Carbohydrates

Ah, Carbs.
My doctor says that I most likely have hypoglycemia and it is kept in check by eating a low carb diet.  

I have heard of low-carb, of course I have, but I don't think I ever really thought about it.  I am one of the most health food conscious people I know.  At work they ask me what I'm eating all the time and when I tell them kale, they wonder why I'm eating a garnish.  


Being healthy for me means: vegetarian but a little fish once in awhile, taking six vitamins every day (and I just learned that I should spread them out throughout the day -- it's helped my energy level), no dairy for I'm lactose intolerant and don't like factory farming of cows, and trying to reduce my gluten intake for fear that it causes my frequent bouts of candida.  Oh yes and sugar, I try to do less of that as well for so many reasons.


Just an hour ago my doctor said to me try a low-carb diet and he said that gluten-free doesn't mean low-carb.  Hm, I wondered, what is a low-carb diet.  I know that some fruits and veggies are carbs, so what am I do to?  


Luckily for me, the internet has a zillion articles on the topic.  Below I have pasted a few of the lessons I learned today:


Bad carbs are carbohydrate foods that have been highly refined and processed, removing most of the nutritional value and fiber. They're generally loaded with high-calorie fats, sweeteners, preservatives and other unhealthy additives.

With all the processing and additives, bad carbs can be made to be temptingly tasty. But they create a dramatic surge in insulin, which can overwork your pancreas, cause you to store fat and lead to diabetes, heart disease, obesity, stroke, arthritis and Alzheimer's disease. (Many of these run in my family so I want to be very careful.)



The article also went on to describe how back before the industrial revolution people always ate the whole grain.  In the name of progress, the grains were stripped of their oily fibrous shells which have B vitamins and necessary fiber because it was easier to store the grains long term.  I remember Guruji mentioning that it seems ironic to him that we buy food today that says 100% whole wheat because that is what it is supposed to be but in our modern baked goods we take it out, process it and then in have to put it back in-- instead the bread we buy in grocery stores should have a label that states partial wheat, or in the case of Wonder Bread or bagels-- 0% whole wheat.





The following list I have printed out and will put on the fridge to remind me (and my husband who loves his fruit juice) that these items should be used sparingly as a treat, not a staple in our diet.

The basic bad carbs list includes:

• All candies, jelly and jams,
• Sodas, fruit juices, fruit drinks,
• Pudding, custards and other sweets,
• Processed refined grains, like white rice,
• Bread and pasta made with any refined flour,
• Cakes, cookies and other sweet bakery products.

I do crave chocolate chip cookies and other sweets, but I also love my health and want to stay healthy, vibrant and clear long into my old age.   Therefore, I start today another promise to myself to be the change I want to see in the world.  (Thank you Mahatma Gandhiji for wonderful words to live by.)

If you would like to read more about carbs:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art6628.asp

And a helpful Yogic Diet guide is on the Yoga Life Society website under learning center.


Enjoy the beautiful day.

Love and light,
Yoga Girl

HAPPY DIWALI!

And don't forget to vote on the Yoga Girl logo in the post below.  All the voters will be put into a hat and the winner is interviewed by Swami Cat on the soon to be released Swami Cat TV show!

Om Shanti!

Voting

I did research last night on who to vote for in today's election.  It is sad that it took me so long to do any research.  I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't even know who was running.  My television stations run New York and Pennsylvania commercials and that doesn't help me in the middle of New Jersey.  The websites for the candidates aren't that helpful for they are just another expensive advertisement.  How do we chose who to vote for?  Do we vote for the person who we think will vote most like us?  Do we vote for the person who seems strong and will stand up for his/her beliefs?  Or do we vote for the personality, the one who has a more polished website and better photographer for this person knows how the game of politics is played?  Or maybe I vote like a Yogi and try to find the candidate whose values are most focused on peace and compassion.  I was impressed with the Green party candidate for this reason, although I never heard of him, his website was not as high tech and I know that he doesn't have a chance of winning.  So do I not vote for him because it is like throwing a vote away?  It reminds me of the time I almost voted for Nader.  I do wish we had a system that wasn't focused on just two parties.  I feel many of us aren't happy with either one.  But it doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon.  I read that other countries have many parties on the ballot.  Why is it that in America we have to boil everything down to smaller, quicker, easier to put on a sound bite?  Anyway, I couldn't sleep last night for my mind was going around and around these questions.  "What would Guruji do?"  That is what I came up with.  I decided to meditate on it before I went out to vote.  I take the voting process very seriously ever since I saw the mini series John Adams.  When I saw how much they sacrificed for the future generations so that we could live in a free society, and saw how they agonized over the right wording for posterity, I started to take our responsibilities more seriously.  I want the founding fathers and mothers to be proud of what we've become.  Until I find a more active role that interests me in the political arena, what I have to give back is the pressing of electronic light up buttons behind a curtain.  And I'll do it proudly for so many in other countries and even in our own find that the road just to cast a vote is a struggle.  And so I vote for them. 

Hope you remembered to vote. 

Om Shanti.