With a twist of Lime

I love lemon in my tea, but for an awesome change of pace, I love to use lime. To me, Lime is very refreshing in a cool drink, during these hot days. While I was enjoying the taste, I didn’t realize the great benefits of Limes.

Aside from being in the citrus family and bringing all of the benefits of those citrus guys, Limes are high in fiber. That being said Lime are great in preventing constipation, reducing cholesterol in the blood, and slowing the absorption of sugar (this alone sold me in adding it to my Tea)

Limes are high in Vitamin K, which is one of the four Fat Soluble Vitamins. Vitamin K helps with age relate osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease. Limes also contain Folate which is a Water Soluble Vitamin. Folate is huge in the role in the formation of red blood cells. Copper is also found in Limes. Copper is an antioxidant that helps protect cells and tissues from cancer.  

Between the Folate and Copper in Limes, I would say that Limes are a fantastic addition to the diet in cancer prevention and cancer patients.

Nutritional Value of Limes

Serving Size:           1 fl oz (3g)                           1 Lime

Calories:                 8                                          11          

Carbohydrates:       3g                                        4g

                Sugar:     1g                                        1g

Vitamin C               15% DRV                              22% DRV                             

Calcium                                                                                     1%

I say Tomato, You say Tomato … Mater

The more research that is done, the more that the tomato stands alone as the healthiest and the most beneficial fruit on the planet. Tomatoes get the red color from the vital Anti-oxidant Lycopene. Research has show Lycopene to be very helpful in fighting against cancerous cell formation. Research is also showing Tomatoes to be helpful against the high cholesterol battle.

Tomatoes are a great source of Vitamin C (What isn’t right?), Vitamin A and Iron. Tomatoes are somewhat unique in that they do not lose nutritional value with the heat of being cooked, like most all other foods. This makes tomatoes very useful by canning them, and making sauces, so they may be consumed year round. As always be weary of processed foods, so I am referring to canning them at home, like Grandma used to.

Nutritional Value of Tomatoes

Serving Size:       1 Cup of Cherry Tomatoes 149g                 1 Large Whole Tomato (3” diameter) 182g

Calories:               27                                                                           33

Carbohydrates:     6g                                                                           7g

                Fiber:    2g                                                                           2g          

                Sugar:   4g                                                                           5g

Protein:                 1g                                                                           2g

Fat:                        0g                                                                           0g

Tomatoes may also be one of the most versatile foods. It can be eaten raw, cooked as a base for a stew, or sauce, or sliced into a salad, on a sandwich (I know that the nutritional classification of a hamburger goes to “Healthy” just by adding a slice or two of tomato on it). I remember my mom and dad eating tomato sandwiches and my granny eating canned tomatoes over rice. I love the tomato salads with Cherry Tomatoes, olive oil, Real Mozzarella, and pepper. MAN that’s good on a hot summer day. 

Little Slaw with that?

Health Benefits of Cabbage

In the South, Cabbage is known as Cole Slaw. Cabbage … or Cole Slaw is usually eaten with Fried Fish, BBQ, or on a Hot Dog. In the Eastern World, Cabbage is a main stay in the everyday diet. We are told by many that including Green Leafy Vegetables in our daily diet is very important. Green Leaf Vegetables are PACKED with vitamins and minerals, and are a GREAT source of Carbohydrates.

Two great tidbits of information:

1. Cabbage is a Green Leaf Vegetable.

2. Over the past few years I have discovered MANY delicious forms of Cole Slaw that do not involve Mayonnaise. In fact, a friend of mine makes a slaw that is so simple but fantastic. It is Cabbage, Red Onion, Pepper and Vinegar.

The initial obvious benefit that cabbage brings to the table is that Cabbage is a Leafy Vegetable, hence being a great roughage and source of Fiber.  The most interesting Nutritional Fact about cabbage is that it contains more Vitamin C than the Oranges, the fruit that is given as THE source of Vitamin C. Vitamin C being a GREAT Anti Oxidant makes Cabbage a great food for strengthening the immune system. Cabbage is also a great source of Potassium. That with its Vitamin C content makes Cabbage a GREAT recovery food.

Cabbage’s iodine content makes it a good source of food for proper brain and nervous system function. The Vitamin K and E content of Cabbage is also great for skin, hair and eye health.

Earlier, I mentioned the very basic and simple Slaw recipe of Cabbage, Red Onion, Black Pepper and Vinegar. Other uses would be adding Cabbage to a Salad of Mixed greens, Try Cabbage on a sandwich, in place of lettuce, for a very nice “change of pace”.

Nutritional Value of Cabbage

Serving Size:          1 Cup

Calories:               22

Carbohydrates:     5g

                Fiber:    2g

                Sugar:   3g

Protien:                 1g

Fat:                        0g

If you like pina coladas …

If you like pina coladas, you’re in luck. Last week, I had asked everyone to name some foods that you are interested in learning more about. I had a great response, therefore lots to cover in the coming weeks. One food that I received a request for was coconut oil. I thought that was interesting as is, but they wanted to know more about hearing that it aided in weight loss.

Here’s what I found:

I was pleasantly surprised at the many benefits that coconut oil brought to the table. Coconut oil aids in the health and adds benefit to: hair and skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, cancer, dental care, and bone strength, and YES, weight loss. Who knew right?

Coconut Oil is approximately 90% Saturated fat BUT REMEMBER our body NEEDS FAT. We need fat for Fat Soluble Vitamin digestion, Organ protection, Temperature regulation but most importantly, we need fat for Brain Function. The 90% Saturated fat was where I thought that it was interesting that someone had ask about coconut oil aiding in weight loss. Turns out that Coconut oil is quite useful in weight loss. The Fatty acids in Coconut Oil increase the body’s metabolism by relieving stress on the pancreas. Coconut oil has few calories, per serving than other oils, and is digested more easily, therefore it’s quickly used for energy and therefore less is fat stored.

A 1 tsp serving contains:

39 Calories

5g of Fat (4g Saturated Fat)

0 Carbohydrates

0 Protein

All being said; If you think about it, have you ever seen an obese person on a tropical island, that wasn’t a tourist? Could have more to do with fresh fish and fruits being a major part of their diets BUT hey if one wants to enjoy a pina colada or two with some grilled fish with mango salsa, I say have at it.

No Carb Diet? … You can’t run a car off of Antifreeze, it needs GAS … No Carbs = No Fuel

No Carb Diet? … You can’t run a car off of Antifreeze, it needs GAS … No Carbs = No Fuel

For a few years now Carbohydrates have gotten bad rap. People have all of a sudden replaced Fat with Carbohydrate as the nutrient to avoid. Here’s a news flash, both Fat and Carbohydrates are nutrients that your body MUST have.

I am amazed at the number of questions I get about “No Carb” diets, and “Low Carb” Diets. Then I am appalled by the number of Athletes who ask about these “Diets”. My answer to them all is you can’t run a race car on Antifreeze. Cars run off of Gas. Carbohydrates are our body’s “gas”. Carbohydrates are the fuel that our bodies need.

The key, just like any food, is using the right type of carbohydrate and the right amount. Carbohydrates come in 3 forms. There are Sugars, Fiber, and Starches. Our bodies attempt to break these down into sugar to be used in the Blood Stream … Blood Sugar. When the Sugar enters our blood, our bodies release insulin to tell our body to use the sugar for energy or store it for later. At the same time our body releases Glucagon to begin releasing stored sugar. This process helps maintain our sugar levels.

The rate in which these Carbohydrates are broken down or digested and get into our blood system is given a number value by the Glycemic Index. The higher the number the more quickly the carbohydrate is converted to sugar. The quicker this happens the faster ones blood sugar rises. The higher the blood sugar level raises the more insulin is released.  A food is considered High Glycemic Index with a number of 70 or higher. Examples of these foods are White Bread, Fried Potatoes, and refined and processed foods. A food is considered a Low Glycemic Index food with an assign Glycemic Index value of 55 or lower. Examples of these foods are high Fiber Fruits and Vegetables, Bran Cereals and Beans. These foods allow a slower digestion and a slower rate of insulin release, making it a more optimal food choice.

SO the message here is there is no such thing as an evil Carbohydrate. Some carbohydrates are simply better choices than others. Take a look at information on the Glycemic index. Get an idea of what is good and what is better. “Carbs” are good. “Carbs” are REQUIRED by our bodies. A good rule of thumb for choosing Carbohydrate, and ANY food, is to look at how it is prepared.

Process = bad.  / Fresh = good.

Fried = Bad / Grilled or Broiled = Good

Processed or White Wheat = Bad / Whole grain = good.

Fructose = Good / Sucrose = Bad

“When you don’t have the best of everything, make the best of what you have”.

“When you don’t have the best of everything, make the best of what you have”.

Many Folks in the State of Georgia could tell me who said this. Many of those could probably tell me the date in which Coach Erk Russell stated that when you don’t have the best of everything, well, you just have to make the best of what you have”. Coach Russell was responding to a question of how he had managed to build a Championship Football program from nothing with a shoe string budget, and WIN multiple NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Georgia Southern still holds many “reminders” of those days. These days Georgia Southern Football can afford nice uniforms, but they choose to “dance with who brought ‘em”. They still wear a very basic uniform. This reminds them of where the program came from and that you don’t need fancy uniforms to be champions

This thought reminds me of the young men that I worked with at The Citadel and at VMI. These Cadets had no Air Conditioning, and no phones. Their schedule was full from 5:00AM until they finally went to sleep, sometime after midnight, when their studying was done. Both groups of men earned the best education in their respected states.

I once heard a coach tell a recruit: “you don’t come here for the next 4 years of your life; you come here for AFTER the next 4 years of your life”.  Think about it. Have you ever seen a Graduate of The Citadel or of VMI that was not a success? These men … and women (now) look past the luxuries of a social life on Thursday nights, wearing clothes of their choice in 100 degree heat. They do not focus on what they do not have. Their focus is on their mission or on their goal. They think WIN. WIN is what Coach Lou Holtz says stands for What’s Important Now. They have a short term or NOW goal, which is their mission. All of their short term goals lead them to their long term goal, of successful lives, leaders of their communities, great fathers, and great husbands. They carry this in to life. This IS why many do not graduate without a job waiting on them.

These qualities are not limited to graduates of these two schools, BUT you will be hard pressed to find a graduate of these schools that do not have these qualities.

The message here is to focus on your goal. DO NOT give a moment thought as to way you cannot do something. Focus on how you can. MAKE IT HAPPEN. WIN ANYWAY. Decide what it is that you want. Make a plan and then GO GET IT.

If your goal involves fitness, you do not need a fancy health club. You just need to get off the sofa and get outside. MOVE! Go for a walk. Cut the grass. Heck, go meet your neighbors (there is not enough of that anymore). If you have no training equipment; body weight exercises are fantastic. Do something other than sit wishing. All the planning in the world only goes so far. The key is ACTION.

Stop think about why not and do it!!! … NOW!!!

Get to / Got to

When you wake up in the morning, is your first thought that you get to go to work, or is it that you “got” to go to work. For MANY years now, I have been up between 4 and 5 each morning thinking “man I want to get to work. It’s going to be a GREAT day”. I get to go to work. On the other hand I hear people complain on Sunday night, or they complain even worse on Monday morning about how work stinks, they don’t want to go to work.

I’m a free spirit when it comes to this. Hell, if you hate it that much, this is America, FIND ANOTHER JOB!!! Yeah yeah, I do know that we are still in tough economic times blah blah blah. I’m not saying walk in your bosses’ office first thing tomorrow morning and quite. I am saying BE ABOUT SOMETHING. Stop complaining, make a plan and act on it. Not to long ago, I loved the work I did, but hate the philosophy of those that I was working for. I made a plan. I put the plan in motion and I walked away.

It’s about being in the right place for the right reasons. I loved being a College Strength Coach. I loved being a High School Strength Coach. I loved both because I loved working with the people that I worked with, in the environment in which we were working. We (meaning the Student-Athletes, the coaches and the administration) had a common philosophy, common goals and we were all in it for the same reasons. Some of the schools that I worked were not the right places for me. The situation was not right for me or I was not right for that school. At the job that I referred to earlier, my bosses and I had COMPLETELY different philosophies on what was going on. It was time for me to leave. I was happier the day I left that place than I was when I accepted the job. I say all of that to say this: You have to be YOU, to be completely happy.

What puts you in a “Get To” mode?

Your answers to the follow questions will guide you to find your right place or your right situation that will allow you to “Get To”.

What is your mission statement?

EVERYONE needs a mission statement. Your mission statement will answer: What are you all about? Why do you do what you do? What are you trying to accomplish each day?

What is your Philosophy?

Your Philosophy is what you rely on when things get tough. Your Philosophy is statement of the beliefs, the values, the “rules” or the motivation that guides you to do what you do? Why do you do what you do? Why are you trying to accomplish what you do? What does it take for you to accomplish you mission, and do it the right way?

What are your Goals?

Where are you going? If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there? More importantly how will you know HOW to get there? Goals are the single most important guide in your life, BUT your goals are based on what you do, why you do it and where you are trying to go or what you want out of what you do.

Take some time, sit down and develop your own Mission Statement, your own Philosophy and a few Goals. Then ask yourself, am I in the right place. What is or Where is the right place for me. If you are not in the right place or in the right situation, then form Goals to get there.

Remember when you were young and you could be ANYTHING that you wanted to be? What did you say then? What changed? Get back there. BE WHO YOU WANT TO BE … Be who you are!

Stop having to things that you have to do, and start getting to something that you love. It starts with you knowing where you are, where you want to go, and forming a plan of how to get there.