General

You should know by now that I’m not your typical personal trainer who believes that “food is just fuel”. I’ve heard people say that for years and I even said the same thing myself about twenty years ago. Over time I’ve learned, grown and educated myself. And much of it goes back to the basics of food. Take sunflower seeds, for example. Like most seeds, they are a power-packed, nutrient-dense food. Sunflower seeds are a good source of protein, high in dietary fiber, rich in antioxidants like vitamin E, high in magnesium, selenium and copper, and are an excellent source of poly and mono-unsaturated fats. The list of all it’s benefits can go on and on.

For me, I have been trying to replace chips and crackers with nuts and seeds. Why?

1. Chips and crackers just go down too easily. Just a few crunches and I’m reaching for another handful. Sunflower seeds require more chewing. That’s important for two reasons. 1. Digestion starts in your mouth. 2. Chewing and grinding your food takes longer and gives you a greater sense of satisfaction. I call it the “chew factor”.

2. Chips and crackers are mostly carbohydrates and fat. They are low in protein and have few vitamins, if any. It’s the carbohydrates that I have the issue with. Remember my saying, “Carbs beget carbs”? With chips and crackers, you’re rarely satisfied. As a matter of fact, they make you just want to eat more. That’s not good if you’re trying to eat healthier and lose weight.

3. Chips and crackers stick to and in between your teeth. Just ask your dentist what they think about chips and crackers, and you’ll see them frown. Dentists call them “sticky foods”.

Before I go on, let me qualify this by saying, I haven’t totally replaced crackers and chips with nuts and seeds. As a matter of fact, I ate tortilla chips with a corn and avocado salsa that a friend brought over yesterday and it was awesome. What I am saying is that we need to be more aware of what we’re eating and try to make healthier choices most of the time. It doesn’t mean that you can’t have a treat or fun food every now and then. Some people try to do that, and it never works. Okay, let’s move on.

4. Chips and crackers have little to no dietary fiber. Of course, that depends on which ones you choose. The fiber in sunflower seeds helps with digestion and gives you the sense of being full. With a bag of chips, it’s like our goal is to see the bottom of the bag.

5. Last, but not least, I like to garnish mixed green salads with sunflower seeds, sprinkle them on my breakfast cereal and add them to tuna salad. They add a unique flavor, and I believe that’s one of the biggest things missing in most people’s diets. People are constantly searching for flavor and satisfaction. Sunflower seeds are a delicious and healthy choice to add to your diet.

Perhaps you were expecting a healthy recipe, fitness tip or exercise of the day? In today’s blog we’re talkin’ chickens. Cluck, cluck.

In the fall of 2012 my wife and I built a chicken coop. Heather had experience raising chickens and goats when she was growing up in Michigan. I, on the other hand, grew up in Los Angeles where the closest I got to a chicken was at the grocery store. Actually, my pre-school had a few farm animals.

Our interest in chickens was primarily for eggs but also to teach our kids where food comes from and how to take care of animals. I still get excited when I look into a nesting box and see an egg. That spring we purchased a few egg laying chickens from a friend of a friend. Once the chickens settled into their new home (coop and fenced enclosure), we experienced more benefits. First, chicken poop makes great compost. Just mix 1/2 chicken poop and 1/2 hay. Second, we found it relaxing to watch the chickens scratch the ground, look for worms or take a dust bath. When Heather was in graduate school, she had a large fresh water fish tank in her apartment. As a stress-reliever she would often sit and watch the fish. Ahh, that’s the reason why dental offices and health clinics have fish tanks in their waiting rooms. Third, our chickens have a fondness for celery ends, carrot shavings and old fruit. While most of our kitchen waste goes into our Mantis Composter, “the ladies” still like their treats.

Having chickens has been a great experience. That’s why we picked up nine more chickens last month. The more the merrier, right? We bought them from a woman in Cambridge who breeds show chickens. The ones we purchased had slight flaws but were still colorful and would be good layers. We selected two Americaunas (they lay blue eggs), three speckled Hamburgs, three light brown Leghorns and one Campine.

Before introducing them into the existing flock, we built an adjacent enclosure. We read about the importance of quarantining the new pullets to avoid possible spread of disease and to reduce stress to “the ladies”. Stress can disrupt egg-laying. So now the ladies and the girls can interact and look at each other with no contact. Just a few more weeks until the new chickens start laying.

“I say, it’s so hot, the hens are pickin’ up worms with potholders.”
— Foghorn Leghorn

What’s in the two cardboard boxes?

Chickens!

Two of the ladies check out the young girls.