Plant-based diet doesn’t mean you have to give up non-plant based foods like meats. It simply means adding more natural plants into your diet (and less processed plants 🏭).
A plate of greens is good for adding more plant-based foods into your system 🌱 that are healthy and sustainable (vs. plant based) 🏭
While a full plant-based diet is not what I do, I have incorporated one plant-based meal per day that matters. I share below a meal plan that I think is a good way to maintain a consistently healthy ideal weight, year after year.
Eating healthy and balanced doesn’t just affect your physical body, it also positively impacts your brain, daily thinking mind, and mental health.
Getting proper vitamins and minerals that come from animal proteins help our brains function properly, that helps us keep our mind-body system balance.
I believe that not including fish, meats, carbs, fruits, and vegetables is missing what God gave us here on this earth. We hurt our bodies when we don’t eat enough from any of these categories, or we eat too much.
In most meals, strict vegetarians don’t receive enough vitamins and micronutrients (minerals), some that are richly found in animal protein. Fish that are also considered animal meat, contains necessary B vitamins and good omega fat sources that healthy vegetarians usually come to realize they’re missing.
If only we could take vitamin supplements as a 1:1 nutrient exchange for food, but that’s not the case and especially with diluted vitamin pills.
Here’s just a quick journey into how I evolved into my way of eating today.
Journey to My Daily Meal Plan
I’ve eaten the same general diet for over two decades now, which includes the same food categories that are on the nutritional food charts. That may sound boring, but it has worked to keep me at the same ideal healthy weight.
Growing up, the four basic food groups turned into the FDA-approved 23 servings per day pyramid food group that’s still used. In America, we don’t necessarily take FDA rules as gospel as there are always changes, but that should tell us a ‘lil something. Whether it’s 4 categories or 23 servings, we need many food vitamin sources to function daily, in a healthy way.
When I was a child, my diet contained mostly fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, rice, pasta, whole milk, yogurt, animal proteins, and too many processed snacks. Like many American diets back then when there were less healthy options, I ate more orange salty snacks than orange fruits. Definitely as far away from a plant-based diet as one could see.
Washington DC metro is area is a unique place. I know because I grew up there with the Washington Monument as a backdrop.
The Washington Monument is one of the most iconic Washington DC monuments you can see standing on rooftops across the river. It’s in the middle of the downtown mall (closer to the newer MLK and WW2 Memorials) and sandwiched in between The US Capitol and The Lincoln Memorial. Lincoln Memorial is open year round as an open monument.
It’s a transition area where many come and go. And tons of tourists during spring and summer tourist season that starts around the Cherry Blossom festivities near the downtown DC mall that starts at the Lincoln Memorial (and Thomas Jeffereson Memorial is also close by).
I held many work career positions downtown in DC and also surrounding Alexandria, Tysons Corner, and Reston in the DC metro area known as Northern Virginia.
I grew up there as a toddler and lived there until I was an adult.
And if the DC metro area is new to you or you’re moving to the area, DC is as safe as any big city to move to and has cleaned up considerably over the years.
14th Street corridor when I was growing up was not just seedy but you avoided. It’s now a revival part of the city that’s hip to visit.
Nearby residents are moving back into the city to be closer to their work and a more exciting city lifestyle that the downtown offers. City Center and The Wharf today were not attractive areas decades ago.
Then just across the bridge by metro or car, the accessible suburban areas are filled with calm shopping and small livable communities.
That makes the DC metro area a great place to live and work! …and with all the new companies like Amazon coming to town creating buzz.
I was living a stone’s throw away from the building during the pandemic so I could see the progression.
From an inside view, I became aware of the transient-ness vibe of the metro city area early on when I kept seeing an influx of people move in and out for a government job, other career, or friends and family.
The local residents who have grown up in the area (or lived in the area for most of their lives) are mostly friendly, helpful, educated, and cultured.
You’ll find that many in the area are well-educated, have traveled overseas, and are savvy on many subjects.
Like me, some have gone to school locally. I received my first degree there and attended 3 local universities.
What to Expect At Work In The Washington DC Metro Area
If you’re a new transplant adapting to the DC metro area, work-life balance can be tricky as you find your groove.
Most people may not be as relaxed as you may be accustomed to depending on where you moved from.
And that shows in the competitive driving style. You will know if you’re in the wrong lane driving the wrong speed.
If you moved here for work, your employer will have high expectations in a competitive city and maybe higher than where you came from.
When I was growing up, the nation’s top public schools based on school grades were in the Washington DC metro area. And yes, I was in those counties.
You can expect stressful demands from employers, and coming up with tactful and smart ways to address complex decision-making areas.
Just remember, you gain experiences each time. And tomorrow is always a brand new chance for something new and changes.
I worked in corporate management jobs so I lived and breathed this for decades.
Work weeks had long hours.
So expect to embrace those ways if that’s part of the industry you’re in and want to be promoted. You always have the opportunity to step out and into other work growth areas and careers.
And in most career jobs, even if you didn’t specialize in learning how to teach or do digital marketing tasks, unless you’re a scientist or removed from working with people, expect to use those skills in general administrative and presentation skills. They will help you in the future.
Likely, your companies you work for will expect you to run Zoom and the like-meetings, train others, and use digital communication tools at the very least.
The positive is you’ll be learning a lot, building skills, and gaining experience for whatever your next steps are.
Wearing many hats that may or may not fit you at the time helps you to be adaptable and you will use that in your life, so that helps you better build resilience and perserverance.
Speeding up your learning curve can play on your overall health and emotions, but on the other side you’ll be grateful you got over the toughest parts.
Also, expect high ego bosses and pressure in the area. Understand that they may not have done shadow work for their past, so all their weaknesses show up in their high pressure cooker position that comes from the top down and being in the Washington DC metro air.
For your healthy and happy, find ways to relax, handle stress, and find work-life balance, especially if you’re planning to stay long term.
You want to stay connected to your core values and what your boundaries are. Expect that what you signed up for may not be the agenda you signed up for. But again, you’re gaining experiences and making new connections.
There are political agendas in most organizations, and especially in the ones in the Washington DC metro area even if you’re not working in the government.
And another area that adds up is work day food and beverage costs.
It can get costly to go out and eat around this town. $5 coffees and $15 lunches add up daily, so having easy recipes at your fingertips to prepare at home can save you.
You can make an easy calzone that you stuff with your favorites that’s a no-mess eating, no-clean up lunch meal. Recipe is below. 🧡
….And so that you don’t wonder where all your rainy day fund went.
Like living in most cities, the Washington DC metro area has plenty of convenient delivery options and services that can help make your life easier when you need to save time and have service options.
There isn’t one good hairstylist, burger joint, or dry cleaner in town. There are many to choose from that’s a benefit of living in a big city.
Keep re-centering. It’s easy to forget your own goals and get off-balance when most jobs require more than working 9-5, or 8 hours per day. It’s easy to focus on busy culture that cities like the Washington DC metro area is centered on.
And if you work remote, balancing your life and digital life can be the positive difference for your well-being and success.
And you’re here for a reason.
One reason could be that the large DC metro area attracts many go-getters (…maybe you?) with a larger pool of jobs and work opportunities that other cities may not have as much to offer.
These are just a few industries in the area worth checking out if you’re looking for a good work-life balance:
You can find sustainable jobs that do fall in work life blend categories.
Associations – most people don’t know that the DC metro area is one of the largest association towns in the U.S. Old Town Alexandria and downtown DC houses many of the nation’s largest and well-known associations.
While the U.S. does have a reputation for a work-to-play lifestyle, many locals think to work hard now and relax at retirement age around 65.
Taking breaks and getting work freedom isn’t the path norm, but this is changing as people pivot and have second and third careers, or choose the side hustle lifestyle.
Many associations have more traditional office organization structures, and turnover is relatively lower. It’s not uncommon to see an employee at one association for most of their career even in today’s standards.
Associations can be attractive because most offer a work-life balance with a reasonable 9-5 working hours and 5 weeks of vacation starting out your first year, as an industry practice.
In many associations and non-profits, most aren’t expected to work past 5 pm.
Many other work industries expect you to burn the midnight oil as they want to get as much value out of you as they can.
Working for an association isn’t the overworked lifestyle that most people think of as the overworked American work lifestyle.
But just like choosing to work for a federal government position, you have to decide if you can handle the political side or the Board who often makes the decisions.
Overall, associations offer good health benefits and lifestyle perks, as some offer yoga and other classes during the workday and hour-long lunches which is a longer lunch in America.
Those were my experiences working for 3 different non-profits and associations.
So, any downsides to the job you have, you can make up with stress-relieving meditation or free time to clear your mind while on your break.
In general, for many industries, U.S. employees usually choose when they want to vacation giving enough vacation notice.
Compared to European countries, like say Italy where they have set vacation holidays, such as the annual Ferragosto in August that can last for over a month (and where the country and retail businesses shut down), and again in December during Advent Season.
Americans can choose time off dates with approval from employers.
Often, a worker who is raising a family chooses vacation time based on their children’s school breaks that peak in the mid-summer (July/August) and winter holiday breaks in December/January.
Technology companies – the Washington DC metro area is a high-tech area. Next to Silicon Valley out on the west coast, DC on the east coast is probably the next largest tech hub.
The technology worker lifestyle is a good one.
Starting pay for many DC metro tech job workers is higher than the highest-paid employee in some industries.
Besides being compensated well, tech employees usually have flex-time schedules (good work-life balance).
They can choose to work certain days and times in a schedule that works for them and their employer.
Unlike emergency and front-line worker jobs, there are few tech emergencies that can’t wait until the next day.
Tech workers often can do work remotely and is a common way to work.
And many have customers and team members in other time zones around the country and world, so they can adjust their schedules further based on those needs.
You can expect to do travel for work, attending meetings and conferences.
That can be a plus if you like that idea or are single, but if you have a family or pets to care for or are tired of traveling that lifestyle can be additional wear and tear.
But overall I think the tech job’s daily wear-and-tear stress is less than in other industries (at least the ones I worked in).
The good work-life balance and higher pay outweigh the traditional standard job vacation time, which can be around 2 weeks per year for the starting employee.
As with many larger U.S. employers, tech and larger companies offer perks like gym benefits and discounts to favorite stores and services.
Hospitality – there are many restaurant and hotel opportunities that are usually long hours.
But, you can find more work-life balance in niched event planning and conference centers. There are many entertainment venues and wineries in the area.
Amazon – is coming to the area. The second headquarters to Amazon was announced as the Washington DC area, and they’ve broken ground. In 2021, the new tech and business office buildings went under construction.
This is the newest, exciting business news in the area since the tech companies started cropping up post-Dot-com in the Dulles Corridor area closer to Washington Dulles Airport (that I remember well).
The DC metro system has near-future plans to build out further along where the Dulles Toll Road already exists, to expand commuting options eventually to Dulles Airport.
Federal/government – it’s obvious that many migrate from around the country to the DC area to work on The Hill. If you want to learn how lawmaking is done, DC is the city to be in.
In high school as a senior, we were required to take a Government semester class and pass to graduate that most people I know didn’t have to do. We took a photo in front of the Capitol Building.
Full of movers and shaker politicians, the Washington DC area is also a popular legal town full of attorneys.
Education – The area has plenty of higher-education opportunities. Besides working for some of the larger universities in the areas such as Georgetown, George Washington, George Mason, and American University, there are many opportunities for those in the area to add certifications and higher learning specialization skills to resumes.
The Washington DC metro area is different in that getting specialized certifications or earning higher education degrees is a common norm as most do at some point on a work career route.
Those who do, usually go to school at night or on weekends. Learning in a graduate master’s program is optimized because what is learned in school is applied in their current job place and work (and not as theory).
Enjoying Life-Balance On Weekends
You’ll know it’s the weekend because the traffic pattern changes. You can drive into DC without traffic unless there’s a major game like a Nationals baseball game ⚾️ or during the Cherry Blossoms Festival. 🌸
The Washington DC metro area is so much more than the tourist attraction of Presidential monuments and history museums on the downtown mall that thousands from around the world annually come to tour and see.
The area is dynamic with new indoor and outdoor museums and interesting memorials and exhibitions, so it’s interesting for locals to take day-field trips to see what’s new.
When the colorful row of DC lunch food trucks grew near downtown L’Enfant Plaza, that caught some buzz and attracted nearby museums workers and tourists.
Weekends will be significantly less busy for a commute in and around the city. On weekdays, when commuting, you should be aware of rush-hour patterns as drivers can sit in traffic for hours if there’s an accident. In the suburbs when schools are busy in session, there are noticeable traffic pattern changes, and school buses have the right of way.
Washington DC is a multi-cultural metro area and a good representation of the “melting pot” that America is known for.
There are many opportunities to learn about other countries and cultures from the opportunities to attend Embassy events and visit the various districts downtown. There are many large and small entertaining festivities and parades that happen in and around the city.
In the backdrop of the famous historic monuments, the still Potomac River makes the area less city-like and year-round livable.
The GW Parkway and W&OD are scenic paths for bicycles, runners, and pedestrians that connect DC to parts of the suburbs.
Then there are amazing wonders, one that’s well known is the Great Falls waterfalls park. And the many parks and other well-groomed Meadowlark Gardens.
The best time of the year is year-round as Washingtonians rarely see snow or hot extremes in mild temperatures. You also get to see the gradual changing of the leaves in the fall, cherry trees in the spring, and pops of bright colors from flowers in the summer against many historic architectural styles and newer buildings.
And when you’ve had enough of nature, then you can appreciate all the retail opportunities, in indoor and outdoor shopping malls.
Tysons Corner Mall is the largest mall on the east coast and now has 3 built-in metro stops in that bustling heart center of Northern Virginia where NoVa actually began.
So, DC is easily accessible. Then on top of many area malls, there are 3 mega retail outlet malls in the area in National Harbor, Leesburg, and Woodbridge that you can get to with a car.
So no matter what end of the metro area you live in, you have access to local town centers and the best lifestyle shopping from Anthropologie to Zara.
You don’t have to go far to find places to hang out or do work.
Music – You can find free outdoor concerts in Tysons and in summer months when towns have their own celebrations near and around Independence Day, not to mention the Capitol Fireworks that you can see from miles away.
You can also listen to your favorite bands and music genres in indoor and outdoor large concert halls, at Wolftrap, Capitol One Center (formerly Verizon Center), Jiffy Lube Live, and newer and smaller venues like The Anthem on the DC Waterfront or the Theater at MGM Hotel and Casino at National Harbor.
The Kennedy Center is popular for all forms of entertainment plus the theatre district in DC that is near a busy and popular area called Gallery Place in Penn Quarter (where the Caps and large concerts come to play).
Food – There are many foodie fast food places like Shake Shack and healthy options to choose from. If you want to get healthy, you can find many choices from grocery stores, delivery services, restaurants, and cafes.
You can find a Starbucks just about everywhere and in Giant or Safeway grocery stores.
You can always take an Uber that’s a popular way to get around if you don’t have a car or metro access.
Many visit nearby Whole Foods and Harris Teeter grocery stores, where during normal times and hours, they have prepared foods sections that include many cold and warm selections from crab cakes and comfort foods, to salads and everything in between.
The Washington DC metro area is home to world-famous World Kitchen chef Jose Andres who’s always in the news. He became a household name earlier on when he started his Think Food Group, a group of foodie restaurants that include the longer-standing Jaleo, Zatinya, and Oyamel restaurants in the Penn Quarter district.
Besides many upscale casual, fine dining, famous chains, and ethnic family restaurant options, there are many convenient grocery store options including food delivery services. And many farmers’ markets in various neighborhoods including a large year-round Eastern Market.
Fitness/Classes – There are also many studios to choose from, sprinkled throughout the area with specialized classes for yoga, cardio, barre, kickboxing… you name it.
You can join a city gym like a Vida, a mega gym like a Sport & Health, YMCA, or anything in between. Many are working off their Pitta edge and enjoying themselves on a court or in a studio.
You can find making outside friends in a fitness community easier in a faster-moving, transient city like the Washington DC metro area.
Divide dough into 4 pieces and roll into 1/4 inch circles. Tip: to make round shape, using the cupping method I learned working as a teenage pizza maker. Cup your hand around the sides of the dough and move circularly around until you get a round shape. You may need to knead back down as you want a level piece.
Add sauce layer.
On one circle end, add cheese.
Add oregano or other spices.
Fold the circle to make a half circle or half moon.
Join the two halves, with the crimping fork method (like you would see in hand pies) or my favorite is the pinch and fold on top crimp method to give a fancy but homemade edge vibe like in the photo.
Morning routine changes can get you up when you want to hit the snooze button on the alarm . Letting the window light in can be the baby step move…
Wake up, Sunshine! In the morning when you get out of bed, you use you mind-body muscles to get up, as part of the daily, morning routine.
You know if you’re an early riser or a night owl. You’re usually wired one way or the other.
Morning people are usually proud of how much they get done early on, while night people stay up and enjoy more leisure time.
I’m not a natural morning person and I honor that, as I do appreciate sleep. Similarly, if you’re a slow riser naturally, I have some suggestions below that can help get you moving…
Women need more sleep than men and children need more sleep than adults. Waking up adult energy changes and depends on many factors.
If you normally pop up, right out of bed, but find it difficult this season in your life, then you may have a Kapha imbalance (could be mind or body).
If it’s recurring every winter, then seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can be an added layer of mood tiredness. You can change your morning routine so it’s enjoyable, and you look forward to getting up.
Embrace Your Vata-ness and Why This Matters Even If You’re Another Dominant Dosha
While usual daily variance on waking up energy is a good indication that you’re a natural Vata, you may find your partner or friends seem to get up at the same time every day. They’re likely Pitta dominant people.
In true-Vata form, if that’s your natural way, one morning you could start off feeling energized, and then the next day, tired and groggy waking up, that doesn’t always have to do with what time you went to sleep.
Your eyes can open at the same time every morning naturally, that’s part of your natural circadian rhythm and internal clock, but you want to rest and snooze for a few more minutes before you drag yourself to get up.
This is especially if you wake up to an artificial alarm clock.
Your level of mood tiredness and body functions are separate aspects and both affect the energy you have for a morning routine.
Since we all possess traces of all the dosha traits, you could be imbalanced in a dosha that you or may not be dominant in, and that’s what I want to help you with today to invigorate a healthy, wake up morning routine.
If you’re not sure which imbalances you currently have and want restoring suggestions on your specific body imbalance symptoms, then I encourage you to take the body balance quiz.
The results are revealing to what your body is trying to tell you at this moment without written or voice communication. Your non-verbal response can be simple, healthy behavior tweaks to prevent irritating symptoms from getting worse and so you can enjoy foods and activities you like.
In the same way, having an inspiring morning routine for your body is going to be better than a forced one. If you’re a learner you like to challenge yourself and that will help you to get going.
Easing Into Your Morning
So, while you’re starting your day drinking room temperature water (or a warm ginger tea is good) and visiting the bathroom, this is a good time to get mentally prepared about yoga stretching.
You may need or enjoy a cup of coffee or cappuccino to wake-up your mind, and that’s great.
As part of your morning routine, find a pause moment to be mindful, and think of something to be grateful for today, or that just happened recently.
You can find this mindful moment when you’re heating water for tea, straightening up along your path, or putting the clean dishes back in the cabinet.
In America, we don’t usually stop reflecting on our busy lives and ambition. Living overwhelmed isn’t healthy.
And if you have a Vata imbalance, you easily move on to something else without finishing your current activity. Staying focused at least at the start of your day, and having a routine to stick to is especially helpful so anxious feelings don’t sink in.
So after getting mindful, and visiting the kitchen, a natural transition is to move onto stretching parts of your body that need just a little awakening and movement, from the wear and tear of yesterday and the day before.
You can call this yoga or just stretching, it doesn’t matter.
This is a good way to ease into the morning even if you only have 10 minutes before someone or something needs you.
My stretch routine is below (and if you’re a yoga beginner or think you’re not-good at yoga because of body issues, I’ll explain how not to be intimidated).
If you did a workout the day before, even if that was carrying groceries up a flight of stairs, you can reset your body for today, the new day and the only one that exists (at least in your mindful 10 minutes or the time you have).
Here’s a daily morning practice that you can try and tweak to how you like.
If you’re a Vata you’ll naturally want to change up your morning routines.
To start off, you could get on all 4’s, and in a pose called TableTop where you put your bended knees on your floor or mat and lay your palms flat on the floor.
Your back is flat and parallel to the floor. Your body looks like a table and you could set the book on your back, and it would balance.
Table Top is a neutral pose, getting you ready, and doesn’t require much energy even if you’re not yet fully awake.
If you’re still super tired from there you could go into a resting pose like Child’s pose (or a Hare pose with a rounded back). Be careful you don’t end up napping so you keep your focus on a general, not specific mindful intention like peace or love today. Take your time and don’t be in a hurry.
But once you’re ready to get up back into Table Top pose, you can flow into Downward Dog (inverted “V”).
Then when you’re ready, you can walk your feet up to your hands on the floor or take a quick jump forward (the fun and energizing way to meet your hands).
Then you can rise up slowly and as controlled as you can like one spinal vertebra at a time, into a standing Mountain pose position.
Then, take your hands and reach in the air to the ceiling forming a “Y” with your arms. If you’re by a window or outside, you can look out and pray or take a meditation moment, or inside, you can look up at the ceiling.
Move your hands down to heart center with the specific intention of your day, or love if you don’t have one in mind.
Then, fold your body downward with hands to your thighs and shins and then shift to palms on the floor (or swan dive your hands straight down to the floor for more energy).
You can repeat these morning sun salutations. They’re good for getting your mind and body into a calm and appreciative flow.
From there I like to test where there are kinks in the body, where there’s tightness and especially cracking sounds that are common in the morning or if it’s cold outside.
You may not experience that type of sensation if your muscles are naturally more limber, as everyone has a unique body.
You may not discover these tight areas if you don’t move around. Testing slight bends and stretches allow you to appreciate your body at the moment for its abilities.
You familiarize yourself with your weaker spots and just by moving your body around, you can feel and discover where those spots are. Whatever that may be for you, you have your one and only body to fully take care of, so it helps to do these check-ins.
I like to smooth out muscles taken for granted. Where you feel tightness you can move the body part in the opposite direction to see how things feel.
I like to go from my morning Table Top waking up poses above to an inverted table (where my stomach is facing the ceiling) and move the arms behind me around, hinging back and forth. That gets tightness out of the upper arms that I wouldn’t otherwise know about.
I made that one up. In the same way, you can use yoga as a creative body expression to become aware of your body. You can make up and create your own poses and you can blend in more traditional yoga poses you like and know.
And you can do a water animal series like starting in happy Dolphin pose.
You can get in Seated Spinal Twist that has a name that sounds like a kids game you play (maybe, Twister or Sit-n-Spin?). …Anyway, it’s a pretty simple yoga pose and a great stretch for either side of your back that often gets ignored.
I was taught this pose, and have been doing these since grade school P.E. class (physical education), way before I knew any yoga poses, and before yoga was popular in the States.
And similarly, you too probably have been doing some yoga poses long before you knew their pose names.
So those are two examples of how you can get innovative and reinvent new yoga poses in your daily routine.
If you’re intimidated by the idea of yoga and doing poses wrong, don’t be.
I’ve been in yoga classes before where I would hear people say they’re “not good at yoga.”
Re-framing your thoughts help.
We all start as yoga beginners and each morning is a re-start so your body feels different than the day before. It’s a good metaphor for being a lifelong learner.
If you look at laying down flat on your back as another name for Corpse pose, you can make the connection that yoga can be a fancy name for “just being.”
Besides, the funny and interesting thing is, no one is looking at anyone else in a yoga class. Everyone is too busy concentrating and looking at their own body parts and poses.
No one talks about other people’s poses, in or after class. The point of yoga is that it’s an individual sport. You get to look inward and see yourself like when you look in a mirror.
If you’re self-conscious, then yoga can help you break away judgmental feelings about yourself.
If you’re a beginner, doing more yoga gives you self-confidence, and you feel better about your body when poses work.
When I attended my first class I didn’t like it because I didn’t know what was going on, and that’s just par for the course of learning a new skill.
And practicing yoga at home gives you more confidence. So don’t be too quick to rule out yoga as a sustainable activity for you and your morning.
If that’s you at this stage, just have fun with getting to know your body, and center your mind on parts of your body and intention for your practice. The rest will work itself out.
We all have weak spots and our vulnerabilities and bringing them to light is how to go through them. You never know, you may end up loving yoga like I did and do.
And if you’re beyond beginner yoga overthinking or any yoga insecurity, then maybe use your morning yoga practice to work on your patience and resilience.
So that’s my morning routine start (that you can use) before my coffee and catching up with my daily news.
Then I make myself a breakfast smoothie or a breakfast snack and get to productive work.
I hope you’re a bit more happily inspired to get up in the mornings! 🌅
Sugar cravings don’t have to get the best of you… and the orange scone recipe below may help you get over the worst sugar sweets as it was the healthy start for me, someone who ate way too much daily sugar that many of us do. It’s no one’s fault.
The new dreamy sugar – orange zest! Use in a good orange scone recipe below… 🧡
Oranges and citrus fruits are good for blood sugar levels as citrus fruits have a lower glycemic index as a general indicator for how a food will impact your blood sugar level.
And juicy foods like oranges also have a way of quenching your thirst and hunger. Like water and tea, you can feel less hungry when you consume oranges and lower your food cravings.
Using orange and orange zest are also a good way to avoid artificial sweeteners while brightening your food and day.
Maintaining a healthy blood sugar level is at the heart (pun intended!) of a healthy heart.
I became aware of the American Heart Association when I volunteered for the American Cancer Society in my backyard while I was attending college.
The “Eat Smart” campaign was one of the promoted programs and I remember posters (remember those?) were donated that had healthy fruits and vegetables.
These are now known as anti inflammatory food ideas like oranges that were brightly represented on the poster and I proudly displayed on my wall.
Who knew that anti-inflammatory foods would become so important with all its healthy benefits and in many healthy diet movements like the Mediterranean Diet and plant-based diets?
And we couldn’t have predicted that the role of Vitamin C would grow in highlighted health importance, and that oranges would relatively stay the same while we see more orange varieties on the grocery shelves.
We keep evolving in food, health, and nutrition.
Vitamins stay as a focal point in the anti inflammatory diet. Some are antioxidants that are good body protectors for preventing heart disease, Diabetes 2, certain cancers, and cognitive decline that can start off as harmless brain fog or short memory mental health lapses.
In the beginning of 2020, I created a smart pantry for “just in case,” where I collected processed, longer shelf-life foods in cans and boxes. That’s where I failed in my sugar cravings dilemma and developed an itchy eczema skin rash by mid-summer that came from sugar indulgence.
Luckily I caught on before things got worse. I got aware and my love for sugar got replaced for Ayurveda ways, moderation, and anti-inflammatory foods.
Sugar we know is good for our happy selves, but not our healthy one. They latch onto lectin anti-nutrients in our gut and can destroy our microbiome that we know controls so much of our daily body functions.
My hope is you’re onboard for a healthier new year, new health progress goals, and micro habit changes. Fasting is one way I have deployed in my healthy lifestyle and you can too. You can download my FREE fasting guide that makes it a sustainable way.
And when you’re eating, if you’re like me, you’re a bit choosy and conscious about your food choices.
I love foods, food variety, and enjoy good foods. I planned catered parties in nice hotels and foodie restaurants for a decade, so it’s a part of me that has been weaved into my adult DNA. And healthy eating that I learned early on.
But I have a weakness… a sweet tooth.
Many of us enjoy some sweets in moderation.
Having a sweet tooth is natural but isn’t helpful on a healthy lifestyle mission.
If you regularly eat sugary foods to curb your sweet tooth and sugar cravings, you set yourself up to have more sugar cravings. It’s a vicious cycle.
For entertainment, I had started watching TheGreat British Baking Show, that’sa competition show that started with U.K. bakers… initially, it wasn’t the best thing to watch if you want to curb sugar cravings and stop eating so much sugar.
But I worked through it and can now watch the show without eating a sweet dessert. I’m telling you this because I believe everyone can get there!
In my search, I came across a book called The40 Day Sugar Fast by Wendy Speake.
It reminded me of a sugar fast I set out to do for 3 weeks in 2011 but ended up doing the sugar fast for around 40 days.
How?
When I had my tonsils removed as an adult, the fast was a smooth transition as I mostly had a liquid diet in the beginning.
And if you’re trying to break the sugar habit, finding a time when you’re not dealing with as much stress is your best bet.
Like if you’re a teacher, do your sweet fast after the school year ends and you have the summer off. You usually crave less food in the hot months anyway, so use all those helpful situations to your advantage.
Another helpful situation is when you have support. To keep me encouraged, the church I was attending was doing an annual fast for those who wanted to participate. So, it was perfect timing as I wasn’t doing it alone.
And as I focused on giving up sweets for sweet Jesus, the sugar cravings also miraculously disappeared. The ones I’d had every single day since I was a child.
I didn’t use my own willpower to make changes. That doesn’t usually work.
I focused on my heart and deeper desires. To my surprise, my way of thinking changed. It was supernatural and beyond my small capabilities to overcome sugar on my own.
But that’s just a reminder that you don’t have to do it alone and can encourage the Universe or higher source you turn to, to help you.
I also use maintaining good teeth as motivation. As a child I always had a mouth full of cavities. I wanted to live a better dental life later in life. That same motivation carried me when I quit all sodas years ago. Previously as a young adult, I’d have at least 1-2 sodas by noon.
Do whatever works for you and your healthy motivations.
Another tip is to look at sugar nutrition labels. Most food labels are in grams and 1 gram = about .24 teaspoons or a quarter teaspoon.
We use teaspoons for baking in America so that’s easier to visualize.
It doesn’t take much in a Western diet to go over 20 grams of refined sugar at breakfast alone!
You can try these breakfast plant-based breakfast ideas and tips to stop sugar cravings and craving sweets if you want some suggestions.
And sodas are off the charts starting at 30-40 grams.
I drank diet sodas early on, but those are linked to heart disease and Diabetes 2 so they’re no better and probably worse off
Also, keep in mind no fat is usually linked to higher sugar in foods, so you’re giving up one evil for another.
The better healthy answer is to change your healthy food and beverage habits. And then you will enjoy the healthy foods and especially after you have adjusted. I promise.
If you’ve every shifted from a whole milk to a plant or other milk, you know what I’m talking about.
You no longer go back to the other because 1) your body doesn’t need the same quantity of nutrients it needed before or growing up and 2) you have a decent food or beverage replacement.
Most of are lazy in this area about food fixing. It we have something easy and near us, we’ll grab that instead of go out and forage if we don’t have to.
And for fruit, I still don’t overindulge even though the Food Pyramid I grew up with recommended 2-4 servings of fruit per day. These days, MyPlate says at least 1 piece of medium fruit.
Even natural fruits and dried fruits have a huge dose of natural sugars, the better fructose sugar, but still sugar. I limit myself to an apple, a banana, and an orange if I’m craving fruits and sweet foods.
Foods that you wouldn’t suspect and maybe even classify as healthy food like a Fig Newton or low-fat “healthy” cereal are loaded with sugar. You discover reality when you do package label reading.
I once felt I had to add a puff of white cloud sweetness that finished off almost every dinner dessert, holiday cheesecake, pie, or warm beverage. The nutritional breakdown ingredients of some whipped foods say “hydrogenated oils” or trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup to avoid.
You can always say “no whip, please.”
And you can choose moderation where it’s okay for a happy celebrations, but not for daily healthy consumption. That’s what I do in the balance.
That’s the modern Ayurveda way that is sustainable. Turning to healthy and anti-inflammatory foods that are also good for weight loss and preventing weight gain, so you don’t have to do one more yo-yo diet that never works long-term.
Modern Ayurveda lifestyle people love following natural, doable, and achievable (practical) advice.
So here are 3 actionable Ayurveda creature habits and tips for reducing sugar in your diet and curbing sugar cravings:
Become aware which foods have high sugar, added sugar – fact vs. fiction. Read labels at least until you are familiar with the foods you eat regularly.
Substitute your sweets not for other foods, but for a higher calling or purpose for yourself. Find a motivation that makes you stick to your plan and look forward to maintaining.
Do one daily baby step food choice action you can make to create a healthier micro habit. Reminder: the more you eat sugar, the more you crave sugar.
Maybe that’s substituting an empty calorie sugary dessert with a fortified cereal that at least has some nutrients?
And if you need a replacement for something super sweet, I have a low sugar, Orange Scone recipe below I mentioned above that you can try that’s super easy and you’ll love (or grow to love!).
What I love about this recipe is the orange peel zest you would normally throw away is used as the main sweet ingredient.
Oranges are also good for calming in our parasympathetic nerves, so in the strong orange smells, we experience calmer nerves instead of anxiety. You hear people who like to eat oranges by their bed and this could be a good reason why. They are calmer, better managing worry and anxious thinking hours before sleep o’clock.
This orange recipe has no needed added refined sugars, but you may like the turbinado sugar small packet crunch finish like I do, that has 5 grams of fat total used for the entire 8 scone slices. So you do your daily sugar math and see if that’ll work for you.
I also love that you won’t use all your eggs in one recipe. And, in the easy, it can take less than 10 minutes time to prepare!
It takes about 40 minutes total time (from prep to baking to mouth 😋). That’s something to celebrate!
This can become a regular dessert bread for you that’s healthier than sugary processed breads and pastries. Great for a sweet tooth (or a Vata)!
1 egg
2 cup flour total (can mix gluten and gluten-free flours if you choose)
2 tbsp frozen unsalted butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ cup plain or vanilla Greek, plus more if needed (this is a good food item to look at sugar labels). Use more solid yogurt parts to bring it together if it gets too crumbly.
Zest of an orange (navel oranges are great)
Cinnamon to liking (and you can purposefully add a little teaspoon of sugar, some tips below)
You omit sugar that normally would be added. Since you’re not using sugar, you don’t need salt either to balance any sugar. NO refined white sugar, yay! 😊
Add flour to a medium bowl. Add butter and cut it into small pieces with a knife. Add the egg and mix with a spoon.
Add yogurt and keep mixing until well mixed. Add baking powder and baking soda. Add orange zest and mix until blended into flour mixture.
Form a ball with the spoon in the bowl. Then place the dough on a baking sheet and flatten it slightly, so it forms into a 6-8” circle.
There will be flour crumbs, just stick them on top of the circle to blend in (like you’re adding clay to pottery before being fired in the kiln).
Sprinkle with cinnamon if you like. Cut 8 slices before placing in the oven.
Optional sweet: if you desire, you can add one brown sugar packet of Sugar in the Raw (turbinado cane sugar) on top of the circle bake before it goes in the oven. These small brown crystals are similar to refined sugar in health terms, but if you add them in moderation, that’s not going to make a big difference. If you’re feeding anyone diabetic, they’re not going to eat it anyway… or if they can eat monk fruit sugar, you can add that.
You can also optionally add ½ tablespoon of dried currants or raisins and blend in the mixture before you form the circle. Or you could do half and half (4 pieces plain and 4 pieces lightly sugar)… then you can please those you’re sharing with who won’t necessarily appreciate your low sugar, healthy scone bread efforts.
Finally, put the baking sheet in the middle of the oven and bake the scones to a golden brown for 25-30 minutes at 350°F/180°C degrees. Let your scones cool, and then you’ll be ready to enjoy.
Intended effective gym habits can begin in a new year and die before February 1. Don’t let that be YOU in the upcoming year. Make this year and better and different that it deserves as you’re a better, more resilient person.
The usual drill…
Welcoming in the first week of the year with effective gym habits is the intent, where many of us think of new personal, health, and fitness goals. In my mind, I think of the end goal that comes from 7 habits of highly effective people that can be applied to life. But not always effect in fitness areas…
Because most people don’t like to workout. That’s the first hurdle. Especially if you prefer to work or play instead of work out (I know the feeling!). At times, working out can add more stress if you don’t have a routine down.
But, if you prioritize, practice and adopt doing regular habits (great for Vata balancing)… and they are habits you enjoy, that could be a game changer to effective habits. Let that be the new year mantra or philosophy you breathe in…
OUT with ancient new year’s resolutions, and IN with inspiring habits for your betterment, progress, and self-improvement goals.
Simple steps like attending a Gold’s Gym (my fond memories) or similar, and doing at-home ab exercises regularly can help get you into healthy physical body habits with good results if you choose successful ways that help you, explained below…
Inspired by 7 habits of highly effective people who are proactive in their lives and begin with the end in mind, these are 7 effective habit traits (and what it boils down to), to embrace ideas that can turn into action and help set you up for success.
I think these ways make habits easier to adopt, and you can apply to any area you want to have continued success in.
So, applying these traits will help you with training to stay active and healthy fit for the year and keep effective gym habits for life.
Effective Habit Traits Inspired By 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
1. New – highly effective people consider and embrace new ideas, challenging the status quo or current norm. They keep everything fresh and have a learning and growth mindset. They think “today is a brand, new day” to do something better, remarkable, or impactful.
2. Variety – they spice up life with more than one way or choice. This can be from food to finding new inspiration or a new route. If they did it one way, they try another way to keep things exciting.
3. Fun or exciting – they have fun doing what they do. If you’re enjoying yourself, then you’re more likely to keep doing what you’re doing. Laughter is a good indicator that you’re engaged. Remember when you were a kid, and that’s what got you going?… just good, innocent fun.
4. Usefulness – they know how to be productive with their time, and highly effective people spend time working on activities that are useful and not a waste of time. There’s a next step, where there’s personal growth, observable impact, or serves others.
5. Practical – they turn ideas into action and use resources they have access to, and keep going. They don’t let excuses keep them from moving forward. Relevance guides them to their next steps and pivots.
6. Getting better – they look for progress. They know that if it’s not getting better, that it could be getting worse. They look for signs of growth, impact, and healthiness.
7. Easy – they keep it simple and uncomplicated. They know if it’s easy, then it’s doable. There won’t be delay and “easy” can be duplicable and scalable to perform in other ways.
Wake up, Sunshine! In the morning when you get out of bed, you use you mind-body muscles to get up, as part of the daily, morning routine.
