CRON-O-METER

I've just discovered this new way of tracking what you eat in day.
Its called a CRONOMETER.

This web site gives you the option to input all of the foods and everything you have drank throughout the day  and it calculates your calories for the day, vitamin intake, mineral intake, the amount of water you've drank, and how much more you need, the fat intake for a particular food or how many carbs you've eaten in a day, etc, etc.  Take a look, I found this extremely helpful.

Now I can determine where I am going wrong with my diet and what I still need to approve on.
If you click on a food that you have entered on your list,  you are able to find out all the nutritional information about it.  For example how much fat, carbs, protein is in that food. If there are vitamins and how many of each kind, if this food contains mineral, and how many of each kind, and much more info.

There is a chart on this website where you are able to see how many vitamins and minerals you are taking in on any given day.  The cronometer also graphs out on a pie chart how many carbs, fats and protein you have eaten that day, so you are able to see if you are eating too much fat or not enough protein, etc.

Now I have the tools to take control of what I have been eating and what I need to eat more of.

Here's the link
cronometer.com

I'm actually following the LFRV diet (low fat raw vegan) option. In this diet I eat 80% carbs, 10% fat and 10% protein.  Trying something new to see if it works for me.  So far so good for the last month.  Lots of fruit!!
Good luck with your own chart.

Eat Well
:)

NATURALLY COLOURED EASTER EGGS

Whether you scramble them, beat them or color them, eggs are actually beneficial for you. They've gotten a bad rap in the past for their bad cholesterol, but eggs also contribute to your bodies good cholesterol.
Being a lacto-ovo vegetarian myself,  I do eat eggs and reap the benefits from them.

Benefits

Eggs are an excellent source of protein.
They contain B vitamins, including vitamin B12 (essential for proper nerve function),
vitamins A and D, zinc and iron.
They are also a source of  the antioxidant lutein (linked to a reduced risk of macular degeneration - leading cause in blindness in older adults)
They contain lecithin which is a good source of choline. Choline helps metabolise fat, is an essential component of cell membranes and nerve tissue.  It helps rid the accumulation of fat in the liver and even helps repair some types of neurological damage. Good for early brain development and memory later in life.

The Cholesterol Issue
A large egg contains about 70 calories.
6 grams of protein
5 grams of fat (less than 2g is saturated fat)
190 mg cholesterol
In most healthy people, it is the total fat that has the most affect on cholesterol levels. These include the saturated fat (found in fatty meat, chicken skin, full fat dairy products, coconut and palm oil) and trans fat (found in processed and snack foods).
Those people who already have high cholesterol levels it is suggested to limit egg yolk consumption to 3-4 a week max.  Only the yolks of the eggs contain the cholesterol.  The egg whites don't need any restriction.  The egg whites can replace a whole egg, with a 2 to 1 ratio.  2 egg whites to 1 whole egg.  These can be used in baked goods and omelets. Egg whites instead of a whole egg can be beaten  to coat fish or meat for breading before frying or baking.

Omega 3 eggs (the ones I eat) come from chickens who are fed a high flax seed diet.  The yolks are rich in omega 3 polyunsaturated fats associated with lower risk of heart disease and stroke. These eggs are a better source of vitamin E than regular eggs.  Great for beautiful glowing skin.

There is a myth in the grocery world stating that brown eggs are more nutritious than white shelled eggs.  This is exactly that, a myth.  The only reason the shells are different colours is that different breeds of chickens lay different coloured eggs, that's it!

Speaking of coloured eggs.  Easter is fast approaching and I would like to share some information I found regarding colouring eggs naturally.  Follow this link         http://chemistry.about.com/od/holidayhowtos/a/eastereggdyes.htm
 and the information is yours.

Add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cups of natural liquid dye.  The Paas Easter egg dye kits that  I've been using for years recommends 3 tablespoons of vinegar to 1cup of water/dye.  So I guess depending on how vibrant of a color wanted for your Easter eggs depends on how much vinegar to add.  Also, I wouldn't recommend boiling the eggs and natural dye ingredients together.....

For the perfect hard boiled egg,
The eggs need to be put in a pot and covered by about 1" of cold water.  Bring to a boil.  Turn off heat and put a lid on the pot.  Let stand 15 minutes and then rinse them in cold water.  This will result in the perfect hard boiled egg.  Perfectly soft in texture and a bright yellow yolk, no grey edges around the yolk, and cooked through.

.....Therefore if the dye and eggs are boiled together.  The eggs will either be overcooked from continuous cooking for maximum colour absorption or the partially absorbed dye will be washed off, when the eggs are being cold rinsed.
I recommend boiling the eggs first and then letting them sit in the natural dye in the fridge until desired colour is achieved. Maybe a day or two is possible.
If you are going to attempt the beet colour, I don't recommend boiling the beets with the skin on.  This will result in a dirty pinky red colour.  Not very attractive.  Try boiling skinless beets instead and let the water cool.  Then add the vinegar and boiled eggs and let the colour absorption begin.
Here is another awesome site I found,  http://radmegan.blogspot.ca/2012/03/natural-egg-dye-rainbow-of-options.html

I will be trying some more colours on my own.
I'll keep you posted........

These are the eggs still in the beet dye I tried earlier.  Colour looks pretty here.

Colour on the eggs is not so pretty here. These have been in the dye for about 24 hours or so. Unfortunately turned out more brown than "pink".

By the way,
One more quick tid bit about eggs.
They are considered a "complete protein". Protein is made up of 20 different amino acids.  9 of these acids our body cannot make and need to be obtained from food and so called essential amino acids.  Foods that contain all 9 essential amino acids are called "complete protein" foods.
This is especially important to vegetarians who only get their protein from plant sources and only sometimes eggs.

Eat Well.

EASTER

Cadbury Cream eggs, solid chocolate Easter bunnies, marshmallow chicks, oh my!!!
Easter is a diet disaster waiting to happen.
All that chocolate and sugar. Turkey and all the trimmings.
Well there is a bright side to all of this Easter overindulgence.

First have your mind set on eating healthy.   If only unhealthy options like deep fried cheese filled jalapeno appetisers, mashed potatoes made with cream and butter, fat dripping filled gravy, white rolls, etc. are available, choose the best you can.
There are always options. You can choose the pumpernickel bread and mayo based dip or you can munch from the veggie sticks platter.  If you are asked to bring something. Make it a healthy option.  So what if everyone else brought that fattening, calorie dense dip, you can always fall back and load up with your healthy veggie sticks, right!
Decide to choose wisely. Again, there are always options!


If you are hosting, choose a smaller dinner plate to set your table, if possible.  Most companies like to make their dishes at a whopping 11" in diameter. That's 2" more than what they were years ago.  And that's  2" more on your waistline.  Ugh!  You and your guests will thank you later. If a larger plate is the only option than fill your plate only 3/4 full.  And that's not loading it up and piling it high to the height of that solid chocolate bunny's ears.
 Eat until you are comfortably full. You don't want to overeat, that just causes unwanted bloating, gas and the "I don't feel good" feeling we've all felt one time or another.  Besides no one wants to be rolling their guests out their door.  If the weather is nice outside, go for a walk before the dessert course.  Hey, every little bit helps.  And walking helps digestion too.

Choose a fruit option for dessert rather than the high calorie cheesecake and pies.  If these are all that's available, you can choose NOT to have a piece of cheesecake or you can have a SMALL piece. If you choose to indulge, fine, eat it but eat it alone.  Don't start to load that small piece of cheesecake with processed fruit topping and whipped cream and chocolate shavings.... remember all those little extras are just that, extra calories on your waistline.    There's a little saying about that for us ladies.. "Once on the lips forever on the hips". Oh, how true!

But don't fret.  If you do overindulge a little or even a lot, make tomorrow a better day. Make the next week a better week.   Drink lots of water and eat lighter meals.  Your body will need the break anyway.  Eat plenty of fresh fruit and veggies.  Have a yogurt parfait for breakfast, a salad for lunch and lots of veggies and a smaller portion of lean meat (maybe leftover turkey) or fish for dinner.  Have fresh fruit for a snack and a few nuts and dried fruit. And by the end of the day your body will thank you and you will feel much better about your choices and much better than the day before. Maybe even a small piece of that dark chocolate bunny will cure any leftover sweet Easter cravings you may still have.  You did good today, you deserve it.

Happy Easter,

Eat Well.