Happiness is Eating Healthy!

Since I completed a three-week detox just over a year ago, I’m much more mindful of the food that I eat.  I learned then, and have reinforced many times since, that I am what I eat — when I eat junk, I feel like crap; when I eat good food, everything’s easier in my life, including getting up with a positive attitude.

My wife - while still cherishing the occasional pork chop or hamburger - has essentially adopted my eating habits, and we’ve recently gone as long as four weeks without going to a grocery store.  How do we accomplish that feat?  Well, we find everything we need at a local produce market.

I read some articles recently that used several new terms to describe the way I’ve been eating for the past fifteen months:

• One-ingredient foods
• The Label-free diet
• The outer circle diet

These all describe the same concept:  Choose only foods at the grocery store that have 1 ingredient (this means that eggs, fruits, vegetables, meats/fish (from healthy animals raised correctly), nuts, seeds, and other 1-ingredient foods should comprise almost your entire diet (except for occasional cheat meals — and dark chocolate).

It’s also called the Label-Free diet because you only eat foods that do not require an FDA nutritional label (see above — what’s in eggs? Eggs!  What’s in a peach? Peach!  no label required).

And it’s also called the Outer Circle diet because you can do all your shopping at a typical grocery store by starting in the produce section (almost always in front corner of store) then steer a circle around the outer wall of the store — meats, dairy, etc.  In the middle of the store are all the processed foods with extensive labeling that you must read to even know what you are eating.

Obviously there are exceptions to the above, and there are foods you can buy with more than 1 ingredient still qualify, e.g. guacamole and hummus being two examples of foods made from several 1-ingredient foods and no additives/fats/sugars.  And oatmeal (ingredients: oats) is still in the cereal aisle.

I’ve written before about how my diet — which dramatically reduced my intake of caffeine, sugars, and glutens — has totally eliminated my afternoon sleepiness, the mood swings I used to experience from the sugar buzz/crash cycle, and the frequent heartburn that made me very crabby and unable to concentrate.

This shift has also dramatically heightened my awareness of how my body and emotions respond when I stray too far from what’s good for my body — I get shaky, dopey, irritable, tense, uncomfortable, distracted, and sometimes even downright mean when I eat poorly!

This may be difficult for many people whose bodies are addicted to processed foods… but give it a try for a week.  when you next shop for groceries, try to make sure that you only put in to your cart 1-ingredient/no-label foods.

I’m willing to bet you’ll feel better for that next week!  And a BODY that feels better has more opportunity to experience happiness.

Happiness is Eating Healthy!

Happiness is Accepting Life as it comes

My mother turned 75 last month.  She’s in pretty good health for an old lady who raised eight kids and has 19 grandchildren.  My dad passed away 23 years ago, and Mom turned out to be quite the survivor — she went to work for Kelly Girls as a permatemp for many years, finished raising my younger siblings, and has retained her independence.

Several years ago vision problems arose, and the doctors diagnosed macular degeneration — slowly but surely she is losing her eyesight.  Still, with a huge magnifying glass and bright light she continued to read voraciously.  And as long as she still had that car in her garage, she could still manage her own life — as long as she only drove on sunny days, to destinations she already knew.

So she kept the car — carrying the insurance and maintenance costs on her limited budget, because of what the car stood for.  This disease is progressive, however, and despite all treatments, Mom recently came to terms with the fact that she is a danger to self and others on the road.  The car had to go.

On a beautiful sunny day last week she took the car out for one last trip to her hairdresser.  When she returned, she turned the keys over to Brandon, a great guy who’s been dating my niece, Elizabeth.  Brandon needed a new car, and who can pass up a deal like this one — the car is ten years old, only has 20,000 miles on it, and was (literally!) only driven by a little old lady to the local mall, church on Sundays… and her hairdresser.

Grandma Mary Ann has cheerfully moved on to the next phase of her life — a little more dependent on others, yet still independent… and always still Smilin’!

P.S.  She does NOT color her hair. I hope I still have that much dark hair on my head 22 years from now!

Happiness is Chocolate + Mint

While in Costa Rica, I picked up a package of Chiclets Fusion gum — a luscious blend of chocolate and mint.  After consuming the last piece of my stash today, I turned to the web to find out where I might find more.  Alas, it appears this gum flavor is only sold in Latin America.  However, I did stumble across this commercial for Fusion, which perfectly captures the mint and chocolate experience (21 seconds).

Warning — sensuality and chocolate flow freely here!

Does the Spanish-speaking world know how to advertise gum, or what?!

I may just have to return to Costa Rica to pick up some more…. 

Happiness is Flying High!

Zip Lining over the Costa Rican Rain Forest

I had a lot of adventures on my recent vacation in Costa Rica — I explored coral reefs, climbed a mountain on horseback, and allowed myself to be strapped to a steel cable and pushed out of tree — upside down.  Yikes!

I took this video on one of my right side up trips.  Gives you a flavor of what Zip Lining over the rain forest canopy is like.  I’m WAY up there in this one, and take a look at the gorgeous sky!

Happiness is truly Flying High!

Happiness is Being True to Who You Are

One of the other speakers at the Singapore HR Summit was Ngahi Bidois, who calls himself a New Age Maori Warrior.  Ngahi — his full name is , Ngahihi o te ra Bidois, which means Rays of the Sun –  is from New Zealand.

20 years ago Ngahi was a college-educated, high-flying, young executive-in-training with a major multinational firm, married to a beautiful woman from the UK, with money in the bank, a house and car, and seemingly having met all the goals he’d set for the himself at that stage of his life.  However, he noticed a hole in his life.

In his talk, he beautifully tells the story of how he came to realize that, in turning his back on his Maori heritage, he was losing a part of himself.  He quit his job and redesigned his life to take his background in leadership and education and use it to strengthen the Maori traditions.  He learned the language of his ancestors, and when he was ready he participated in an ancient tradition, receiving his ta moko, a full-facial tatoo that is the mark of his people, in an 8-hour (very painful!) ceremony. He recently had some incredible photos taken by a guy who’s pix of Ngahi appeared in several national photography magazines.  To see some of the shots (the coolest one is on his home page) visit www.NgahiBidois.com

In his talk on Leadership, Ngahi speaks of being authentic, the importance of listening to others and yourself, and of the importance of Influence in leadership success.  He’s a very inspiring guy, and I was privileged to spend time with him both during a speaker’s forum and at the speaker’s dinner on Wednesday evening.

He is one of the most grounded people I’ve met in a long time — totally happy with where he is in his life.  He really found what was meaningful to him, and now takes obvious delight in taking his message of authenticity and leadership to the world, just as my passion is around leadership and happiness.

Ngahi and I also shared ideas on marketing our messages.  Both of us just finished writing a book and had ‘rush’ printings done so we’d have a small supply to sell at the conference.  Small world!

On a lighter note, the monster.com Monster wandered the huge exhibit hall all during

the conference, and yesterday he grabbed me to take a picture with.  Here’s me and the Monster.  Resumes, anyone?

From Singapore, with Happiness…

Happiness is Good Airplane Food – and Chocolate Dessert!

In two days I’ve spent a total of 23.75 hours on a plane, most of that on two Japan Airlines (JAL) flights from Chicago O’Hare to Narita International in Tokyo and then from Tokyo to Singapore.  I’ve been unconditionally delighted with the meals four meals I’ve had thus far.

I’m a vegetarian, and so am careful to make note of that when I make air reservations, lest I be forced to eat crispy chicken tenders (ick).  Unfortunately, many airlines (and restaurants, for that matter) still think that sliced tomatoes and iceberg lettuce on (soggy) whole wheat bread constitutes appropriate vegetarian fare.  It’s always a gamble.

I’m so happy that the gamble this time paid off handsomely.  JAL has produced several four-course meals that I would gladly accept at an on-ground restaurant.

Entrees have included mini-spiral pasta with toothpick vegetables in a light alfredo; ricotta and parsley-filled ravioli with a roasted-tomato sauce; and spinach fettucini (pictured) with brocolli, mushrooms and diced peppers with a dollop each of marinara and cream sauce.  All were served hot and fresh.

I’m so amused by the ingenuity of airplane food chefs, who must figure out how to design food that can be compacted into tiny containers, stay fresh for hours, and look fabulous when served.  In my past 48 hours I’ve enjoyed:

• a salad of slivered romaine mixed with slivered radish, red & yellow peppers, and cucumbers;
• a mixed salad with fresh baby greens, grape tomato and thinly-sliced radish; a fruit salad comprised of thinly sliced honeydew, strawberry, and kiwi, with an orange section and two blueberries; and
• a delightful veggie ‘tray’ with crisp slices of red & gold peppers, grape tomato with a basil pesto, asparagus tips, a slice of fresh mango, a dollop of cottage cheese.

Each of these culinary delights was artfully crammed into a delicate ¾ cup oval serving container.

A note on eating from tiny dishes – chopsticks are a must.

By far my favorite, however, was the adorable chocolate dessert I had on Tuesday afternoon’s flight.  This Dark Chocolate temptation consisted of two layers of flourless chocolate cake, filled and topped with a chocolate ganache, and then dusted with cocoa, served in an elegant little dish.

Happiness is receiving unexpected dark chocolate!

Happiness is a Warm Toilet Seat

One consequence of aging is that one gets up in the middle of the night more often.  I hate it when my butt hits that cold seat in the night.  So it’s 3AM in the middle of my first nite in Tokyo, and I gotta go.  I stumble into the hotel bathroom and… OH.  MY.  GOD!  This toilet seat is warm!  Like…body temperature warm!

I have seen the high-tech Japanese toilets on television, but seeing is not the same as experiencing.  This is incredible.

The next morning, I examine the toilet with a bit more interest.  Not only is the seat heated, but it senses when an occupant sits down, and an internal fan immediately comes on to suck offending odors out of the air.  Hmm.

Next, I examine the control panel.  More accurately, I play with the 4” x 9” portable remote-control wireless console.  With it I can adjust the temperature of the seat; the temperature, strength, and direction of the water spray; and turn the dryer on and off.

Yes, it washes and dries the derriere.  There’s also a bidet, but I choose not to go there.

I want to take this toilet home with me.  My butt would be so very happy!

Happiness is Seeing Your Child Succeed

Last week I was privileged to attend Kent State University’s annual Student Awards night.  At this event the university recognizes the accomplishments of its many student leaders and student organizations; it also serves as the transition point for all Undergraduate Student Government (USG) positions.

During the past school year our youngest son, Jared, was a Student Senator in addition to serving as president of the largest fraternity on campus, Sigma Chi.  He will serve as one of the six elected USG Directors for the 2009/10 term.  We drove down to see him recognized for his contributions and then sworn in to his new role.

We sat at a table with many of Jared’s fraternity brothers and were delighted to see the quality of character so many of them possess.  These young men, some about to graduate in a few weeks, represent the next generation of leadership for our country. I feel inspired when in the presence of their energy and determination to succeed and create change.

I was pleasantly surprised, as I scanned the evening’s program, to see many of these young men’s names on the list of nominees for several awards.  I was proud to bursting as I realized that Jared’s name was listed for seven out of twelve possible leadership awards, in addition to his USG recognition.

Jared went up on stage several times during the evening to receive recognition for his contribution and accomplishments.  The awards he was nominated for acknowledge leadership, scholarship, commitment to the university, contribution to the community, and so on.  These are all admirable qualities in any young person, and even more fun to watch when that young person is my own child.

I was a proud and happy Dad, for sure!

Happiness and the No-Soda Diet

So, I ran into a friend of mine at the YMCA today.  I see him from behind fairly often, as I walk past the treadmills that he so loves, but it’s been awhile since we chatted face to face.

There was something different about him.  Hmmm.  I could not, at first, figure it out

Oh!  There was less of him!  That was it.

Paul has been carrying around an ever-growing belly for the past ten years, since he had to retire on disability after his macular degeneration rendered him unable to read.  Even though he runs at the gym four or five days a week while closing in on his black belt in Karate, there’s been more of him every month.

“I lost 26 pounds since the holidays,” Paul proudly proclaimed.

“Wow,” I said.  “I know you already run several miles a day and are constantly running through your karate workouts.  What ELSE have you added to lose so much weight that fast?”

One thing, Paul explained: “I stopped drinking soda”  (actually, he used the name of a specific brand, but I don’t want to diss a cultural icon in my blog).  He’s spent a great deal of time in the past decade watching television and drinking soda all day – an average of 4 cans every day.

He changed NOTHING else in his diet or exercise regimen except that he swapped out soda for tap water.  BOOM, he dropped 720 calories a day from his diet, and that has translated into the loss of one pound about five days.  Like clockwork, he says – “it’s been falling off of me.”

Other bonuses, adds Paul, include, “I’m sleeping better at night, and my knee stopped hurting when I run.”

Fascinating.  He is SO very happy.

My public rant:

Fact: the human body does not ‘register’ calories taken in liquid form the same way as when calories are consumed in solid food; food fills us up and invokes a “stop eating” response, where liquids do not.  Thus high-calorie drinks like sodas, energy drinks, and high-fructose-infused juices are invisible to our systems.  Yet a even a One-can-every-day habit (at 180 calories per can) means your body’s taking in 65,700 unregistered calories, translating into 18.7 pounds per year.

Think about it.  Consider the No-Soda diet.

Remember, you heard about it here, first.

Happiness is Making Do With What You Have

It is a gray, dreary day.  Neither of us wants to grocery shop in the rain.  Yet, we must eat something.

On the counter we assemble all the fresh food remaining in the house:

• 1 lb of carrots
• 3 large yams
• 4 overripe tomatoes
• 1/2 pint of mushrooms
• 1/2 bag of frozen corn
• 2 apples
• a large handful of spinach
• 1 egg

My wife says, “Good Luck!” and leaves the kitchen.  I am alone, and desperate.

It is one of those days when the only option is to actually read the cook book — page through section after section, desperately seeking a solution.  I am paging through the soups and stews section when something catches my eye: dumplings.  I think, “Hmm, we do have flour, and I’ve not had dumplings in years.  I wonder…”

That leads me to study Stews for a few minutes.  Possibilities start to form as I look up yam-compatible spices.  Hmm, again.  I check out the spice rack.  Good.  AND we have a head of garlic and a big chunk of fresh ginger.  Cool.  I go to work.

Peel and chop everything on the counter into bite-size pieces.  Saute six cloves of garlic in butter.  Toss in the chopped fruit and veggies, along with a half-cup of fresh grated ginger, season with 1 tsp Allspice, 1/2 tsp each Nutmeg and Five Spice (an asian spice blend), and a bit of sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Just for kicks I chop and toss in about a half cup of dried mango.  Ooh, it really starts to smell wonderful.

I saute the mix, then add just enough chicken stock to cover. Simmer with the cover on for 45 mins.  The aroma draws my wife back in to the kitchen.  “Smells wonderful.  What is it?”  “I’m not really sure, yet” I explain.  She looks doubtful and retreats back to the living room.  She trusts me in the kitchen, but has learned that sometimes it’s better not to know what happened before it ends up on her plate.  I continue.

Carrots and yams are soft yet still a little crisp — perfect.  I whip together a thickener (milk and flour) and mix it in.  Ah, now it looks like stew!  On top of this mix I ladle my dumpling mix, made with my lone egg, flour, cornmeal, milk and some salt/pepper.  Ten more minutes on simmer and, Voila!

Fruit and Vegetable Stew, I name it.  Thick, sweet, and very hot; a perfect comfort food on a rainy March Sunday dinner.

Of course, I still have to grocery shop, but that’s for another day.

Happiness is making do with what you have!

Next Page »