Using Shame

July 28, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Have you heard of dog-shaming? The basic idea is that a dog will do something bad, like chew up a pair of shoes, and then the owner will write a snarky sign, put it in front of the dog, take a picture and then post it on the internet. It’s actually pretty funny and I have had my share of laughs over the ridiculous things that dogs do. There is a new trend going around though that I refuse to find funny and that is fat shaming.

I was listening to the news last week and heard that there was a facebook group started called fat shaming. It was based in California and people would post unflattering photos of overweight people on the group and then usually write hurtful comments along with the picture. Supposedly the group was shut down but then put back up and then shut down again. I have no clue what the current status of the group is and quite frankly I don’t care. My question is what were the people of the group trying to accomplish?

My first instinct was to believe that these people were just mean and hurtful and were trying to put others down to bring themselves up. The thought never crossed my mind that they were in any way trying to help these people better their health. Then I remembered hearing about a school a few months ago that was sending letters home to parents with overweight children, essentially doing the same thing just using nicer language. This school thought that it was doing the right thing to help those kids become healthier. Instead it sparked anger and outrage not only with the parents but the community as well. In my opinion this tactic should spark a little anger and outrage, because it really isn’t effective at all.

Think of the last time that someone made you feel ashamed about something. Think of feeling ashamed about a part of your personality. Did that feeling of shame make you want to get up and change? Did you feel thankful that someone pointed out your flaws in a possibly hurtful matter? I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say probably not. Using shame to make a person change their ways is not very helpful. In fact, it’s counterproductive in most cases and makes the shamed person fall even deeper into their bad habits. When it comes to health, if all you’re doing is telling someone that they’re fat or eat too much or look horrible in a bikini and should never wear one, you aren’t doing anything to help them make a change in their health. You’re breaking them down even more than they already are, and they’ll do the only things that they know how to do to cope. They’ll eat more food than they should, or sit on the couch all day instead of go for a walk, or maybe even put off a doctors visit because they don’t want one more person to make them feel bad about their health. Shame can exacerbate the problem.

It’s not just other people shaming someone that can cause problems. If you use shame on yourself, you’re doing just as much damage possibly more. Tearing yourself down will never get you to make positive changes and become healthier. All it does is make you feel hopeless. Believe me, for years I told myself I wasn’t good enough, wasn’t pretty enough, didn’t have the right body, wasn’t athletic. You know what all that negative talk did? Absolutely nothing good. I would talk myself out of trying things just because I didn’t want to further embarrass myself. I kept doing all the things that I knew weren’t good for my health, because there was no point in trying if it was always going to be this way. I told myself negative things and that resulted in a negative outlook on life and myself. Once I was finally able to realize that I am so much more than I thought, and once I started to talk to myself in a positive light, suddenly positive changes started to happen. It wasn’t easy and I definitely still have my days where I start to get down on myself, but things are so much better when I build myself up rather than tear myself down.

I don’t know if those who partcipate in fat shaming are coming from a place of concern and honestly believe that they are helping people. I don’t know if they are just doing it to be mean or they think it’s funny or they are trying to make themselves feel better. I do know that it is not helping even a little bit. In order to help those that are struggling with their health, we need to come at them from a place of compassion. We need to use positive tactics rather than negative ones. We need to offer support and encouragement and know when to back off and let them figure it out. These are the things that will bring about healthy change and a better life. Dog-shaming can be funny and merit a chuckle or two. Fat shaming is never funny and we all need to work on being more positive and less negative.

Watermelon Soda

July 25, 2014 / ktbuchs87

It was hot last weekend and I felt like having soda. I haven’t had soda in years because who needs to be drinking all that sugar or chemicals? But I have seen recipes for “healthy” sodas and thought that I would give it a try. I had a bunch of watermelon that I needed to use up and all I really had to get for this was the sparkling water. You can use whatever fruit you would like, but I think that watermelon works well because of it’s high water content. So if you’re looking for a tasty and refreshing way to cool off without overindulging, give this watermelon soda a try!

Watermelon Soda

3-4 cups watermelon, cubed
1-2 cups sparkling water (make sure that has no added flavors, just water and CO2)
2-3 tbsp lime juice

1. Place watermelon into a blender and blend for a few minutes until it is liquified. Now, if you want to have a more slushie type drink leave as is and pour watermelon juice into a pitcher. Otherwise, place a sieve or fine mesh colander over your pitcher and pour the watermelon juice through.

2. Add sparkling water and lime juice to the pitcher and stir together. If your watermelon and sparkling water was cold when you made this, serve right away. If not just chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

That’s it! Pretty simple right? I left my soda as more of a slushie and it was delicious! I recommend drinking this right away as it will get less fizzy and fresh as the days go by. You could even make this an adult beverage and add rum or maybe gin. It would be a fun drink to serve at a BBQ or party!

Things I’m Enjoying

July 23, 2014 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

I thought that I would once again share a few things that I am really enjoying at the moment. I like to see what other bloggers are doing and enjoying with their daily lives, so if you’re like me enjoy this post!

Hazelnuts

To be more specific, roasted hazelnuts. I know that this isn’t anything revolutionary or groundbreaking, I mean just look at the hullabaloo around Nutella. But I have really been liking the taste of dry roasted hazelnuts lately. I buy them raw in bulk at Whole Foods and then roast them when I get home. It’s really simple too. Just set your oven to 400, then line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silpat. Place the hazelnuts on the baking sheet in a single layer and put in the oven for about 10 minutes, watching to make sure they don’t burn. Then remove from the oven and let cool, once they are cool place them in a dish towel and rub to remove the skins. Store the nuts in an airtight container in the fridge so they don’t turn rancid. I’ve been putting them on my breakfast bowls, salads, and just eating a few as a snack. Not only are they tasty, they are loaded with good for you vitamins and minerals like magnesium and vitamin E. Eat up!

Coconut Milk and Coffee

This is amazing! I had a little bit of coconut milk leftover from dinner the night before and so I decided to add it to my coffee the next morning. Holy creamy goodness Batman! I usually only drink coffee on the weekends and I drink it black. The coconut milk just added a nice rich flavor to my coffee and I will definitely be doing it again! I use full fat coconut milk because you don’t need to fear fat! Plus the light coconut milk is just glorified water anyway. So if you want to treat yourself to a delicious, creamy, and healthy drink, try adding a little coconut milk to your coffee!

Walks Along the Lake

I am super lucky to be able to live so close to the lake. As my sister pointed out this weekend, it’s pretty much my backyard. I have been running along Lake Shore Drive each morning and end my run right on the lake. I also have been walking around my neighborhood everyday and some of my favorite walks are those that go right along the lakefront. It’s just so beautiful and peaceful along the water and it makes me happy. Plus how can you beat views like this?

Farmer’s Markets

This has been the summer of farmer’s markets for me. Chicago has a ton of markets all over the place and I have been thoroughly enjoying visiting as many of them as possible. I have to say though that my favorite market so far is the Green City Market. It is right across from the Lincoln Park Zoo and it is always big and full of people and delicious things. Not only does it have the normal fruits and vegetables but you can also find tamales, crepes, cheese, homemade pickles and jams, smoothies, pizza, paninis, and so much more. There is live music and a doughnut van. Kids running around with their dogs, and a balloon guy making balloons for anyone and everyone. The other neat thing that this market does is on each stand they tell you how many miles each vendor traveled to come to the market. This way you can choose where you would like to buy your products, whether you prefer more local or don’t mind those who come from afar. This market has great vendors, great crowds and it is a great time! Go explore your own city’s markets and see what they have to offer.

These are the things that have been holding my attention for the past few weeks. This summer has been one of discovery and learning. Living in a new city and seeing everything that it has to offer has been really fun. I am loving my neighborhood more and more and I can’t wait to see what else it has in store for us! I hope you have a great Wednesday and I’ll see you on Friday!

Your Body And Mine

July 21, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I read this article last week and found it very interesting. If you aren’t familiar with fitbit, it is a fitness band that keeps count of your steps and calories eaten. It is suppose to help with weight loss but some users are finding that they are actually gaining weight while using fitness bands. These users are confused because weight loss should be a simple equation of less calories in than calories out. But is weight loss that simple?

Unfortunately, it isn’t. Yes, if you have a deficit of calories at the end of the day you will lose weight. The thing with weight loss is that there are so many more variables than just the amount of calories you consume or burn. More and more people are realizing that each person is different when it comes to losing weight or getting healthier. The way that food affects each person is different, the way that exercise affects each person is different, and this means that the way each person goes about getting healthier has to be different. We can’t have cookie cutter diets or workout routines any longer, because they don’t work. I have preached this lesson before, because I believe that it is so important.

People don’t want to hear that losing weight is hard. They don’t want to have to put in a ton of work, so they are constantly looking for the magic bullet that will give them a quick fix. It is much more comforting to just pick up the newest book outlining the latest diet and believe that your weight problem will just go away in 30 days. I’m sorry to tell you that to get the kind of results that most people want or need, they need to put in much more work. You have to put in the effort to find what works best for you.

I know that sounds depressing. But putting in the work is going to make your journey to be healthier so much more rewarding. It is also going to make it last a lifetime. When people keep switching from diet fad to diet fad, they aren’t really learning how to eat better and fuel their body. They think that because this has worked for others, it should work for them. Relying on others or fitness gadgets totally to get healthier backfires because you are now dependant on something else. Put in the effort to customize your lifestyle to your needs, and suddenly you intuitively know what your body needs to stay healthy. Now you know what works for you and what doesn’t and it is easier to make health decisions. It becomes a habit to choose the good and turn down the bad.

I don’t want to bash fitness bands or certain diets. Those things work for some people and they are great places to start when you decide to get healthier. Just don’t rely too heavily on these things for too long. Take risks, experiment with different techniques, and embrace that you are uniquely you. It is a good thing that we each have our own set of needs, because who wants to be just like every other person? Bottom line: The most important step for better health is to make the decision to change. Once you do that, really commit to finding what works best for you to accomplish that goal. Putting in the work and extra effort will make you that much prouder when you get the results you are looking for.

Quinoa Cornbread Bites

July 18, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I’m not much of a baker. I like to play around with ingredients and I’m not one for using exact measurements when I’m cooking. Baking needs exact measurements or more often than not you end up with inedible hockey pucks. Trust me. I know. I had some leftover quinoa and wanted to do something out of the ordinary with it. I knew it did well in bread like dishes and I just happened to be making sloppy joes for dinner that night. So obviously I had to turn my quinoa into cornbread. Yes, that is a logical progression. At least in my mind. These bites come together quickly and freeze rather nicely, so you can make a bunch and not worry about them going bad. That is if you have any left over!

Quinoa Cornbread Bites

1 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tbsp flax meal (you can buy the seeds in bulk which is cheaper and then grind them in a food processor at home)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2-3 tbsp molasses, depending on how sweet you want it
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 and mix almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients

2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.

3. Add 1/2 cup of the cooked quinoa to the milk and ACV as well as the 2-3 tbsp molasses. If you have an immersion blender, blend this mixture until it is smooth and creamy. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer to a blender or food processor.

4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir everything together. It will foam up a little bit due to the vinegar and baking soda, but it will go back down. Fold in the rest of the quinoa.

5. Spray a little olive oil into a mini muffin tin and spoon about a tbsp of the mixture into each cup. Don’t over fill because the bites will rise as they cook. Bake for 10-12 minutes and then let them cool on a wire rack.

These go really well with sloppy joes or chili. I’m sure they would taste really good with some homemade jam or as my mom told me, “These are just another vehicle to get butter into my mouth.” Now you know where I get my clever wit! Eat up and hope you enjoy!