Eat Shrink And Be Merry

Chocoholics rejoice! Recently, one of our readers sent us a little treasure chest of chocolately treats so scrumptious, we’re still salivating just thinking about it. It’s called “Xocai–The Healthy Chocolate.”

Most people have heard that chocolate is not only good for the soul, but scientists have confirmed it’s also good for the heart (and more!) Dark chocolate is rich in flavanoids, the natural antioxidants credited with making red wine heart-healthy. We need lots of antioxidants to prevent disease, slow the aging process and generally, to be well.

But before you run to the grocery store and load up on Oh Henry’s and Milky Ways for “medicinal purposes,” be aware that it’s only the high-quality dark stuff that’s good for you. The more cocoa (the darker the chocolate), the more antioxidants. Sorry to burst your Aero bubble, but commercial chocolate uses a heating process that destroys most of the antioxidants in cocoa. Plus, the cheaper milk chocolate bars usually contain partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats), refined sugars (lots of it!), waxes, fillers, and preservatives. Can you say “cellulite?”

What’s so great about Xocai? Well, according to the manufacturer, they don’t use heat to process the chocolate. Instead they use a cold-pressed method that leaves the chocolate’s high antioxidant properties undamaged. Plus, the ingredient list is simple and clean: unsweetened chocolate, raw cane juice crystals, cocoa, lecithin, acai berry and blueberry powder. No fillers and waxes and trans fats, and only 3 g of sugar per serving. That’s next to nothing!

But it’s that super-high antioxidant content that has me going cookoo over this cocoa. It almost seems too good to be true. They say you’d have to eat three cups of blueberries to get the equivalent antioxidants found in one measly Xocai chocolate nugget! Who’da thunk? Plus, it’s melt-in-your-mouth dee-lish! One square, eaten slowly, is enough to satisfy even the most serious chocoholic, like myself.

Unfortunately, it seems you can’t get Xocai in stores. I believe it’s distributed via network marketing, so you’d have to find someone who sells it. You can go to Xocai.com to find out more.

Last night I was flipping through our second cookbook, Crazy Plates, trying to figure out what the heck to make for dinner for me and my Jack Russell terrier, Lacey Lou. (She’s on a raw food diet, but she loves it when I cook for her, too. Lacey demands variety!) After running the idea by my dog, I finally opted for Tuna Turner (grilled tuna steaks with a tropical fruit marinade), which I remember loving when Greta made it the first time in her “test kitchen,” which really isn’t a test kitchen at all, but her own kitchen). As I spread the book out to begin making the recipe, I noticed a short article in the margin that I had written way back in 1999 when CP was first published. Almost ten years later, it still made me smile. (Are we allowed to like our own work? Actually enjoy it? I’m not sure if that’s somehow against “the rules” or something. If it is, I so apologize for considering myself clever. I’ll never do it again!)

Anyway, thought you might get a chuckle out of it, too. It’s called “Twinkie, Twinkie, Little Star,” and it emphasizes the way that Greta and I feel about diets in general. (Our philosophy is “Dieting is only wishful shrinking!”)

Here’s the blurb:

After dieting for a while, you can get a little obsessed with the idea of eating. Every try singing to take your mind off food? Go ahead. Try it. Gumdrops keep fallin’ on my head…Ain’t nothin’ but a hot dog…the farmer in the deli… It just doesn’t work. And dieting doesn’t work, either–in fact, diets stink! They’re unrealistic and temporary, putting us in a voluntary state of famine. Funny that we’d starve ourselves to death, hoping we’ll live longer. And how about those diet programs with the boot-camp mentality? You know, they say you have to eat their food, they tell you what time of day to eat it, and that you have to eat all of it. This isn’t a diet, it’s living with your parents! No wonder 95% of diets fail. It’s time to forget about dieting and get on with living! Changing your eating habits doesn’t always mean eating less, it means eating better. Now that’s something to sing about.

We’re having another argument, only this time I know I’m right (for previous argument on the proper way to eat a banana, visit archived blog “Please help us settle and argument/bet”).

I can’t stand pump hairspray. I’m an aerosol girl! Yes, I’m concious of the environment and all that mumbo jumbo, but most aerosols no longer have those nasty PCBs or NBCs or XYZs or whatever they were called. Pumps are meant for shoes, not for hair. Whenever I borrow Janet’s pump hairspray, I end up with half of it on my body, all over my neck and arms, because the drops of hairspray are so big and heavy, which means I actually have to WASH MY ARMS if I’m wearing a tank top or take my silk shirt to the dry cleaner because it’s splattered in goopy-sticky hairspray gunk.

On the other hand, my wonderful aerosol can deliver an even, gentle, fine mist of tacky hair adhesive exactly where I want it: on my hair, not on my body!! Janet says aerosol hairspray’s “so stupid…it doesn’t even hold anything, so what’s the point?” Um. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be using it if it didn’t “hold anything.” I’m the queen of hairspray, after all, and, like my American Express card, never leave home without it (on my head).

A little aside here: I’ve always thought that if I was chosen as a contestant on Survivor, my one “luxury” item that I would bring along would be a can of hairspray. And why not?? I figure it’s a smart choice because it could serve several purposes: 1) hold my hair; 2) help start a fire; 3) could be sprayed in the eyes of other contestants who annoy me and 4) if I brought along the ultra stinky 1970’s “Final Net” hairspray, could act as bug repellent.

Anyway, please comment and tell me that I’m right and Janet’s wrong, and that aerosol is the only way to go, and that pump hairspray sucks.

Howdy! Just wanted to let you know about a really great website we came across recently. It’s called “Diets in Review” (www.dietsinreview.com) and it gives you the detailed scoop on just about every diet under the sun.

I love how comprehensive the reviews are, and how they quickly get to the gist of the diet so you can make an informed decision about whether or not this particular diet is right for you. Weight Watchers, Body for Life, The Cabbage Soup Diet, The Fat Flush Plan, Eat Right for Your Type, Master Cleanse, The Biggest Loser Club, Oprah’s 21 Day Cleanse–you name a diet, they dissect it and rate it. From the well-publicized to the much scrutinized, and everything in between, if you’ve been dying to know more about dieting, this site will be very, very helpful.

And the list of diets is extensive! Gosh, who knew there was an official “Dorm Room Diet” or a “McDonald’s Diet?” I was also intrigued by the names “Camp Carbaway” and “The Hallelujah Diet.” Pretty sure I won’t be signing up for “The Tapeworm Diet” anytime soon.

This month, we’re fortunate enough to be guest bloggers on their site! We’ll be posting some of our new video blogs each week. You can check them out at http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/08/guest-blog-creativity-ensues-with-these-original-mini-diets/

I’m so lucky! The nice folks at Cuisinart were kind enough to send me some of their latest and greatest countertop appliances to “play with” in my kitchen and I have to say I’m totally impressed! You should see my new toaster, the Countdown Metal 4-slice Toaster. Not only does it look great on my countertop, but it toasts bread, bagels, waffles (whatever!) perfectly and has all sorts of settings, depending on how toasted you like your toast. The “cool” part is that is has a digital timer display that counts backward to let you know how many seconds it’ll take before your toast pops. The slots are wide and they’ll hold just about anything you want to toast. By the way, did you know a CD case fits perfectly in a toaster slot? I don’t recommend trying this stunt at home, but this toaster got me so excited about toast and toasting things, that I start grabbing all kinds of mostly edible stuff in my kitchen to see what would fit in the slots.

Anyway, here’s a picture of it:
http://www.cuisinart.ca/en/product.php?state=toasters&page=products&item_id=280&product_id=227&cat_id=15

If you’re in the market for a new toaster or need a snazzy gift for a bridal shower, I highly recommend it. And thanks a million to my new friend Michelle at Cuisinart for so kindly sending me a whole load of great products. It was like Christmas in July at my house as I opened box after box after box of Cuisinart stuff. Can’t wait to try the espresso machine!! I love coffee!! (It’s good for you, right?)

Someone sent me this fascinating food info recently. Just thought I’d share it with you because it’s pretty interesting stuff. Sure makes you wonder if God left clues!

A sliced carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye. Lo and behold, science has proven that eating carrots greatly enhances blood flow to the eyes and improves functioning of the eyes.

A walnut looks like a little brain, with a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut look just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts are “brain food,” helping develop over three dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

A tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. Interesting how research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food!

Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually help balance blood sugar (as does the pancreas), making it a very helpful food for diabetics.

Onions look like human body cells. Today’s research shows that onions help clear waste materials and toxins from all of the body’s cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

Olives improve the health and function of the ovaries.

Kidney beans actually help maintain and improve kidney function, and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys!

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell. All of the latest research shows that grapes are a potent heart- and blood-revitalizing food.

Grapefruits, oranges , and other citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Figs are full of seeds and hang in two’s when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and also increase the numbers of sperm, helping to overcome male sterility.

Celery, bok choy, and rhubarb look very similar to bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don’t have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, avocadoes and pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female – and they look just like these organs. Today’s research shows that when a woman eats one avocado per week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes approximately 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Think milk is the only food that gives your bones a boost? Well moooove on over, Betsy!

Though onions may bring a tear to your eye, it seems they might also bring you stronger, healthier bones! The super-brainy folks over at the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry have apparently identified—hot off the test tube—a compound in onions that inhibits the activity of osteoclasts. That’s scientific mumbo jumbo meaning “cells that break down bone.” (I’ll spare you the ridiculously unpronounceable lab name of the newly identified compound for now. Write to me if you’re in an upcoming spelling bee and need the new word in your repertoire.) Anyway, when animals in the study were given more of this onion compound, the more bone breakdown was inhibited. For crying out loud!

This is great news for women who are at risk for osteoporosis as they go through menopause. Fosamax, the drug typically prescribed to prevent excessive bone loss, works in a similar manner (by destroying osteoclasts so they don’t break down bone.) Potential negative side effects of Fosamax include irritation of the upper gastrointestinal mucosa, acid regurgitation, esophageal ulcers and erosions. Potential negative side effects of eating onions: onion breath!

By the way, bone-building isn’t the only reason onions have appeel. Their sulphur compounds are potent liver detoxifiers, and they contain loads of age-defying antioxidants, too! But did you know that the more an onion makes you cry, the better it is for you? It’s true! The more pungent and potent an onion, the stronger its antioxidants that’ll help prevent disease and keep you looking younger. Plenty of reasons to cry for joy!

Holy Schmokes! We really can’t believe the effort that people go to when they write us, and how long and heartfelt their letters are. Recently, we got a letter that has to be ranked up there as one of the best ever. I was all choked up when I read it. The letter made me realize that my sister and I had better keep on doing what we’re doing, because it seems to be positively impacting people’s lives.

Thought I’d share it with you, just in case you’re looking for inspiration and motivation…

Hey Girls,

I don’t normally do this, but you probably don’t normally hear from anyone like myself. I’m a 44-year-old police officer. I have made a career out of making all the wrong food choices, along with creating a constant flow of traffic through many of the local drive thru windows located in my jurisdiction. And sometimes other jurisdictions as well. It was not uncommon for my colleagues to see me roll in for lunch with a twelve pack of tacos from you know who. I had one of the highest metabolism rates when I was younger, and I never seemed to gain weight. This did change. It became apparent when I reached the age of forty. I was now gaining a very noticeable amount of weight and then I quit smoking. I eventually ballooned up to 256 lbs. This weigh-in also occurred at my Doctor’s office. When I started Police College, I weighed 174 lbs.

I had recently been diagnosed with a severe sleep disorder and was now using a C.P.A.P. machine to sleep at night. This was mainly resulting from also being diagnosed with very high blood pressure. My Doctor was now telling me that my cholesterol level was a major concern. My bad cholesterol was much too high, while my good cholesterol was much too low. He insisted that I either leave his office with a prescription, or I could lose at least 25 lbs and start eating healthier. I insisted that I would try, and was given a referral to a dietitian at the nearby hospital. The class was not set for almost two months down the road.

This is where you girls entered the picture. I received your cookbook, Eat, Shrink and Be Merry, and began looking through many of the recipes. I can actually cook, which might be why I was able to get so fat. The recipes looked very enticing. More important were the margins, which contain all of the additional information and tips. I was immediately interested and proceeded to read the entire book from cover to cover. Honest. The pictures by Ted didn’t hurt either. Well done.

By the time I went to the healthy eating class with my better half, I had already lost over twenty pounds! I was constantly trying new recipes and certainly making note of how many favorites I had tried. I also realized that I enjoyed cooking these recipes for a number of different reasons.

Firstly, was the taste. There are so many low-fat recipes that taste absolutely fantastic. Whatever the recipe calls for is what I put into it. My shelves are full of unique cooking items and spices that I didn’t even know existed. It wasn’t hard to put the salt shaker away. I have not been disappointed with any of your ideas and recipes. I even enjoy going to the grocery store now.

Secondly, was the preparation time. I find the recipes very easy to follow and complete from start to finish. It doesn’t take long to make up enough food to easy maintain lunches and suppers for the upcoming week. This is very important for me, because of my always changing situations at work. It is not an easy life style for healthy eating. I’ve sometimes had to change gears regarding my food, because I’ve simply been at work for sometimes nearly 30 hours before finishing my shift. If a flat-footed Irishman can easily figure out how to make these great meals, so can anybody else.

Thirdly, was the change in mentality. By reading all of the information in your books, which obviously resulted from a tireless effort, I now make choices and think more about my health than ever before. As I just mentioned, the long shifts are now still filled with good food choices even with an extended shift or other new obstacles. I constantly read labels on all packages and then I hopefully make a good food choice. I am also making sound decisions when making my own creations in the kitchen now. I recently made a Mexican-style Shepherd’s Pie, with the mashed cauliflower recipe to put on top. It turned out well, but it still needs improvement. But I now know how to make it better. And it certainly is healthy.

I still went to my scheduled class and I’m glad that I did. There were many foods that I was avoiding and I should have definitely been adding them to my diet. Portions, choices, etc. It was all very good information.

I’m still working away at improvements. I’m exercising more than ever before, because I have the energy and encouragement to continue. I went back to my Doctor. I had lost a total of 30 pounds, but had gained a few pounds back due to my back problems. I was finding it very difficult to maintain my weight with little or no exercise. Even with this being the case, he was shocked with the results of my lab work. My cholesterol was excellent. My blood pressure has never been better, and I have never felt this great in my entire life.

I have already thanked my Doctors, and I have already thanked the health care people for my sleep machine (absolute life changer), so now I am thanking both of you. I appreciate all of the hard work and effort. Your determination to launch your books has benefited not only yourselves, but thousands of others including myself. I have already purchased Looneyspoons and I am enjoying it every bit as much. I have never read such tasty and inspiring books.

Congratulations. I know that you must be getting a great deal of positive feed back, but probably not receiving much from any 23 year police veterans. I see a much brighter future for myself and my future wife, and my three beautiful children.

I would be neglectful if I didn’t tell you my favorite dish thus far. It was the Rome on the Range recipe on page 63 of Eat, Shrink and Be Merry. It was worth the effort and the life span of the soup was very short. I didn’t even know that I could make soup before. I also appreciate the Lord of Wings recipe on page 30. Chicken wings have always been a serious Kryptonite to me. I become weak every time I’m near a large plate of wings. I can now enjoy them more often without the guilt. Thanks again for everything.

It’s always great to see some caring Canadian girls rise to the top. Good luck with the future. Take care.

Detective Constable Jim Brady

Hi y’all! (We’re still talkin’ like Paula Deen–it’s our new thing, darlin’s!)

If you’ve bookmarked our blog as one of your “favourites” (so that you go directly to our blog page, bypassing our homepage), you probably don’t realize that we’ve revamped our entire website with a fresh, new look and additional content. If you like our written blogs, you’re gonna love our new video blogs, which you can check out on our homepage. Greta and I have taped dozens of “video vignettes” with scrumptious recipes, cooking tips galore and interesting nutritional advice, (all wrapped in our trademark corny humour, of course!) We’ll be rotating through them as the weeks roll by, and taping plenty of new ones, too.

So far, we’re getting great feedback about them. Well, our Mom sure loved them…but it’s her job to love everything we do, and besides, we pay her to say only nice things about us!

So check it out. And if you have a topic that you’d like us to cover in a future blog, let us know, okay?

This message is long, long overdue.

My sister, Greta, and I just wanted to acknowledge the huge role that Weight Watcher’s members across the country have played in the success of our three books. Starting way back in 1996 with our first-born book-child, “Looneyspoons,” the WW crowd took “our baby” in, wrapped it in swaddling clothes and pretty much adopted it as their own. They’ve been enthusiastically supporting our books for 12 years now, holding them up at meetings, playing “show-and-tell,” and exchanging recipes, ideas and tips. And now, with “Eat, Shrink and Be Merry,” not a day goes by where someone hasn’t chatted up “ESBM” (WW lingo for our book!) on their website’s message boards. How lucky are we?

Fortunately, our books fit really well with their points system. Plus, our views on healthy eating, dieting, and exercise are in tune with what WW preaches—common sense, moderation, and making small, gradual lifestyle changes rather than going on radical, temporary, unrealistic fad diets. We’re happy to have this unofficial association with Weight Watchers. It’s one of the few weight loss programs that we wholeheartedly recommend to people who ask us for advice. How can you argue with their volumes of success stories? We’ve met tons of people who’ve watched their weigh drop, and better yet, watched it stay there. (Gosh, you’d think this was some kind of Weight Watcher’s infomercial or something. It’s not—I promise!) It’s just that we’re very grateful for their support and their indirect role in propelling each of our books to #1 on the bestseller list. So thanks a bunch, WW. We owe you one big commission cheque, I think! (No worries—we’ll deduct it from Greta’s pay cheque starting right now.)