Moderation is key

Many suffer the same problems when it comes to life and that is doing things in moderation. I can tell you from personal experience from my day today that moderation is key. I like to think that I am much more hardcore than I really am. I pushed myself too hard yesterday after surgery and way WAY too hard today. But believe you me I am suffering from it now. The reason I bring up the topic of moderation is because this also relates to the way we eat.

One of the reason's people tend to fail at diets is because they want junk food and can't have it. I'm not saying that anyone should just eat junk food, but if your weakness is ice cream (like mine) you should not have to completely deprive yourself of these wants. The problem is once you've told yourself that you can't have these things and then you finally do moderation goes right out the window. I have found "skinny cow" mint chocolate sandwiches and they are yum yum good.

I found an article in today's research that talks about moderation. Everyone is guilty of overeating sometimes, but if we overdue our choloric intake then it shoots our bodies into overdrive because our body is trying to undo the damage we have created by the "harmful free radicals produced as we digest food". Why are free radicals bad you may ask? I'll tell you. Free radicals attack cells and can increase the development of serious conditions like heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Obviously the more food we eat the more free radicals we are producing.

There's some good news according to the article written by Brierley Wright. Recent research found that there is a yummy way to bounce back from the damage we do to ourselves after eating a rich meal and lessen free radicals all you have to do is add the following four items to your diet.

1.) Drink Orange Juice- "Flavonoids, the antioxidant-like compounds in OJ, may offset the heart-damaging effects of a calorie- and fat-laden meal, suggests a 2010 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In the study, people who drank orange juice with a high-fat, high-calorie breakfast (51 grams fat, 900 calories) had lower levels of harmful free radicals and other inflammatory markers associated with heart disease after the meal than participants who drank plain water or sugar water and ate the same breakfast," said Wright.

2.) Eat Fruit- Wright says, "If you've indulged in a decadent meal, follow it with fruit. Eating antioxidant-rich fruits—including berries, grapes, kiwi and cherries—helps minimize the harmful free-radical damage that occurs after a meal. Eating caloric meals without antioxidant-rich foods like fruits and vegetables can have harmful effects over time."   

3.) Drizzle Vinegar On Food- "Having a tablespoon of vinegar with your meal, perhaps drizzled on your salad, may temper the spike in blood sugar that occurs after eating a big, carbohydrate-rich meal.

For most of us, a steep rise in blood sugar triggers an equally rapid drop—which stokes appetite. This sugar surge is particularly a problem for people with diabetes, who can't clear glucose effectively (over time, excess glucose in the blood damages tissues)," said Wright.

4.) Drink Wine- I know I've said a million times that alchohol is a big no-no and that's true, but if done in moderation it can still be done. Wright said, " The antioxidants in red wine may reduce the negative impact of high-fat foods by lowering levels of a compound—produced in the body after eating fat—that's linked with heart disease. Cook with red wine or enjoy a glass with dinner."

I hope these fun little facts are beneficial to you and help you see that you don't have to suffer or feel like you are deprived. There are days that I hate not being able to have certain things, but when I think about doing things in moderation it makes the idea much more bearable. I'll do more things in moderation and that will help me through this I'm sure.

I also want to go ahead and let you all know that while I'm in recovery from my surgery my posts will be done at random times because thanks to my pain pills I can't ever remember what I'm supposed to be doing and I get distracted easily. I do promise however to continue to post everyday. More to come tomorrow!