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by Terry Tasche, R.N., B.S.N.

Founder of mydietmylife.com

Terry's photography program schedule_speaking at the Illinois/Indiana Regional Convention spring 2009.

Terry will be teaching November 22, 2009, at Chicago Area Photographic School (CAPS), which happens every other year and will be held this year at the Elgin Community College. The topic will be "Family and Children's Portraiture".

CAPSCourseDescrip_Bio
1. Title of Class: Family and Children's Portraiture
2. Short Description: Ever wonder how to pose people and get great expressions? Come and hear Terry's tips and tricks of how to create beautiful images of children and families.
3. BIO: Terry has her Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman degrees and is the recipient of both the Kodak Gallery Award of Excellence and the Fuji Masterpiece Award. She is also honored to have a portrait display at Disney World's Epcot Center.
4. a photo of you:

Terry has also been invited to teach at the Michiana Professional Photography Symposium in February 2010. Exact date to be determined, and the topic will be "Interpretive Art from Original Fine-Art Images Using Corel Painter 11".

Plus, available at the following link:

~ Terry Tasche Photo Tutorials ~

Getting Started . . .

#1 You Want the Truth? Well… it’s that I really loved junk food!

#2 My Diet, My Life, and My UFO

#3 My Diet, My Life and Staying Fit and Focused!

#4 KISS: Keep It Simple, Sweetheart

#5 The Urge, the Splurge, and the Surge

#6 Be in It to Win It

#7 Keep Your Head in the Game

#8 It’s Worth the Work

#9 The Sweet Tooth Fairy

#10 Read the Directions!

#11 FBI vs Public Enemies

#12 It’s Now or Never

#13 Accentuate the Positive

#14 The Power's in the Follow Through

#15 Revelations to Resolutions

#16 Make Yourself a Priority

#17 Coming Distractions

#18 The Take-Away Plan

#19 Procrastination Pays

#20 Going Green and Staying Lean

#21 Truth or Consequences July's article

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. You Want the Truth?
Well, it’s that I really loved junk food!

By Terry Tasche, M.Photog., F-PPANI
Founder of mydietmylife.com

One day I had a revelation. It happened just a couple of years ago, the day that I’d stopped at a local gas station to check on my car’s flat tire. Gas stations are notorious for being filled to the brim with snack food. I saw the shelves and shelves of stuff that were there for the buying, and so I bought a Mounds candy bar and a small package  of  Oreos. I felt certain that  they would “hold” me for the next few days and that  I’d have a little each day. However,  since my tire was’t ready,  I walked home.  By the time I’d gone the 2 1/2 blocks to my front door,  all the junk was gone-the entire Mounds bar and six Oreos.

I went inside,  sat in my desk chair,  and was a bit dazed by what  I had just done,  and asked, “What am I doing? I am out of control! I have  to do something!" The answer  that occurred to me was a total surprise, because it is definitely not something that I would have thought of on my own. The answer was a simple directive.  It was this, “Tell someone what you‚re eating.” “Oh, no,” I thought,  “that’s so embarrassing!  Isn’t there another  option?” I didn‚t really like the idea, but I also knew that it would take a drastic measure like that to get me to stop my insidious and harmful eating, so I decided that  I’d better give it a try. I thought  of three friends who might be willing to help me, and I sent out an S-O-S e-mail to them, telling them why I was writing,  asking for their support and  asking them whether or not they would  be willing to let me write them and tell them what I was eating every day. They all said yes to this. So, my program of honesty and willingness began.

As I began writing what I was eating,  I had to, of course,  notice what I was  eating, and pay attention,  especially to my junk food intake. As I began to write down what I was eating,  I also started writing about what I was thinking about my eating.  It became obvious very quickly that  I was eating way too much junk food. An amazing thing happened as I began to cut back on the junk,  I began to lose weight,  about a pound a week,  and so my tight jeans started feeling a little more comfortable.  I guess that I could have been buying bigger jeans,   but I refused to go there. I had made the old ones fit by pinning them together at the waist using a very large safety pin and by wearing loose tops to cover  my mid-section. I had always  hoped  that they would fit comfortably again one day. Well, that day had finally come,  and all because I asked for help.

Reflecting on what I was eating was never something that  I had done before. One of my friends who read my daily e-mails  also began to pay closer attention to what she was eating,  began to lose weight, and was thrilled about  it. She lost twelve pounds.  My husband, who was also reading my e-mails,  lost twelve pounds, too. Writing and reflecting was becoming surprisingly helpful in my stopping a very bad habit,  that I, unfortunately, could not stop by myself. Knowing that I had to report to my supportive  “team” was sobering and helped me stay on track. I changed my stubborn habits, and today is a good example of my changed attitude toward food.

The other day I put my car through the car wash at the same gas station where I first learned that  my junk food intake was out of control. As I went  to the checkout,  I saw an Almond Joy candy bar, and actually didn’t buy it. Yes, it was tempting,  but not tempting enough to 1) have to admit I ate it,   2) worth ruining my health and raising my cholesterol,  and 3) increasing my weight.  It feels so good to have shrunk a few of my fat cells, and I know all too well how easy it is to plump them up again.  So, my journey began and has continued for more than three years, with ups and downs,  but mostly downs (weight, that is). Not only did I get my weight down,  but also my cholesterol went  down 40 points, too! Paying attention to what I was eating and being honest about it was really working!            

Reporting what  I was eating to other people was probably the most important  ingredient. I’ve gained some knowledge (not weight) along the way and have become more educated regarding my health.  My husband is helping edit the avalanche of  information , which we receive in medical and health newsletters,   some of which I started to include in my e-mail reports. I have a lot to share with you regarding healthy eating,  exercise,  and dieting tips, and even a few recipes.  I also share my honest  insights into my thinking about what  I was eating and how I mentally motivated myself  to keep going.  

One thing I finally figured out after wondering about   it for a lifetime. Why is it so hard to lose weight,  but so easy to gain it? While I was walking around the track of the health club one wintry day I said to myself,  “I know the answer to that question! It’s because lifting cookies is not a weight-bearing exercise,  and walking back and forth to the kitchen to get more food is not a cardio workout!  It was a real revelation for someone who was clueless as to why I could never seem to lose weight.  But, now I have successfully lost nearly twenty pounds and you can too! I’ve added many e-mail addresses to my original  list of three,  and have enjoyed sharing my thoughts,  tips, insights,  struggles,  and successes with many people who are also on the same journey towards health and weight loss.  Responses and insights from others have been motivating for me,  too.

I have often included photos with my e-mails.  For instance, “Fireworks Over Chicago” is below. Go to www.terrytasche.com and click on the tutorials tab to see available Tasche Tutorials. Adobe PhotoShop, click here for Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (Upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (New).

 

"Fireworks Over Chicago" - ©Terry Jo Tasche

Master Photographer

Photographic Craftsman, F-PPANI

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2. My Diet, My Life, and My UFO

By Terry Tasche, M.Photog. Cr., F-PPANI
Founder of mydietmylife.com

The fun and festive holidays are upon us, but many of us are "afraid," because the food temptations are abundant.  My fear comes not from the food itself, because really, it's only food. The truth is, it's my UFO that really scares me. I can be cruising along minding my own business and suddenly My UFO is hovering overhead. It engulfs me and into it I go, never to return until I have eaten too much and once again become disappointed with myself. It seems to appear out of nowhere, especially at this time of year.  UFO stands for Unhealthy Food Obsession, an enemy I was not always equipped to handle.

I was obsessed with food that was bad for me like cookies, potato chips, ice cream, etc.  It seemed that my days revolved around these types of foods; when I would get to eat them, how much I would try to limit their consumption, and the guilt I felt when I went overboard.  I was obsessed with these unhealthy foods that seemed, at least at times, to be taking over my life, kind of like I would image a UFO might do.  The food, like a UFO, took over, as if I had been pulled out of reality and onto a ship where I was under the command of another force. Getting near to it and focusing on it only drew me closer to it, making it a close encounter of a tempting kind.

 I felt helpless as my UFO approached, until I realized I had a choice!  I was in control, not the UFO, but for so long it just did not feel that way. Healthy food won't come after me.  Only my UFO will do that.  Without a change in my behavior, today will be the same as yesterday, and my UFO will never stop. A change in my thinking leads to a change in my eating, so that the UFO is no longer master over me, but I am master over it.

When I see the dangers of my obsession, I can stop being sucked into it. That is the power of changed thinking, which results in changed behavior.  I guess I wasn't slim, because I chose not to be.
My UFO was in charge, until I decided to take back the control and make choices that were good for me.  Before, I went willingly and without a fight, but was left with the wreckage: overweight, high cholesterol, and very unhappy about it. My UFO is always nearby just waiting for the opportunity to land and carry me off into the la-la land of denial.  Now I can say, "I'm not getting into that UFO!  Let me go!  Get your hands off of me!"   

  
I have removed the UFO's landing pad from my home. My willingness to allow it to land and invade my home, pantry, and body is what ultimately gave it access.  Now I can say, "Stop!  Get out! And don't ever come back!  You're no longer welcome here!"  Not like before when I'd say, "Come on in and stay a while, make yourself at home," and I made sure it was comfortable and had a nice little home on a shelf.  And, I even paid for it.  Was I stupid or what!  Then I would wonder why I couldn't stop getting caught up in my Unhealthy Food Obsession.  What a mystery!  Gee, I wonder how that happened.

     I'd eat, gain weight, and, of course, never lose any of it.  Well, that mystery has been solved.  My Unhealthy Food Obsession was stopping me from achieving my goal of being healthy and fit.  But those days are over! I learned that it's about deciding to take the welcome sign off my door. It's about healthy food or bust.

I still have to stay alert and notice when my UFO is approaching... so I can get out of its path. Just because a cupcake, cookie or candy bar comes my way does not mean I have to eat it, and I certainly don't need to eat 2, 3, 4 or more.  They may look great on the outside, but I know they will damage me on the inside. When I'm stressed out, it's especially important to focus on healthy food, which I'll call My Healthy Food Focus as opposed to My UFO Focus.  The difference may be life or death.  It may have taken awhile to achieve this change, but everyday I know it's worth it.

The image "Architectural Abstract" is below, in which I used the Adobe PhotoShop filters to create the effect. Please click here if you need the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (new). There are tutorials available at www.terrytasche.com. Click on the tutorials tab and then on Tasche Tutorials.

        "Architectural Abstract" ©Terry Tasche, M.Photog.Cr., F-PPANI

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By Terry Tasche M.Photog. Cr., F-PPANI
Founder of mydietmylife.com

It's a New Year, and it's time to get fit by staying focused. What a nice thought, especially for photographers!

I was thinking about how helpful a visual of my nearly twenty-pound weight loss would be to remind me of what approximately twenty pounds would look like when I found this picture taken a few years ago of my husband and his beautifully prepared 20 lbs. Thanksgiving turkey.  When I look at that turkey, I see that it was a lot to lose, and I don't ever want to have it back on me again.

 

        
Today I had an interesting conversation with a lady who said that she had lost 12 pounds in the last month.  Guess how she did it:  by walking and cutting out junk food!  Wow! It's almost too simple, but it really works.  Cutting out the high-caloric worthless food products and doing more exercise does wonders for the psyche and does wonders for health.

Sometimes I feel like the mother of a two-year old who is having a horrible outburst when I feel starved or I just want junk food. Inside I start yelling, screaming, kicking, throwing myself on the floor, carrying on and demanding very loudly, in my mind, that I have to have it, NOW!  I can kindly and patiently say to this ungrateful tyrant, "Sweetheart, you don't need that.  Let's look over here and find something healthy to eat.  You know how much better this is for you."  The very annoyed child, with arms crossed, takes a stance, glares at me and says, "Who cares what you think!  That is not what I want.  I want that!"  At that moment I must calmly, but strongly, ask myself, "Will I give in or will I stand my ground?"

Not long ago I had just such an encounter with this unruly brat having a temper tantrum, who, unfortunately, lives deep inside me and often comes to the surface when I see tempting refined carbs (RC's).  I had gone to a coffee shop to buy a decaf coffee, a fine idea.  However, while standing in line I was challenged by this little brat.  It was yet another crossroad in MyDiet.  As I stood in line waiting to pay for my coffee, I came face-to-face and nose-to-nose with an entire case of delectable items: huge muffins with voluptuous "muffin tops" drooping over their paper containers, chocolate-filled croissants, and cup cakes with creamy frosting.  How was I to resist and how could I quiet the demands of a hungry, growling stomach?   I thought, "Is there no healthy food around here?"  I quickly looked around me for help to avoid the pitfall of choosing one of these temptations.  There it was: a bowl of fruit by the cash register- large, perfectly ripe bananas and green apples.  I turned off the voice inside me and said to myself, "No, you are not having that junk, I am choosing this beautiful banana for us to eat."  I bought the banana, which was only 39¢, ate it, got out quickly, and counted it as a victory to have not succumbed to yet another muffin that literally stood in the way of my losing my junk food addiction and my extra weight. 

I am VERY happy with that decision, and I know that it will pay big dividends down the road in the way of health, not to mention the money I saved and the "muffin top" around my middle that I prevented from growing in dimension.  The expense and hidden cost of buying jfk's (junk food killers) could show up down the road in health bills, knee replacements, diabetes, which then could result in needed insulin injections, heart surgery from clogged arteries, and on and on.  It is a choice to have healthy food in the house rather than cupcakes, cookies and candy, or whatever jfk's that I may want to drag in there.  Each and every day is my chance to choose a healthy future. I am excited about my new lease on life that MyDiet has given me, and I'm grateful that I've finally discovered the perks of eating a healthy diet, which greatly outweigh the fleeting enjoyment from eating my jfk's.

The image this month is "Grand Entrance," and was created using Adobe PhotoShop and Corel Painter. Tutorials are available at www.terrytasche.com. Click on the tutorials tab and then on Tasche Tutorials. Please click here if you need the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (new).

Click for today's Corel Painter software savings and free shipping offer.

"Grand Entrance" by ©Terry Tasche, M.Photog. Cr.

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4. KISS: Keep It Simple, Sweetheart!

By Terry Tasche, M.Photog. Cr., F-PPANI

 "When I woke up this morning, and you were on my mind.  You were on my mind."  They're talking about sugar and refined carbs, aren't they? 

When all I think about is how and when I can get to the "good stuff" and want to forget the healthy offerings, I have crossed over into my UFO (Unhealthy Food Obsession).  Remember that one?  Something is wrong with my thinking.  My mind has become obsessed, clear thinking has disappeared and I am in trouble. "Oh, I've got troubles; whoa, whoa.  I've got worries, whoa, whoa," and so the song goes. 

If I didn't have troubles before, I'll have them before long as I delve deeper into the sugar insanity.  Where and when will it all end?

Valentine's Day is this month and sugar takes center stage once again.  Even though it's prettier than ever, it's still all made of flour, water, and sugar and sometimes shortening, butter or saturated fat.  It doesn't sound as appealing as it looks.   It's interesting that a heart represents Valentine's Day, because it seems like we should be concerned about our hearts and the hearts of our loved ones.

Are all those sugar products really being bought to give to friends and lovers?  Or, will I wind up also buying them for myself, because there seems to be more candy, cookies and cupcakes than there are friends and lovers in the world?  Perhaps the V and D in Valentine's Day could stand for Very Damaging to my health; I could give a card and flowers instead, even to myself.  I don't need things that will destroy my blood vessels.

I can choose radiant red raspberries or strawberries, which are an investment in my own heart, rather than sugary hearts, which can slowly, over time, stop the blood flow to my heart, and mind and body, too, by increasing my cholesterol levels.  Put my money into my heart and health instead of into my destruction.  Investing my money can be an overwhelming mystery and quite complicated, but this is a simple and concrete way that I can invest in my future:  Go to the grocery store and head straight for the strawberries.  They're beautiful and pay back in health.  I can learn to love what is good for me. Think "sweet dreams" rather than "sweet treats."
The mydiet article is short and sweet this month, just like February.

The KISS slogan could stand for Keep It Simple, Sweetheart! Have a happy and healthy Valentine's Day.

Here's a tip from the Humane Society of the United States 2008 pet calendar: "Looking for the love of your life? Try your local animal shelter, and find that perfect pet this Valentine's Day."

The following image is of Chicago's beautiful 333 W. Wacker Drive. I created it using the Adobe PhotoShop filters.

Tutorials are available at www.terrytasche.com. Click on the Tutorials tab and then on Tasche Tutorials. Please click here if you need the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (new).

"Wacky Wacker Drive" by ©Terry Tasche

Master Photographer

Photographic Craftsman, F-PPANI

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5. The Urge, the Splurge, and the Surge

By Terry Tasche, founder of mydietmylife.com

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I have to tell myself stuff like this every day. It’s like feeding my mind with knowledge and arming myself with clear thinking on this issue. I have to keep this information in the forefront of my thoughts in order to stand strong and not collapse under pressure when confronted with the much-toomuch available junk food. I have to get control of my life and not waste it eating sugar. I can be strong when I apply what I’ve learned. To quote Aristotle, who said, “What we learn to do we learn by doing.” By changing the way I think and, therefore, how I eat, I can change my world and my weight. The choice is mine; I can either go from the URGE stage right on to the SPLURGE, or I can choose to PURGE (in green to remind me to eat healthy food like leafy green vegetables) the high-caloric foods, which contain little or not nutrition, from my pantry, cupboards, drawers and house so that the URGE won’t go on to cause a SURGE.

The image for this month is “Autumn Snow" by ©Terry Tasche and was created using Adobe PhotoShop and Corel Painter. Tutorials are available at www.terrytasche.com. Click on the tutorials tab and then on Tasche Tutorials.

Please click here if you need the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (new).

Check out this link for savings on Corel Painter software and the free shipping offer.

 

“Autumn Snow” by ©Terry Tasche

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6. Be in It to Win It!

By Terry Tasche, founder of mydietmylife.com

I noticed that the health club Curves is advertising nutrition classes. That's a great idea, because that is where it starts, with education and the reprogramming of the mind.There are two mental elements, which need to be addressed right off the bat. The first is my decision to do it and the second is my all-important commitment to stick to it. 

The Decision to Do It! along with the Commitment to Stick to It!
Those two items are actually the most underrated points of any healthy eating and exercise program that anyone can come up with. It's easy for me to lose my focus, especially when the weight isn't dropping as easily as the spoonfuls went in and the weight went on. When the scale moves up instead of down, I can lose heart and start procrastinating, forgetting my decision and commitment to my health. Losing heart may be prophetic, because I can actually lose my heart if I don't exercise it and feed it healthy food.

It may seem overwhelming and like a long haul to lose five, ten, fifty or even one- hundred pounds, but not getting it off is an even longer haul.  Hauling it around and being miserable is a very long, hard haul. 

Motivating myself to keep going is a journey to say the least.  A motivating factor for me is to write and share what's going on in my thinking and with my eating. For example, I would like to think that eating doughnuts, chocolate, and lots of jfk's (junk food killers), will somehow, someway make me lose weight.  This is magical thinking.  Chocolate bars do not turn me into a beauty queen, a model or a thin person.  They don't make me lose or help dissolve one ounce of stored fat. There are, however, certain things that, if I just do them, plan them into my daily schedule and don't have to think about them, will help me accomplish my goal of being healthy.  I won't have to try and remember what to do.  I'll call them Basic Basics To Do Daily.  These are things that I must do every day.  I can turn bad habits into good ones and, therefore, into Health Habits. Healthy rituals and good routines can turn me into a healthy, slim-and-trim person.  Rituals and routines override feelings, because I do them whether I want to or not and whether I feel like it or not.  They are intentional and repeated and reflect my commitment to my health.  They have no bearing on how I feel; I do them routinely as part of my day. They are totally doable, or else, frankly, I wouldn't do them.  Sorry, but it's true.

Here's an example of how a little work pays off: every morning I do a few simple exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, knee-bends, walking lunges and stretching. Having an exercise routine in the morning jumpstarts my metabolism, revs it up and gets it started for the day. By doing fifty push-ups each day, I wind up doing 18,000 in one year. Each day's activity is important, because the daily consistency adds up to toned muscles, stronger bones, and my cholesterol even dropped 40 points, too. How many calories I burn each year by doing 90,000 little exercises I am not sure, but cutting down on junk food, adding some walking and an exercise routine has undoubtedly paid off for me with benefits to my health. Wow! I am impressed how doing a little every day can add up to making me a healthier person.

And, my simple exercise routine is easy, only taking five-seven minutes each morning. I started out doing just twenty of each exercise every day and gradually increased the amount. It's not even hard to do. And, another bonus is that the back of my upper arms is no longer flabby, because I'm toning the muscles as well.

Why did I choose these specific exercises? Because I had read in my American Journal of Nursing magazine a couple of years ago that the most common areas fractured are the hips, wrists and cervical spine. These areas need weight-bearing exercise in order to strengthen the bones. In these exercises, including walking, my body is bearing its own weight. Adding some machine work at the gym twice a week has also been helpful. (Please do not try these without first checking with your doctor.)

Not only do I have the power to make every-day decisions that will improve the quality of my body and my life, but I also have the responsibility to myself to keep the commitment. Be in it to win it! After all, if I don't do it, who will?

The image this month, "Montrose Trees", was taken after a light snowfall at Chicago's Montrose Harbor. It was created using Adobe Photoshop. Tutorials are available at www.terrytasche.com. Click on the tutorials tab and then on Tasche Tutorials. Please click here if you need the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (new).

"Montrose Trees" by ©Terry Tasche

 

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7. My Diet, My Life: Keep Your Head in the Game

By Terry Tasche, M.Photog. Cr., F-PPANI
          Founder of mydietmylife.com

Here's a benefit I recently reaped from my commitment to do my six simple exercises every morning. I went skiing in Colorado with my daughters, and I am happy to report that I was not sore afterwards, even though I had not skied for two years. My body was strong and my muscles were toned. I even tackled a black-diamond run with my girls. Amazing how consistency and commitment to a daily routine can create a stronger body. My husband said that the walking lunges (taking a stride and lowering the back knee) remind him of the old familiar telemark skiers smoothly gliding down the slopes. It's an easy exercise that strengthens the legs, burns calories and revs up the metabolism. I've read that even after I've stopped exercising, the metabolism continues at an increased level for a couple more hours. In other words, I can actually increase my metabolism by doing some exercise and walking.

So much for the theory that there's nothing that I can do for a slowed-down metabolism and that when one gets older, it nearly comes to a complete halt. I think that's perhaps because I had just about come to a complete halt by sitting at the computer and not walking or exercising. Time to get up and move it!

Walking 1-2 miles each day can increase metabolism, burn calories, move the muscles, strengthen the bones, and improve circulation and flow of oxygen to the tissues and brain. What's not to understand about the importance of getting up off the couch and moving my body? Now that I know how easy it is, even if I can't get to the gym, I still can do my exercise routine and walk regularly, and BENEFIT!

I met a friend the other day for lunch to talk about my website and was delighted to see that she had ordered a salad, because it made me choose to stay on track, too, to attack the fat and keep my weight under control by eating healthy!

Eating just one hundred calories each day more than I need, more than I metabolize, and burn can add an additional ten pounds in one year. Eating two hundred extra calories a day can add up to twenty pounds in the short span of one year. Thirty-five hundred calories is the equivalent of one pound. A gain of ten pounds, therefore, means that I have over-indulged myself with 35,000 more calories than my body needed.

Moving right along to the twenty-pound calculation means that I have eaten 70,000 more calories than I burned. That's a lot of calories, junk food, fast food, refined carbs, or whatever; it's just plain too much. My body doesn't know what to do with it, because it doesn't need it. All it can do is to move the excess to fat storage. Packing on the pounds is the easy part; reversing the destructive habits, reclaiming my body, recognizing my part in it; redeeming and recovering my lost health may require some recreation instead of reclining, and also some restructuring of my food attitude, reflecting on what had gone wrong in my thinking and my eating, and recommitting not rationalizing regarding my health.

Reducing my weight raises my spirits and my resolve before I have yet deeper regrets and need rehab for my heart and body; high cholesterol and high blood pressure, can cause strokes and heart attacks. Reinforcing my resolve to be responsible for what goes into my hands and then into my mouth results in resurgent energy as my weight is reduced. And it's easier to walk and breathe and zip up my jeans.

As it says right here on mydietmylife.com, "In so many ways My Diet determines My Life; the word diet comes from the original Greek word diaita, meaning "way of life". There's no way around it, healthy meals and snacks, some walking and a daily doable exercise routine can be all it takes to keep me moving forward in the battle for my life. I'm worth it! My life is the only one I've got or that I'm ever going to get. Think clearly and eat wisely and keep your head in the game.

"Spring Blossoms", taken in Chicago's beautiful Lincoln Park, was created and given the soft glow using Adobe Photoshop. Tutorials are available at www.terrytasche.com. Click on the tutorials tab and then on Tasche Tutorials.

Please click here if you need the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (new).

"Spring Blossoms" by ©TerryTasche

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8. It's Worth the Work!

By Terry Tasche, M.Photog. Cr., F-PPANI
Founder of mydietmylife.com

The other day here in Chicago I saw the most beautiful car on Lincoln Avenue. I found myself going around the block to see it again. It was parked on the street and two men were along side admiring it. I pulled up at the stoplight and rolled down my window and asked what kind of car it was. The older gentleman said, "It's a Jaguar." I said, "It's a beauty! What year is it?" He replied, "1957." I managed to exclaim, "It is GORGEOUS!" before I had to refocus my attention on the changing light. How I wished I'd had my camera so that I could show it to you. It was black and had a caramel-colored convertible top. It sparkled in the sun with lots of silver adornments. It was pretty spectacular, and I usually don't pay much attention to cars.

I imagine the engine purrs like a kitten, all because of good care. There's a lot here to be compared to my diet and my life, my body and my health, and how great it is to treat myself to healthy food and exercise so I can look and feel good, too.

It is symbolic of how much I should value myself even more than I admire an automobile. Keeping us both in top running condition takes time and effort, but will pay off in years of benefits. Deterrents to my health are subtle, but creep in like rust on a car. Sitting for long periods is bad for cars and also bad for me. The car is taken out for many spins to keep it running well. Taking myself for a "spin" and walking every day will help keep me fit. (By the way, I'm getting a great pedometer to help keep me motivated and enthused about walking and working out more. See mydietmylife.com for a recommendation of one that's easy to use and actually works.)  Neither was the car given too much weight to carry, which would ruin the springs, shocks and joints. Watching the weight I carry on my "chassis" is just as important.

Since people have more cells and systems than cars have parts, isn't it necessary to pay more attention to taking care of all my parts first and foremost? Having a healthy body is even more rewarding than attaining the status of owning a polished and gleaming 1957 Jaguar, as nice as that would be. I can always buy another car, but never another body. The results are worth the wait and definitely worth the work!

"Railroad Crossing, Alton, Illinois," was created using Adobe Photoshop and the fun Flaming Pear plug-in filters. Tutorials are available at www.terrytasche.com. Click on the tutorials tab and then on Tasche Tutorials.

Please click here if you need the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (new). 

"Railroad Crossing, Alton, Illinois" by ©Terry Tasche

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9. The Sweet Tooth Fairy

By Terry Tasche, M.Photo.Cr., F-PPANI
Founder of mydietmylife.com

The longer and longer I do nothing about a problem, the bigger the problem becomes. It doesn't go away, but may often show itself in more obvious ways. Take for instance my junk food addiction, it never ever got better until I began to face it head on and deal with my behavior.

As my problem grew, so did I. I got bigger and wondered why.
I am amazed that a day finally came when I was able to see my junk food addiction more clearly.  If I hadn't heeded the suggestion I heard, "tell someone what you're eating," I would have never gained the awareness I needed, and I'd still be the same today, with an insatiable craving for bad carbohydrates, e.g., the RS/RF (Refined Sugar/RefinedFlour) variety.

Telling someone what I'm eating puts me on high alert to the dangers involved when I don't tell. The eating I did in secret suddenly is out in the open. It sheds light on my actions and changes my denial into awareness. The more I wrote about what I was eating, the more I was able to think clearly about it. Writing revealed my dilemma about the excessive calories I was eating, (especially the EEUW-Extra Empty Useless Worthless kind) and helped me to understand how much trouble I was causing myself.

Seeing how long it takes to walk off one pound (3500 calories = one pound) or how much time it takes at the gym to work off 3500 calories, I am less apt to pop in several high-caloric slices of pizza. Knowing how long I need to pound the pavement to burn the calories that went in oh so easily by simply chewing and swallowing, which hardly took any effort at all, is startling.

Getting a glimpse of the work I'll need to do down the road may make me stop and have a little foresight and can save me lots of time and weighty woes. One cookie equaling 200-300 calories only takes 60 seconds to eat, but takes one hour of brisk walking to work it off.  The benefit/gratification ratio of the cookie consumption decreases when I stop and think before I gorge myself. Being slimmer is gratifying, but it just takes longer to be thin than it does to eat a cookie. When my mind finally sees the benefits outweighing the immediate gratification of eating it, I can decide to think about waiting and eating the cookie tomorrow instead, and say, "Today I'm not going to eat it. I'll eat a carrot, a piece of cheese, a slice of red pepper, or a slice of whole grain bread instead." Unfortunately, I may have been the original cookie monster.

I needn't think that just because I licked my problem once, or even today, that I've licked the compulsion for life. It returns every day in another way, as surprise attacks. I can be ambushed once again, if I let down my guard. Like in the old western movies where the cowboy rode along not noticing the villain waiting behind the tree ahead. The villain would leap on the cowboy as he nonchalantly rode past.

I never see the villain coming either. The junk food just leaps onto me, goes into my mouth and down my throat. My husband and I were vacationing in Northern Wisconsin recently. While taking a walk in the woods, I unknowingly picked up a tiny hitchhiker who I found walking along on my khaki-colored pants leg when I returned to the cabin. Wood ticks are unwelcome guests and must be removed immediately before they burrow their little heads under the skin and begin sucking blood.

My affection for confection may have begun when I was little. I was not only visited by the Tooth Fairy, but probably also by the Sweet Tooth Fairy, who doesn't pay for lost teeth, but causes teeth to be lost by overindulgence in sweets and makes me pay with costly cavities and crowns.

Like the nearly invisible wood tick, the Sweet Tooth Fairy came for a visit and moved in to stay. She's caused me lots of cavities. RS/RF and cavities do coexist. Yes, Virginia, there is a Sweet Tooth Fairy. She had moved in and taken over. I don't have to offer he residence in my house, body and life. She's lived rent free, and I paid the mortgage. I pay even more when I allow her to move in and destroy the house she lives in. It's up to me to move her out and move in the Health Fairy instead.

One summer when I was eight, I stayed with my aunt and uncle in North Dakota for six weeks, who let me eat all the candy I wanted.  When I went home to my next dental check up, I had eight cavities.

No one can stop my compulsion to eat unhealthy food, aka jfk's (junk food killers), except me. Even if tempted by irresistible cravings, I must resist and know it's up to me to be free.

"Autumn Beauty" by ©TerryTasche, was created using Adobe PhotoShop and Corel Painter. Tutorials are available at www.terrytasche.com. Click on the tutorials tab and then on Tasche Tutorials.

Please click here if you need the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (new).

Check out this link for today's Corel Painter software savings and the free shipping offer.

   "Autumn Beauty" by ©TerryTasche

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10. Read the Directions!

By Terry Tasche, M.Photog, Cr.
Founder of MyDietMyLife.com

Has anyone else ever failed to read the directions, or am I the only one? I've been taking calcium pills for three years in order to enhance my bones and keep them strong, but I had never read the directions on the bottle. Just a month ago I happened upon an article in my American Nurse journal and found that calcium carbonate, which is the one I've been taking, specifically Calcium 600 mg + vitamin D & minerals, needs to be taken with food. The article said this is necessary because it's important to get the gastric juices flowing in order for the absorption of that particular calcium supplement to take place. I've been purposely taking them on an empty stomach, because my thinking was that they would be better absorbed if they didn't get mixed up and bogged down with food. It just made sense to me. But, unfortunately, I was wrong! When I finally read the instructions on the bottle, they said clearly, "Take with food." No wonder my bone scan hadn't improved.

Vitamin D is also an important component in the absorption of calcium and in the potassium and sodium connection. I now take 1000 mg of Vitamin D per day along with 1800 mg of Calcium (3 tablets). Recent reports also have also found that Vitamin D can help prevent diabetes.

Vitamin K may help save bones from deteriorating and may fight diabetes. The Tufts University The Health & Nutrition Letter states that The most common dietary form of the vitamin, dubbed K1 or phylloquinone, is known to play a role in bone metabolism. Vitamin K1 is found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, escarole, kale, endive, collard greens, turnip greens, Swiss chard and Romaine lettuce, as well as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spring onions and pistachios. The study group which received vitamin K1 were less likely to suffer insulin resistance, a key factor in the development of type-2 (adult-onset) diabetes. However, it also warns that people on anticoagulant medicines like warfarin-Coumadin-should avoid sudden changes in vitamin K intake. We'd better eat our vegetables, and maybe it's not the best advice to "leave room for dessert".

Since it is now known that caffeine can "pull" calcium from the bones, it is important to know which food items contain higher doses of caffeine: chocolate, regular coffee, caffeinated tea, and colas are among the highest. Johns Hopkins researchers report that "Energy drinks can range from 50 to 500 milligrams of caffeine (as much as 14 cans of cola) and their labels do not always state how much caffeine a product is supposed to contain."

I think that reading the directions is time consuming and boring. But, the manufacturers have the instructions there for a purpose-to help me get the most out of their products. When will I ever learn? When will I eeeeeee----ver learn?

Here's another story, which also conveys the importance of reading the directions. My daughter, Julie, told me about this story she recently read. A man had gone on a wilderness adventure by himself. He was running out of supplies and was fearful he'd never be found. When he didn't return for several months, the authorities sent out a search plane to look for him. He heard an approaching aircraft overhead and ran out of his tent to get its attention. He threw up his right arm in jubilation, like cheering after winning a game, and did it again and again because he was so happy to be found. He knew that the pilot had seen him, so he ran into his tent and gathered up his belongings in preparation for his rescue. The sound of the plane faded. As he was placing each item in his backpack, he ran across his hunting license. He turned it over and read the directions on the back. Drawings of emergency hand signals were shown for communicating with an airplane from the ground and what one should do if a rescue plane was sighted. It showed that both hands up in the air means "SOS; send immediate help," and one hand up signals that "everything is okay" and that no rescue was necessary. The pilot had understood that the man was all right and so left the area. The plane never returned, and, tragically, the wilderness traveler eventually died. The complete and fascinating story of this young man can be found in the book, Into the Wild, by Jon J. Krakauer.

Reading the directions can literally mean life or death, health or sickness, or whatever. But, needless to say, they are there for a reason, and I would do well to pay attention to them. There are lots of directions in books and articles, but one of the best books I've seen is You: The Owner's Manual, by Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz, published by Harper Collins. The twelve chapters cover the body's systems and what is necessary to maintain their health. It's easy reading and cleverly written. It includes directions on what nutrients are important for the healthy functioning of each organ. It's an eye-opener and gives insights from doctors' perspectives on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Although everyone can't be a doctor, anyone can read their interesting and informative approach to the subject of keeping the body in good working order.

Many of their directions are called "Actions", like "Your Immunity: The Live Younger Action Plan".  For instance, they state to avoid toxins and don't smoke, thereby adding up to eight years to your life.  On the other hand they say that smoking adds the risk of "lung diseases like cancer, emphysema, and bronchitis," (p.169), and to stay away from secondhand smoke, because "Spending an hour in someone else's smoke is like smoking four cigarettes yourself," (p.172).

They include healthy recipes and which body systems they enhance and why, along with information on which nutrients are in each food and the nutritional value per serving.

Reading and following directions can increase my knowledge about what I can do or not do to improve my chances of living a longer and healthier life. Be sure to always read the directions; it may be just what the doctor ordered.

"Flags of Freedom" was created using filters in Adobe PhotoShop. Tutorials are available at www.terrytasche.com. Click on the tutorials tab and then on Tasche Tutorials.

Please click here if you need the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (new).

Check out this link for today's Corel Painter software savings and free shipping offer.

 

"Flags of Freedom" by ©Terry Tasche

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11. FBI vs Public Enemies

By Terry Tasche, M.Photog.Cr.
Founder of mydietmylife.com

Parts of the Johnny Depp movie, Pubic Enemies, were recently filmed just a block from our house on Lincoln Avenue, which was transformed to replicate scenes from the 1930's. It was fascinating watching and photographing the antique cars and actors dressed in vintage clothing line the streets in the area. Depp was playing the part of John Dillinger, who was shot at the alley just south of the Biograph. He had been proficient at robbing banks, and the FBI was on the look out for his appearance at the theater and was tipped off by the "Lady in Red" that he would be there watching the gangster movie called Manhattan Melodrama, starring Clark Gable, William Powell and Myrna Loy.  After the movie, the FBI chased Dillinger down in an alley just south of the Biograph Theater and shot and killed him.

Just like banks, certain "public enemies" can rob my diet and my life and empty out my health account. So, what are the public enemies that affect my health the most and age me the quickest (or shorten my life)? For me, the top two most wanted on my list are Worry and Weight. Worry adds mental stress and weight adds physical stress. Finding the villains and getting rid of them is a daily battle.

It's a battle for my life and needs to be won, or I will die sooner than I'd like. It is won or lost by me. My public enemy number one is worry. Dr. Oz said on the Oprah show that the number one "major ager" is STRESS. It increases the secretion of cortisol, which in turn increases hunger, which leads me to eat, which then can add excess weight, which in turn raises blood pressure, causing more stress. Worry, although slightly dfferent, yields the same cycle of events that must be controlled, and I can do this by learning better habits! You: the Owner's Manual, by doctors Oz and Roizen, states that the worst kind of stress is the unresolved, nagging stress of problems, which seem to have no solution and that hang on for long periods of time without any sign of relief. A few examples are relationship tension, difficult to-do list items, job dissatisfaction, and financial concerns.

Worry and weight seem to work together to add more stress to my life and health. I sometimes think that eating will relieve stress, but the stress remains. Food turns out to be a temporary cushion, and the resulting adipose tissue (i.e. fat) does not relieve stress, but adds to it. Funny how it never works out the way I planned. I need a red alert like the  "lady in red" to show me the deceiving thieves who come in disguise and drain my energy and health. However, unfortunately, none exists so I must learn to use my conscience and nutritional understanding to defeat these gangsters. Without keeping a constant watch on the sneaky jfk's (junk food killers), I could easily indulge in those temptations, whiich lead to stress on both my body and my mind. But, as in the Dillinger story, the good guys win, and so it's the same with me: I shall defeat my public enemies! Yea!

Worry and weight break down my immune system and can wreak havoc in my life. What's a person to do? It is a battle for the FBI (Fat Blasting Investigators), who are experts in rooting out the causes of fat, like and worry and weight. They seek out and find the causes of worry and help me do something about them. Instead of worrying I could take control of my life and start by working on a nagging task, relax by taking a walk, or even simply take some deep breaths. I could also refuel my body so it is better equipped to handle stress by choosing to eat a healthy snack when I am hungry.

To begin blasting the fat I had to first cooperate with the FBI and recognize that I am often the creator of my own problems and that mouthfuls do matter. I don't like this, but it's true. Searching out the offenders is difficult, because many of them had become my friends, and I hated to allow the authorities to lock them up where I'd no longer be able to see them. Eliminating my very own public enemies that were holding me hostage in my own house was not easy. I knew I had to move them out of my life. It's better that they're gone, and in time I have developed better friendships, friendships with healthy food, problem solving, and relaxing by exercising and walking more. So, my mission, should I choose to accept it, is to continue to employ the FBI to do its work and remove the worry and weight culprits. The FBI can lock them up and throw away the key, or "shoot 'em dead" like they did to him.

The image this month is of John Dillinger's favorite car, the 1932 Chrysler Imperial. I went for a walk one day and saw it parked in front of the historic Biograph Theater, which is just a block from my house in Chicago. The Biograph was celebrating the grand reopening of the theater and was having a reenactment of the FBI shooting of John Dillinger that evening.The reflection of the Biograph's marquee can be seen in the fender.

"Biograph Reflections" by ©Terry Tasche

The image was created using Adobe PhotoShop. Tutorials are available at www.terrytasche.com. Click on the tutorials tab and then on Tasche Tutorials.

Please click here if you need the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (new).

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12. My Diet My Life: It's Now or Never!

By Terry Tasche, M.Photog. Cr., F-PPANI
Founder of mydietmylife.com

What is the Now Plan? The New N•O•W Action Plan is what I need to do NOW and consists of three essential elements of health. NOW is the day to do it, to take control. Today is where it's at! This plan only works for today, because, yesterday doesn't count, and tomorrow never comes. It's not the tomorrow plan or the yesterday plan. It's the NOW plan. If I'm not doing it today, I'm not actually doing it. If I'm doing it today, I'm living it.
Anyway, what I do today will benefit me tomorrow, but won't do a thing to change yesterday. And, thinking, "Oh, well, I'll start trying to be healthy tomorrow," doesn't work. For me it's just a way to procrastinate.  What counts is today. What am I doing or eating NOW?
The essential elements of health happen only in the present tense, and are three basic things needed to sustain life N•O•W:
     Nutrition
     Oxygen
     Water

Give the body what it wants--NOW.
1) Nutrition--eating the necessary nutrients to create and sustain a healthy mind and body.
2) Oxygen--breathing clean, natural air.
3) Water--drinking the life-sustaining water my body needs.
How do I get these three basics? Two simple activities will do it: E & E, Eating and Exercise.

Nutrients, which are contained in natural foods, like f&v's, (Fruits and Vegetables), are some of the basics I need now. Double up on fruits, (Flavorful Fruits•FF), and vegetables, (Valuable Vegetables•VV), and reap the benefits of having a healthy body, looking better and feeling great. Whole grains, dairy, lean protein, and fiber are other Vital Vittles.

Oxygen is essential. Take deep breaths to relax. Walk briskly to increase oxygen to all cells. Exercising gives me more than oxygen. Walking and exercising increase the the flow of oxygen and the oxygen content of my blood, getting it deep down into all the cells. These activities also strengthen muscles and bones and help improve my outlook on life. It even speeds up my metabolism. By the way, Dr. Mehmet Oz recommends taking the time every day to take 20 deep breaths.

Water, the life-sustaining liquid my body needs is provided by adequate water intake, which will keep things moving, like my blood stream. The river of life flows through my blood vessels, moving the life-giving oxygenated red blood cells, disease-fighting white blood cells, and nourishment to all cells. If they get clogged up with saturated and trans fats, which cause a decrease in N•O•W to all cells, disease may be just around the corner. My heart suffers, my organs get sluggish, my brain function slows down as the entire system stalls and eventually stops. Cool, clear water is far better than sugary sodas, carbonated beverages, or caffeinated concoctions, especially those expensive ones that require five or six adjectives in order to describe my order at the local coffee shop. (My daughters are better at not holding up the line, because they know the ordering lingo.)

My day, my body and my life improve when I think about what I'm doing and what I'm eating. When I stick to the plan, I've W•O•N. It's a simple idea and I can O•W•N it N•O•W. How can I say it so that it is clearer; because any way I spell it, it stands for the same three elements. This day, this moment, this bite is a chance to make healthy choices. When I see the advantages and disadvantages more clearly, I can make wiser decisions as to what goes into my hand, my house and my mouth. Thinking about junk food and learning to leave it alone can easily save me 5-600 calories a day and many dollars each year. Instead of picking up a cookie or chips, why not eat a few carrots instead?

There are no quick fixes where health is concerned, but here are some Quick Tips to help me through the Halloween haze that may leave me overloaded with sweets, little bite-sized tidbits can put on the pounds.

1. Prudent purchases, buying only what I'll need for Halloween trick or treaters, hopefully leaving nothing for me. Buy it the day they're needed, not a week early.
2. Leave the bags of candy in the car, locked in the trunk, until Halloween.
3. Try to give it all out on Halloween night.
4. Give away leftover candy; take it to work and leave it there.
5. Send any leftovers to the neighborhood school for a treat.
6. Donate leftovers to a charitable organization.
7. Throw out any leftovers.
Better to have it out of the house and in the garbage. I have the tendency to treat it like gold, but it's not.
Investing in Nutrients, Oxygen and Water will increase my chances for a healthy life. Think about it; do it N•O•W. If it's not N•O•W, it may be never.

These guys were behind me one autumn day at Chicago's Montrose Harbor, and I caught these action shots:

"Goose Takes Charge" by ©Terry Tasche

"I told you to stay away from junk food!
What about this don't you understand!"

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"HELLO! CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?!" by ©Terry Tasche

Here are the full-frame original images of the two geese photos seen above, with onlookers standing by--

©Terry Tasche

by ©Terry Tasche

c
See more images at www.terrytasche.com

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13. MyDiet: Accentuate the Positive

By Terry Tasche, M.Photog. Cr., F-PPANI

Founder of mydietmylife.com

"Accentuate the positive; eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative," goes Johnny Mercer's popular old song. Hear it sung on YouTube by Sammy Davis Jr. and Debbie Allen as they celebrate "Happy Birthday, Hollywood!"

Dividing food into two main categories demonstrates for me the problem that I have. Simply put, the positive foods give positive results, but the negative foods may give more negative results than I had bargained for.  While the positive foods give me nutrition and energy, the negative foods merely give me calories, leading to weight and unforeseen problems. When I eat it, I think I'm solving a problem, like making me feel good, but in the end, it makes me feel bad, because of all the negatives it brings with it. My only motivation in eating negative food, really, is that I like it, I want it, so I eat it. But the consequence is that it goes in and stays in and may even turn into fat or plaque if it is not soon burned off. (Ooh, that sounds painful.)

Seeing one side as positive food, which is healthy, and the other as negative food, which unhealthy, helps clearly demonstrate the two extremes.
The negative-food force seems to have a much stronger "magnetic" pull on me than the positive, healthy food. The comparison to a magnet helps me understand my attraction toward the negative. Just knowing that it's there, thinking about it, or seeing it, increases its magnetic power. Sometimes the magnetic pull is stronger than at other times. For instance, five main triggers that can make me head for the negatives are when I am 1) over hungry 2) bored 3) frustrated 4) anxious or stressed out, or 5) even just in a hurry and, therefore, willing to grab anything. When any of these occur, I often find myself standing in front of the fridge, pantry, or vending machine looking for negative food items for a "quick fix." There is a certain magnetic field or force surrounding my negative items, where my power to resist them is lousy. The closer I am to the actual item, the more likely I am to be sucked in.

Another correlating term is magnetic mine, which draws an intriguing parallel for me. It is an underwater mine equipped with magnetic sensors that cause it to detonate when a large metal object, usually a ship, passes into its magnetic field. I may eventually detonate if I keep moving closer to this minefield, which can cause bodily destruction. It may look and seem harmless, but it's not.
Removing the negative items from the premises, or more importantly out of my hands, decreases their field of attraction and my susceptibility to them. If I can't resist, then the moral of the story is to stay away from its magnetism. The further away I am from the magnet, the less power it has over me, and the more power I have to resist it.  When they're too close, the attraction is often too much for me.

Here's an example of one thing I'm doing to add positive healthy things to my diet. I know that my body needs antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, protein, fiber, etc. Focusing on fiber for a minute, I know that it is important for men and women. It helps keep the food moving through the digestive tract, and it also helps to lower cholesterol levels. One easy way that I can add fiber to my diet is by sprinkling some of the ground flaxseed, which our daughter Julie had me buy, on my yogurt, cereal, sandwich, or salad. The Nutrition Facts on my package of refrigerated Spectrum's Cold Milled Organic Ground Premium Flaxseed states that it contains fiber, omega-3 and lignans, and that 2 Tbsp's contain 80 calories, 4 grams of fiber, and 200% of the daily-recommended dose of omega-3. Apples are another good source of fiber. WWW.usapple.org points out that apples are linked to a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease (as in "an apple a day..."), diabetes, and cancer (especially lung cancer).

Positive actions, like getting rid of the "negative" food items, help protect the integrity of a body that I'm trying to keep healthy. The next action is to replace the negative with positive food choices. This action goes a long way toward promoting health, producing a healthy body, which in turn will provide me with a healthy life. Invest the time to become good at building a better body by accentuating the positive, eliminating the negative, and latching on to the affirmative food. A healthy lifestyle is an outgrowth of "Hand-to-Mouth Health" and begins with a good food attitude .

Here's an image with a positive feeling. I had gotten out of the car to photograph the colorful autumn leaves seen in the background when, believe it or not, I saw these three geese walking along on the grass , and, "I got 'em". See more photos and The Tasche Tutorial Collection by going to www.terrytasche.com and clicking on the Tutorials tab.

"Let There Be Peace on Earth"         ©TerryTasche

See the original image below...

"Three Geese out for a Walk" ©Terry Tasche

I cropped the image, removed the pipes on the right using Adobe PhotoShop, and changed the direction of the first goose's head on the left so that they'd all be looking straight ahead, which is exactly what I should be doing at all times. "Don't look to the right or left. Look straight ahead, and do not get side-tracked by all the interesting jfk's (junk food killers), which distract me and keep me from reaching my goal of health."

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14. Get a Clue! The Power's in the Follow Through.

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15. My Diet My Life: Revelations to Resolutions

By Terry Tasche, R.N., B.S.N.
Founder of mydietmylife.com

Having an actual REVELATION about what is really wrong and what really needs to be changed is the first and imperative step in making and keeping workable resolutions. My own personal revelation came the day that I went into the gas station to check on my car, which wasn't finished, and bought a Mounds candy bar and a package of six Oreo cookies. Although I had told myself that I'd eat them over the next several days, I wound up consuming it all during my five-minute walk home. I had the revelation that I was out of control and often could not stop eating junk food once I had the first bite in my mouth. This revelation led me to say, "I am out of control. What am I going to do?" Almost immediately I could hear the words in my head, "Tell someone what you're eating,"and I saw that this could be my solution.  I then made a resolution to faithfully do just that. I wasn't really excited about doing this, but I thought, "What did I have to lose?" (Except weight and cholesterol).

Every day I promised (resolved) to openly and honestly and yes, even willingly, although sometimes reluctantly-- tell three friends via e-mail what I ate that day. When I had eaten junk food, I hated to tell them that I had eaten it. However, the honesty of the process increased my awareness of how I was creating my own problems; i.e. weighing more than I wanted, elevating my cholesterol levels and even increasing my blood pressure. All of these things would have just gotten worse had I not had the revelation, heeded the suggestion, and made a resolution to make a real change.

The word "Revelation" means "knowledge of something previously hidden". I was so totally unaware that overdosing on junk food could be dangerous to my health. My continual challenge now is to take a look at my own health and life and use the knowledge to eat healthier and exercise more, which is the simple but effective solution.
Reminding myself every day to place common sense above high-caloric carb consumption and couch comfort motivates me to stop indulging myself to my own detriment. Even small day-to-day decisions can either lead me toward fulfilling my resolutions or away from the successful accomplishment of them.

Reading articles and books like You: The Owner's Manual, which was featured on Oprah by doctors Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz (2005), has helped me focus on how important a proper diet and exercise are to my health and well being. It includes an "Owner's Manual Activity Plan: Crib Sheet" and an "Owner's Manual Diet Basics: Crib Sheet," both of which are easy to follow actions that can help in making a resolution list and also aid in keeping me on track.

A fun "resolutionary" exercise, which could even be made into a game, could be creating resolutions based on the acronym for the words "Happy New Year". I'll start it off with the word HAPPY:

Harbor no resentments
Acquire no more debt
Practice healthy living
Plan for the future
Yearn for less.

If anyone still needs ideas for resolutions, the following government website has helpful tips: http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/New_Years_Resolutions.shtml. The list includes links to: lose weight, manage debt, save money, get fit, eat right, get a better education, drink less alcohol, quit smoking, reduce stress, or volunteer.
My resolution this year is to keep eating mindfully by choosing more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein and to keep refined sugar/refined flour (RS/RF) at a minimum. I would also like to get thirty to forty minutes of exercise at least five days a week.  I know I can stick to this because I've done it before and I can do it again.
Who's with me?  If not now, then when!  What are we waiting for?  What are your resolutions for 2009??? The solution is in the resolution. Make the decision and do it!
The image tutorial this month is "Flooded Farmland". Please go to the Home page of http://www.mydietmylife.com/ and click on the "Current Article" to access the link to the tutorial at the end of the article. Thanks! And, Happy New Year!

I have prepared a tutorial for the image "Flooded Farmland". It was created using Adobe PhotoShop and Flaming Pear's Flood plug-in filter. Other Tasche Tutorials are available at www.terrytasche.com. Click on the tutorials tab and then on Tasche Tutorials. Please click here if you need the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (new).

©Terry Tasche

There's help for ourselves and our families to eat better and stay healthier:

David Zinczenko, recently seen on Oprah, has written a thought-provoking book entitled Eat This Not That, which is a look into the world of fast food, snacks, salad dressings, to name a few of the topics he covers. For instance, when eating at McDonald's you can find out which is healthier, eating the Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken or the Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken and Croutons and why. He informs us which of the two salads contains 390 calories and 12.5 g fat, and which salad has 550 calories and 32.5 g fat. Check it out. By following his guidelines we may find ourselves being healthier and losing weight, too. The alphabetized restaurant section goes from Applebee's to Wendy's. The paperback book is compact, easily portable at 6.5" square, well organized and packed with helpful information like the following: "5 Hidden Dangers for Kids", "15 Foods that Cure", "The 20 Worst Foods in America", and my favorite "8 Foods You Should Eat Everyday".

Eat This, Not That! Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save 10, 20, 30 Pounds--or More!

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#16. My Diet My Life: Make Yourself a Priority

By Terry Tasche, R.N., B.S.N.
Founder of mydietmylife.com

"Make yourself a priority" and live your best life, says Oprah in her "Best Life Series". Putting myself on my own priority list, after all, is something no one else is going to do for me. NO one is going to feed me either or take me out for a walk. I have to be motivated to do these things all on my own. If my neighbor had a dog that was never taken for a walk, we'd be calling the anti-cruelty society to report animal abuse.

Priorities, how do I keep them?  I remember seeing a photo sometime ago of a sweet, little kitten cuddled up in a soft blanket, and the caption under it read, “It can be done; it should be done; it shall be done…tomorrow.” Obviously, he is a little procrastinator. This is completely my motto, too, because I can so relate. I’ll exercise more tomorrow; I’ll buy more fruit tomorrow,  and eat more vegetables tomorrow. I’ll call for a check-up tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes if I don’t start today.

What motivates me today is that I now know that activities like healthy eating, exercising and just plain walking could save my life and improve the quality of my life, too; my ONE and ONLY life. Today I can be, as the cartoon character Yogi Bear says,  "smarter than the average bear", and not let temptations and inertia overtake me. It is up to me to place myself on my own priority list.

While Oprah's busy getting us going on a healthy life plan, I need to remind myself what I discovered sometime ago: that walking to the kitchen to get more food is not a cardio workout; and lifting the forkful of food to my face is not a weight-bearing exercise. When my travels take me more frequently to the store's junk-food aisles, and more to the fridge and pantry than to the gym to work out or out for a walk in the park, I need to reassess my priorities.

What is my plan for the day? I can't just hope or assume that my pantry and fridge will have the right food I'll need when I get hungry. I'll have to go out and buy the healthy food first to be ready when hunger strikes.

A little change can add up to healthy benefits. So, besides adding one tablespoon of cold-milled ground flaxseed to my oatmeal or yogurt each morning, I also now include cranberries (Trader Joe's orange-flavored cranberries are my favorite) or blueberries, because little things can mean a lot regarding my health.

While driving to Wisconsin I listened to a very informative CD by experts on walking. Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D., and Mark Fenton, walking coach and America's best-known walker, give suggestions on the two-CD set called, "Walking~the Ultimate Exercise for Optimum Health". Some things they mention are the benefits of walking and tips for getting the most out of walking.

Mark Fenton is also the author of The Complete Guide to Walking for Health, Weight Loss and Fitness.

They report that walking is the supreme form of exercise.  Moderate walking, 30 minutes a day, even when broken down into three 10-minute segments, gives health benefits. The maintenance of physical activity throughout life is one of the reasons that healthy older people ARE healthy and have lived longer.  The goal is to be active, and they stress that in order to stay healthy, we must move more by walking more. 

There are many advantages to walking: Our bodies are made for walking, everyone knows how to do it, it's free, it's calming, it reduces anxiety, we can do it anywhere, and it allows for a low risk of injury. Moving joints without jarring, keeping bones, joints, and muscles fit is easily done with walking, and it even provides all the health benefits of any exercise. So, I guess there is just no excuse not to do it; it's one of those totally doable exercises.

Using a pedometer has helped and encouraged me to get out and walk. WOW! Walk Off the Weight! The link to my favorite one is on the website at http://mydietmylife.com/products.html, which I have been using for a year. It's also the one that Chicago's Channel 7 News team reported as being the best quality and the best value for the money. It helps keep me focused and excited to put in a little time each day toward improving my health.

According to the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, January, 2009, (p.8) "an active lifestyle with moderate amounts of aerobic activity will likely improve cognitive and brain function" and "might even reverse the neural decay frequently observed in older adults." A few simple changes may help save me from decline and decay. What a deal! To top it off, walking is free. Processed junk food is costly, in more ways than just in dollars spent. But, thinking about walking is different than doing it. It's worth the work that it takes to put on the pedometer and walk.

It's a simple solution: I must be my own self-advocate, make my own health a priority by putting healthy food into my mouth and engaging in healthy exercise, like walking. These simple activities can improve my health and my life. And, by making myself a priority, I'll be able to live my very "best life". And, you can do it, too!

A friend introduced me to Stevia, now my favorite "sweetener"; it's categorized as a "nutritional supplement" and can be found at all health food stores, even online at Amazon.com, where I recently ordered it at a reasonable price: a box of 50 packets, and either as a liquid vanilla flavoring, a liquid chocolate flavoring, or a Clear Liquid Stevia Extract.

Box of 50 Packets Vanilla-Flavored Liquid Stevia Chocolate-Flavored Liquid Stevia

Clear Liquid Stevia Extract

©Terry Tasche

"A View from Above" was taken while flying over "Big Sky" Montana. It was created using Adobe PhotoShop. Tasche Tutorials are available at www.terrytasche.com. Click on the tutorials tab and then on Tasche Tutorials.Please click here if you need the Adobe PhotoShop CS4 (upgrade) or Adobe Photoshop CS4 (new).

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#17. My Diet My Life: "Coming Distractions"

By Terry Tasche, R.N., B.S.N.
Founder of mydietmylife.com

The definition of a distraction, according to the Microsoft Word dictionary, is 1) something that interferes with concentration or takes attention away from something else, or 2) something providing entertainment or amusement, especially something that takes the mind off work or worries and helps relaxation. That certainly describes my distractions pretty well: 1) I allow my junk food distractions to take my attention away from my health, and 2) I may even use them as entertainment, for instance, when I am bored. I also use them to take my mind off work or worries, and as a relaxation technique. I find the third definition also interesting, because it states that a distraction can be "a state of great mental or emotional upset."  That may be true, too, because at the end of a day of eating more calories than I need, I groan as I see my growth in girth. Any way you look at it, allowing them to cause distractions keeps me from my primary aim of taking care of myself in the realm of health. 

Coming soon... Don't miss... Be sure to see... Distractions are billed as main attractions as if they will enhance my life. The advertisements of these coming distractions work very hard at keeping me from paying attention to my health.

I am attracted to the distractions and distracted by the attractions, of which there are many, way too many. How can I avoid this? Sometimes all it takes is to look ahead a little, which will enable me to see beyond those apparent attractive distractions. Or, perhaps a set of blinders could be a helpful tool in keeping me focused, although I'd probably look pretty silly with a pair of flaps like they put on a horse's bridle, attached to the side of my head, one beside each eye, to keep me looking straight ahead. I could call it the Don't-Get-Side-Tracked Diet. I could also use someone to hold the reigns and lead me in the direction I should go. Don't look to the right or the left; look straight   ahead. I shouldn't let the distractions get to me. They are coming. They are everywhere, and they will get me if I don't watch out. They're in the drug store, gas station and coffee shop. Blinders are even needed in hardware stores. 

I remember how I used to make innocent enough trips to the hardware store to buy some hardware and come out having also bought a bag of candy, which was conveniently displayed near the checkout counter. I bought it and would eat half the bag by the time I got home just two miles away. Although I had foolishly thought that I would eat only two or three pieces, I opened the bag in the car and placed it on the seat beside me, and kept putting my hand into the bag and eating them, one after the other. I need to keep my hands a "safe driving distance" between me and the distractions, and then my hands can't collide with the candy, calories, and carbs.

Coming Distractions! I should know they're coming. They're pretty obvious and hard to miss. They are broadcast by beautiful, colorful signs that tell me to turn in here, buy this, eat that. They are announced in innovative ways, like pretty pictures on their perfect packages containing sugary sweets. They see me coming, but why am I blind to them and their R-rated content, which will Result in Ruining my health? When I know they're there, I can plan and prepare. How to avoid these pivotal pitfalls! One simple solution is to look the other way, ignore them and think about my health instead. Go for nutritious lean protein, whole grains, colorful fruits and vegetables rather than paying good money for destructive distractions, which eat into my pocketbook and into my health.

Distractions have a funny way of turning themselves into fat cells and high cholesterol once I see them and put the distractions into my hands. Saying that I will "try" to stay away from distractions is not enough, because just saying that I will "try" is not a commitment. Saying that I will "try" is really not trying at all. On the other hand, saying that I "will" do something or I will not do something is a much stronger statement, with a conviction and a commitment. Little changes can mean a lot and over time produce lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight. Identify and eliminate distractions and then say no to them and yes to health. Healthy choices make healthy bodies, day-by-day and bite-by-bite.

"Chicago Bull out in Left Field" is the image tutorial this month. If you're interested, please click on the image below for the tutorial.

 

©TerryTasche 

Click here for other available Tasche Tutorials.

Here's another helpful book to get ourselves and our families to eat better and stay healthier:

Eat This, Not That! Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save 10, 20, 30 Pounds--or More!

David Zinczenko, recently seen on Oprah, has written a thought-provoking book entitled Eat This Not That, which is a look into the world of fast food, snacks, salad dressings, to name a few of the topics he covers. For instance, when eating at McDonald's you can find out which is healthier, eating the Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken or the Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken and Croutons and why. He informs us which of the two salads contains 390 calories and 12.5 g fat, and which salad has 550 calories and 32.5 g fat. By following his guidelines we will find ourselves being healthier and losing weight, too. The alphabetized restaurant section goes from Applebee's to Wendy's. The paperback book is compact, easily portable at 6.5" square, well organized and packed with helpful information like the following: "5 Hidden Dangers for Kids", "15 Foods that Cure", "The 20 Worst Foods in America", and my favorite "8 Foods You Should Eat Everyday".

The Instinct Diet: Use Your Five Food Instincts to Lose Weight and Keep it Off

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#18. My Diet My Life: "The Take-Away Plan"

By Terry Tasche, R.N., B.S.N.
Founder of mydietmylife.com

Magazine covers shout solutions of how to: "Drop Two Sizes in 8 Weeks!" "Firm Up Your Belly," "Conquer Cravings," "Eat to Burn Fat." And, that's just the front of one cover. Another cover reads, "Drop 30 lbs Fast!" "3 Weeks to Being Diabetes-Free," "6 Inches off Your Belly in 10 Minutes a Day!" I want to read them all to find out the magic answers, but instead of answers they tell me to send for reports: Quick Healthy Fixes, Fat Blasters, Flatten Your Belly, Age Reversers, Pain Erasers, Diabetes Stoppers, Cancer Blockers, and on and on. Yes, I could have ordered them all, but I'm pretty sure I already know what they have to say: eat more fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains, and less junk food, walk and exercise more. The millions and zillions of answers all add up to two things D & E: Diet and Exercise. Surely there's another way. Surely it's more complicated than that. The gist is this: expend calories by moving more and sitting less; and eat healthy produce to produce a healthy body.

The hope of health is not in secrets but in common sense. Take away the junk food and what is left? Health! When I take away all the things I shouldn't eat and drink, I have lower cholesterol, blood pressure and weight. The increase in all three has been a result of my taking things away from the store and storing them on me. When I add up the calories of what I shouldn't eat, I could save myself hundreds of calories of unnecessary, empty calories. Empty calories are calories devoid of nutrients. They are just calories and nothing else. I derive no nutritious benefits from EEUW (Extra, Empty, Useless, Worthless) calories. Flee from them and see what happens. That's when health happens.

Dr. Mehmet Oz says in his book You Staying Young: eat foods that are rich in antioxidant and /or anti-inflammatory properties, which will reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and other complications of aging. Include green leafy vegetables like baby spinach every day, which may also reduce the risk of macular degeneration (blindness). Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and walnuts are a necessity and keep the brain healthy. (The design of the walnut, which kind of looks like a brain, reminds me to eat some for improved brain function.) Tomatoes and tomato sauce contain lycopene, an antioxidant compound that gives tomatoes their color. Lycopene lowers the risk of heart disease and macular degenerative disease, too. The antioxidant activity of lycopene is also thought to be an effective cancer-preventing nutrient.

Eating my vegetables may be the best antidote against aging and disease. Fruits and vegetables have three things going for them to make them attractive to my senses: their fragrance, their color, and their texture. Really look at the produce section and see the colorful vibrant vegetables, smell the fragrant fruit, and feel the tactile textures of the apples and oranges (after they're bought, of course). I can tell which is which with my eyes closed.

Take in the full enjoyment of all that is healthy. Appreciate the really good things in life. Forget about the junk food. Take away the foods that age the body and health remains. Get excited about being healthy. Dr. Oz also says that reducing caloric intake is another proven age retardant. Wow! What a simple way to stay young! Take away a few unnecessary calories each day. The weight falls off, the belly fat vanishes and the sizes drop once I set my eyes on colorful, fragrant, delicious nutritious food. It's like magic, but it's not.

The store is where it starts. Think about my choices right then and there, with the first glance. Because, if I put it in my cart and take it home, it is going to wind up on my body. If it will cause harm to my health, take it away. Whatever I pick up and hold in my hands will soon be in my mouth. The take away for today is to take away the empty calories, replace them with healthy, colorful fruit and vegetables. And that, my friends, will take away the excess weight and leave us with more healthy lives.

The tutorial for "Birds of a Feather", seen below, is available at Tasche Tutorials by clicking on the image below.

"Birds of a Feather" ©Terry Tasche

Click here for other available Tasche Tutorials.

This fun cookbook by Lisa Lillien gives us 200 delicious recipes that are under 200 calories, like Holy Moly Guacamole!

Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#19. My Diet My Life: "Procrastination Pays"

By Terry Tasche, R.N., B.S.N.
Founder of mydietmylife.com

I hate to admit it, but procrastination is one of my biggest problems. But, I have found a way to make procrastination work for me: I can procrastinate my way to health. Procrastination can be particularly helpful when a junk food temptation hits. Procrastinate and say, "Wait just a minute! Hold everything." WAIT and ask myself,  "Why Am I Tempted?" (W•A•I•T is my acronym for Why Am I Tempted.) What's really going on? What's behind the temptation? I feel hungry and jump to the conclusion that eating junk food will squelch my hunger.

The definition of procrastinate means to postpone doing something, especially as a regular practice. That is exactly what I need to do. Stop my regular practice of running for high-caloric carbs or junk food whenever my body signals the hunger alert alarm.

What do I need in order to stop the craving and also enhance the health of my heart, brain, muscles, organs, bones, hair, skin, nails and physique in general? I need to take all of those into consideration. I am the only one who is going to look out for me. All of me needs special care and feeding.

I can put it off for a minute and give myself a chance to evaluate the situation. What do I need to do when I am tempted? Part of my problem, as simple as it may sound, is that I often hadn't known what to eat and didn't have a plan. So, now while I wait, instead of gobbling grub, I can have a little protein. Protein will help satisfy my hunger.

Not taking the time to think through to the consequences of my actions on my health has been foolish. It is important to find out what it is that I really need instead of going for the "quick fix" like candy, cookies or other empty, high-caloric carbs. Sitting down to a real meal is a good idea and a very good thing. When I actually sit down and eat a meal, like a low-cal salad and a sandwich, my craving is curbed. When I approach it with a logical plan, I discover I can manage my munching. Amazing!

Following are my seven tips for countering the temptations. Tip number four is detailed, because it's important to have healthy choices that I like and to have them available when I am feeling "starved".

1) Wait, procrastinate, and don't run for the high-caloric carbs.

2) Run to the kitchen faucet first, let it run, and fill a glass with water and drink it while you think.

3) Have a plan, which includes some protein so that when you eat, you will be satisfied.

4) Make sure to have some protein choices in the house, because protein satisfies the body's craving for nutritious food: favorite cheese choices like string cheese, Muenster or cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, deli turkey slices, nuts, peanut butter, yogurt, eggs, especially hard-boiled eggs (readily available in times of crisis), egg salad (made with light mayo), a chicken sandwich on whole grain bread with a glass of skim milk, a tuna sandwich, a salad with salmon (high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids), beans like garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas, available canned, dried or in hummus), soy protein foods like tofu, lean beef, yogurt (my favorite being Light Yoplait Yogurt, or "light yo-yo", containing just 100 calories and 5 grams of protein), a high-protein drink or a protein bar.

5) Get rid of the tempting junk food, knowing that if it's in the house, it may unfortunately be my first choice.

6) Take a deep breath and sit down and make a grocery list and include healthy protein choices like those listed in #4, so I'm never without them.

7) Eat high-fiber foods, because fiber boosts heart and digestive health, reduces cholesterol, and produces a satisfying feeling of fullness. WikiAnswers.com states, "Fiber slows digestion and absorption so that glucose (sugar) in food enters the bloodstream more slowly, which keeps blood sugar on a more even level."

And, while I'm waiting I can THINK about my priorities regarding how I want to look and feel.  T-H-I-N-K is my acronym for

Thank Heaven I Now Know;

i.e., how to take care of my basic need for healthy food. Think carefully and at length about the problem and ruminate on it before running to empty high-caloric calories like junk food, which will only make me crave more high-caloric carbs. What can I do instead? Think about what will certainly help me. Think about the primary purpose of hunger, which is to get me to eat, and to provide health to my body, which I can do by feeding myself properly.

So, to sum it up, W•A•I•T and T•H•I•N•K, because procrastination pays.

W~O~W!!!

Step into Health!

AND

Walk Off the Weight

with the help of the BEST Pedometer ever! Click it and save!

Read how this pedometer can make walking more FUN!.

The tutorial for, "The Field Museum of Chicago", seen below, is available at Tasche Tutorials or by clicking on the image below.

"The Field Museum of Chicago" ©Terry Tasche

Click here for other available Tasche Tutorials.

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#20. Going Green and Staying Lean

By Terry Tasche, R.N., B.S.N.
Founder of mydietmylife.com

Everyone is going green today to "save the planet". Why shouldn't I also Go Green to save myself!

Foods containing all the colors of the rainbow come up almost like magic right out of the brown ground. They are fresh and loaded with nutrients. Since going green is our theme, let's name a few green foods from A to Z, like artichoke, arugula, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, brussels sprouts, green beans, granny smith apples, kale, lettuce, lime, peas, spinach, sugar snap peas, and zucchini.

The darker the green, the more nutrients the food contains. The Whole Foods' website reports that "spinach, with its jade green color, provides more nutrients than any other food." A dark green vegetable is a nutritional powerhouse of health, beyond what any expensive vitamin pill could ever give us.

While reading the latest issue of Bottom Line, June 1, 2009, I noticed the front-page report entitled, "Fracture-Proof Your Bones". It states that flexibility, which gives bones the ability to give a bit and not break, is the characteristic of bones that helps them resist fracture. It's their "protein-rich infrastructure called collagen" that gives bones what I call their "flexibility quotient". It states, "Vitamin K builds collagen in bones." It's good news to know that I can cut the "fracture factor" nearly in half by eating green, like spinach, daily. New studies show that our bodies need one-half cup of dark green vegetables each day.

Spinach is rich in vitamin K, calcium and magnesium, which are all important for bone health. The vitamin K provided by spinach contains almost 200% of the Daily Value in one cup of fresh spinach leaves, which incidentally contains only 7 calories. The article goes on to say, "Vitamin K helps prevent excessive activation of osteoclasts, the cells that break down bone. Additionally, friendly bacteria in the intestines convert vitamin K1 into vitamin K2, which activates osteocalcin, which anchors calcium molecules inside of the bone." Cook it, prepare it fresh in a salad, or add it to sandwiches and burgers in place of lettuce.

Besides our all-important bone health, here are fourteen more reasons to "Go Green" and eat our vegetables. Spinach extracts have been shown to slow down cell division in 1) stomach cancer cells and to reduce 2) skin cancers. A study also has shown that the intake of spinach is inversely related to the incidence of 3) breast cancer.

A carotenoid in spinach combats 4) prostate cancer in two different ways. According to research published in the Journal of Nutrition, the spinach nutrients not only induce prostate cancer cells to self-destruct, but are converted in the intestines into additional compounds, which put prostate cancer cells into a state of stasis, thus preventing their replication.

A flavonoid in spinach, called kaempferol, combats 5) ovarian cancer. Other foods richest in kaempferol include blueberries and broccoli.

Spinach is also an excellent source of folate, which is needed by the body to help convert a potentially dangerous chemical called homocysteine that can lead to heart attack or stroke if levels get too high, into other benign molecules.

In addition, spinach and other dark green vegetables are excellent sources of calcium, potassium and magnesium, minerals that are important for maintaining 6) a normal heartbeat, and 7) healthy levels of blood sugar.

They also help to 8) lower high blood pressure, and protect against 9) heart disease, and are necessary for 10) regulating blood sugar, and 11) the healthy functioning of the nerve system. In addition, some studies report that calcium may help relieve 12) PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome). Studies also suggest that calcium may be able to reduce colon polyps, which can lead to 13) colon cancer, (which my husband just had removed and is doing great).

I read in my research of spinach that it is one of the richest sources of lutein, a phytonutrient that helps 14) protect our eyes from damaging UV light and may help in the prevention of retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration and cataracts.

Visual cues like colorful foods are a delight to the eyes and can be helpful in drawing my mind to the right things to eat. For example, I have a red, wooden salad bowl filled with colorful lemons, limes, apples and bananas, which I keep in the center of the kitchen table to be a healthy reminder to eat my fruits and vegetables.

All these benefits for my whole body are worth the effort of going green and having a daily dose in my diet. So, let's serve up a bowl of health, be keen, Go Green and stay healthy and lean!

The image this month is to encourage the GREEN scene. Including a splash of the complementary color red creates a tantalizing temptation. And, how about adding a side of the summer favorite, which is both green and red, watermelon! For the tutorial on the lighting set-up, please click on the image below.

©Terry Tasche

"Colorful, Flavorful, Delicious, and Nutritious"

Anticancer: A New Way of Life
by David Servan-Schreiber

"All of us have cancer cells in our bodies. But not all of us will develop cancer" is the pitch of the book's front cover.

Click on the book image and save at Amazon.com.

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#21. Truth or Consequences

"We may be gluing ourselves together on the inside." Terry Tasche

By Terry Tasche, R.N., B.S.N.
Founder of mydietmylife.com

Ever wonder what the term "Whole Wheat" really means?  Here are some fascinating facts about the wheat we eat.  Know the truth, or face the consequences!

1) The BRAN is the protective skin, or outer covering, of the wheat kernel.  It is high in fiber, vitamins and minerals.
2) The GERM is the nutrient-rich seed.  It is comfortably padded inside the endosperm (starch) awaiting its birth into a sprout so it can grow into a new wheat plant.
3) The ENDOSPERM contains mostly starch, the food source for the new plant sprout.

The WHEAT kernel consists of 3 basic parts:

"Whole Wheat for Wellbeing"

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR is made up of all 3 parts, the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. WHITE FLOUR, also called "refined flour" (RF), is made from only the endosperm (starch). Here's what we lose when all but the starch are removed: the wheat kernel's life-sustaining ingredients, i.e., the fiber, basic amino acids, vitamins, minerals (including calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium and iron), and antioxidant phytochemicals.  The Web site, www.horizonmilling.com, calls the starch portion "food for the growing seedling." I have a body needing nourishment, not a seedling needing to grow! Consuming products made from the plump "belly" of the wheat kernel will make me plump, too. As I fill myself with these starchy calories, new plump growth is created in me, not health.

Some may remember how when we were kids we made PASTE out of flour and water. (Some of our classmates even ate it.) Perhaps that's why foods made out of refined flour are called pasta and pastries. Sugar is often added to make the flour and water sweet and scrumptious, but a steady diet of this is deadly. The body cannot survive on starch (and sugar) alone.

According to the Microsoft dictionary, "refine" means to produce a purer form of, or to improve something by removing impurities. The wheat "refining" process is done by the mechanical removal, by grinding or selective sifting, of bran and germ, leaving only the endosperm (starch). Bleaching, mixing, and brominating are methods to further refine wheat. So, why is it called "refined" wheat? Essential ingredients of health, not impurities, are removed. Refinement" eliminates essential elements. Understanding the truth about what is stripped from the wheat kernel helps avoid the consequences of only consuming the starch that remains. Refinement sounds better than it turns out to be, because the RF products may be tempting but are bad for me. Fitness, vigor and bodily strength cannot be maintained by eating only the wheat's starch. Starch strengthens only shirts, but not my body.  We may be gluing ourselves together on the inside.

Studies have shown that the fiber and nutrients in whole grains help fight cancer, diabetes and heart disease. What is done with the needed nutrients and essential elements of health that are removed? Maybe they are sold back to me as nutritional supplements! Why not get it all in one tasty healthy bite of whole wheat!

The Whole Foods website, whfoods.com, states, "Wheat, in its natural unrefined state, features a host of important nutrients. Therefore, to receive benefit from the wholesomeness of wheat it is important to choose wheat products made from whole wheat flour rather than those that are refined and stripped of their natural goodness."

What else have I learned about refined flour? A steady diet of it won't lead to health but will lead to high blood sugar levels and insulin surges when eating refined or "stripped-down" wheat (RF). (Suggested reading: my previous article The Urge, the Splurge and the Surge.) I can expect the wheat kernel's starchy "padding" to help grow my own padding. Is that what I really want from my food? It also sets up a craving in me that is hard to get under control once I take the first bite. I have to ask myself, Who's in charge here? Me or the food? Every little bit that I don't bite helps!

Sometimes I forget the fact that eating, although an enjoyable activity, is for the purpose of providing nutrition to my body. Eating things that are damaging and destructive, all the while providing more calories than I need, can lead to many disastrous health problems. Understanding reality brings clarity in decision-making and may help me to dodge the desserts. It's truth or consequences: Know the truth, improve our health, and avoid the consequences!

I created this month's image "Whole Wheat for Wellbeing" in Corel Painter 11. Tasche Tutorials are available by clicking on the image of the wheat kernel pictured above. 

Click the Painter 11 image above to order and for details on Amazon's Super Saver Shipping.

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