are few veggies I love more than the thistle-laded artichoke, but, man, those guys are a chore to prepare…but well worth the effort.
And these tasty fruit:
That’s right, avocado are a fruit, not a vegetable, but amazingly delicious and good for you just the same.
Another one of my favorite fruits is mango.What’s the best way to eat one?Thought you’d never ask:
We all know how to eat, but some foods need more assistance than others.My websites and my channel at YouTube have helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world discover and eat myriad fruits and veggies, all of them quite healthy for you.Like these guys:
If someone were to ask me a few years ago what one of my favorite snacks was, I would have probably said: potato chips, or some other salty treat. Hummus would have been far down the list; in fact, it would not have even made the list. Back then, I didn’t even know what hummus was. Do you?
Well, today, most of us have at least heard of hummus. But how many of you have actually eaten it? Interested in learning more about this intriguing food? Read on.
Hummus is a dip, spread, or paste made from cooked and mashed chickpeas. It is then blended with tahini (crushed and soaked sesame seeds), olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. The best way for me to describe how this delicious spread is made is by letting watch this video:
Hummus is Middle Eastern in origin, and has been around forever. Chickpeas have been a food item for over 10,000 years. Wow, that’s a lot of hummus over the years, huh? Most people eat hummus with pita bread—tearing off pieces to use as a scoop. You can also use your favorite dipping chip or cracker. I like to eat it with soy chips. My favorites can be found at Glenny’s; and they are loaded with vegetable protein. A snack of soy chips and hummus, which I consume two or three times a week, gives me around 10.0 grams of healthy protein and 7.0 grams of fiber. And they taste amazing!
Besides being a wonderful source of vegetable protein and fiber, hummus is also high in vitamin C, calcium, and iron--and is a good source for antioxidants.
As for different types of hummus—shop around, there are dozens of flavors and styles and brands out there. And, as always, read the nutritional information—some are high in fat and calories (read the ingredients, see what you’re eating!). These days you can find hummus in most grocery stores. I love the eggplant hummus at Trader Joe’s. And this site has some excellent organic hummus and other products you may enjoy.
For all you lovers of hummus (like me!) out there, keep enjoying this flavorful food’s myriad tastes and healthy benefits. And for those of you who have yet to try hummus? Give it a shot; you may end up loving it and making it one of your favorite snacks.
I eat Mexican food all the time, several times a week, on a good week. I make my own guacamole, tacos, bean burritos, as well as my very own fresh salsa. I also enjoy dining out, eating at any of the dozens of wonderful local establishments that feature Mexican fare. I often judge which of these restaurants to break bread (and dip chips) at by their salsa. If their salsa isn’t fresh, tasty, and hot enough to bring tears to my eyes, then I take a pass. Why? Because, to me, salsa is king—it is loaded with flavor and heat, yes, but also high in these nutritional benefits:
·Lycopene, a cancer-preventing antioxidant found in tomatoes
·Vitamin C and Potassium, also from tomatoes
·ONIONS have been known to help fight bacteria, aid in breathing, and treating coughs and colds
·Garlic helps fight cancer, improves your iron metabolism, may aid in weight loss and assist in lowering blood pressure
·Capsaicin, the chemical that makes jalapeno peppers hot, provides relief for migraine and sinus headaches, fights infections and cancer, and makes you feel good.
·Cilantro aids in digestion and may help symptoms of arthritis
·Lime is high in vitamin C, aids in digestion, is good for your skin, assists with weight loss and constipation
The health benefits found in salsa’s ingredients are endless.
Another wonderful thing about salsa is that it is so easy to make.
Add a few cloves of garlic and a chopped onion (I use shallot) to your food processor, toss in some fresh cilantro, a couple tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, squeeze of lime, salt and pepper to taste. It’s that easy!
Most folks use tortilla chips to scoop up their delicious salsa. I do too, but I also enjoy salsa on salads, with veggies, and atop my other favorite Mexican dishes.
What’s not to like, huh?
Tasty, good for you, and versatile, salsa is more than just that tomato-based sauce that arrives with the basket of chips. It is one of the healthiest foods around.
I am originally from New England, Back East, Red Sox and Yankee Country.We have harsh winters and humid summers, eat clam chowder, both white and red, and have that “Faggahettabbbouttitt!” attitude.Italian food and the best pizza around can be found there, but Mexican food?Like the guy said: Faggahettabbbouttitt!”
When I moved out to California in the eighties, I didn’t know an avocado from and apricot, and had only sampled a handful of Mexican classics, sadly mostly from a fast food chain with a bell on its façade.I never tasted guacamole until I was well into my twenties.
Today, having lived on the West Coast for over half my adult life, and for decades being a rock’s toss from our amigos to the south of the boarder, I not only am familiar with Mexican cuisine, but nosh on it as often as three times weekly.
One of my favorite dipping snacks, right there alongside spicy salsa, is guacamole.The best part about this delicious, avocado-rich dip is how simple it is to make.Watch for yourself:
Take four ripe avocados, dice them up, add half a chopped white onion, a chopped tomato, without the seeds, handful of chopped cilantro, finely diced radish, diced jalapeno, depending on how hot you like it, squeeze of lime, salt and pepper to taste, and you have yourself a fresh, delicious, fast snack.
I may be an east coaster at heart, but as the years go by I am more and more a west coaster who embraces the cultures and tastes of the land—like Mexican food, especially avocado-laden foods like guacamole.
Next time you’re in the produce aisle of your grocery store and see one of those rough, green, odd-looking hand grenade things, grab a few, along with onion, tomato and the rest of the gang, and make yourself some guac.
I’ve always been a busy guy, enjoying the challenges of a life filled with tasks and chores, commitments and goals, careers and relationships, hobbies and autodidactic journeys, as well as mixing in a little fun and games, whenever possible. But these past several months have pushed even my hectic (by choice, for the most part) lifestyle to a new level. And this is both a good and bad thing, depending on what priorities and things-to-do lists get done or shuffled off to the black void, otherwise known as my email backlog, my reading list, my website obligations, and just about anything else that I WANT to do, but am unable to get to.
So, what is this, huh, Mike? One of those whine fests of a blog post?
Umm, kind of, sort of, maybe…I’ll get back to you on that. While you’re waiting, watch this:
The biggest challenge for me these days is trying to find more time in the day to do more things than ever—a major chore for most of us, I imagine. I have so many projects brewing right now with my music, websites, writing, and videos that if I quit my day job and worked on nothing but them I still wouldn’t be able to do all that I want. And speaking of that day job, therein lies some of the time/balance conundrum.
For a dozen years I was a work-at-home-dude, a telecommuter , a guy who was lucky and talented (ahem, thank you) enough to be able to earn a very good living without having to commute, share office space, dress up, interact with “some” people…you get the picture. And I can honestly say that for just about all of those dozen or so years, it was a very sweet deal.
But a funny thing happened a while back, and that guy who loved being at home suddenly wanted to spread his wings (again, for I used to work in offices for years before my WAH venture) and rejoin the “real” working world. The availability of a tremendous opportunity for career growth added to this desire, so I went for it.
And here I am, back in an office, interacting with “those” people, sharing space, dressing up (even showering), and joining the queue of proletarians commuting to work. Do I regret this change? No, not at all…except for the time spent on all of the above. Precious time lost to necessity that I used to have to spend on other things…like that laundry list of tasks and chores I lamented about at the start of this…well, ah, lament.
And one of the reason I have started walking and talking with a video camera in my hand again. Firstly, I enjoy walking (do it everyday!), and as most of you know, I kind of like to talk too. Also, with my time restraints, multitasking may be my only option left, save for voluntary retirement…but I’m not ready for that yet.
As a matter of fact, I love what I am doing—managing people, helping them grow, mentoring and developing them. Leading and shaping minds as an exemplar—an extension of Mike Foster and this blog and my video site, only without all the green tea and missing hair videos.
Besides having to get used to commuting back into the office world again, I have had to embrace and understand a new generation of workers—call them the X, Y, Z-er’s…with a few Boomers tossed in for good measure. And while the more things change the more they stay the same, I understand that if you do not try to adapt to this multi-faceted new workforce you have a good chance of being passed right by.
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