food

Healthy holidays

/ mxospina / Leave a comment

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Traveling is something that many of us love to do, especially if it is a holiday. If someone asked me to choose between traveling to a new place and the latest Channel handbag, I would definitely go for the trip. The thought of breathing a different air and exploring other cultures is the most exciting thing for me. Even going back to my home country, which I am lucky enough to visit a few times a year it’s always a great feeling. And of course, with the change of scenery comes a change in food. In my case, I get excited when I know I am going to find different food and flavors. Everywhere I have been, I make an effort to try something local and go to the market and see what people shop and indulge. In most cases, I find something that resonates with me: cactus salad (or nopal as it’s called in Mexico), Lebanese vegetable moussaka, Peruvian ceviche, Ajiaco.

But what happens when you know the food options are not going to be that appealing? Or maybe they are appealing just not too healthy. What do you do? You want to keep a balance: enjoy the trip, enjoy the food, avoid getting sick by eating too much of something you are not used to, keep hydrated (not with beer, this doesn’t count), stay active and at the same time be adventurous and try new foods ( wow…it already sounds like a lot of work and you are supposed to be doing this for fun!)

So what do we do? We don’t want to be the picky eater that no one wants to hang out with but at the same time you also want to keep balance and feel good while you are on a holiday.

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I used to do a lot traveling when I had a corporate job and for me, it was always a struggle to keep balance, holidays were no different. However, there are certain tips that I apply when I travel and they make my life easier when I am away from home. I want to share them with you because at some point you can find yourself in a situation where you feel so out of balance that it can potentially spoil your holiday.

  • Food-kit

If you know there are some items that will be very hard to find where you go, always bring some with you. I normally carry green tea bags, a small bag of flax seeds (to keep my bowels moving) and dark chocolate. I am not a coffee drinker so green tea is a must. You can take it in a small zip log bag and that’s it. Be practical; take just enough for the days you will be traveling.

  • Baking soda

This is a very inexpensive product that is great for many things but the way I use it when traveling is to ease stomach pain when you have indigestion, bloating or gas. It also helps to soothe bug bites. Create a paste with a little bit of water and apply it on the bug bites, it will help to reduce itching.

  • Drink plenty of purified water (no tap water)

It sounds pretty obvious but many people don’t drink enough water as it is. When we are on a holiday we tend to drink more alcoholic drinks and food is quite different, which creates an imbalance in your diet. Lack of water can cause indigestion and dehydration so drinking water will help to recover from a hung over and keep your bowels moving to flush out anything that is not supposed to be inside your body.

  • Keep active

Staying by the pool or the beach and drink cocktails all afternoon is super fun, but make an effort to have a couple of days where there is some physical activity involved. Eating and drinking are fun, especially if you are with friends and family but find activities (or let your husband or friends do it for you) where you will be moving: walking, sight seeing, biking, dancing, anything that gets you moving. If you are an active person like I am, your body actually tells you that you need some activity. I personally take a skipping rope and check some online workouts and make sure I work out at least 30 mins a day (if I know I won’t be doing much physical activity). It helps me to sleep better and to digest food better.

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  • Pool healthy snacks

Snacks come in many forms but why not making popcorn and flavor it with lime and chili powder? (Check these recipes http://www.jollytime.com/popcorn-recipes/healthy

It’s a healthier option than eating chips. Also, you can chop some seasonal fruit and place it in the fridge. You know it will be available anytime you or your family feel like a little something sweet.

  • Indulgence management

If you are like me, who loves sweet stuff, my best way to keep it under control is not to buy anything that is loaded with sugar. Instead, I buy fruit that is sweet and I manage my cravings that way (cherries, mangoes) or I get my dark chocolate bar from my bag and that’s it. Another method that may work (this one is a bit tricky) is to share it with someone who is also mindful of his or her weight and health. When you split a cake 2 or 3 ways it’s less sugar and fat you are eating in one hit. (The downside is that you will need a partner in crime for this last one, I have a couple around)

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  • Be both moderate and bold

If you are trying new food, just be aware that it’s new and your body will inevitably react to it. This is when you want to be moderate and eat small portions, wait until next day to see how you feel. What’s the point in overdoing it and later feel sick? On the other hand, be bold to discover different cooking methods and flavors, there is always something new you can learn from other cultures or your own friends and family that you can apply in your own kitchen. (Obviously, I am referring to healthy habits, not bad ones)

Overall, I would say the best way to keep balance while traveling is to be open to new flavors and ways of eating, but also be mindful about the options that are presented to you and don’t feel guilty if you didn’t stick to your healthy diet every day. If you decide to have that piece of cake, enjoy it with pleasure, focus all your attention on that moment, chew it slowly, savor every bite and make it worth. You know it is a treat and so be grateful for that moment, no guilt whatsoever. Next day you can focus on choosing healthier options.

If you have any tips you want to share with me, don’t be shy and leave a comment. I would LOVE to hear from you.

 

Besos a todos!

Healthy lifestyle habits

/ mxospina / 3 Comments

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The other day I was listening to a woman in the elevator talking to someone on the phone and she was saying to her friend something like “well, you know how it is, marriage is like a roller coaster, it has ups and downs…” and that got me thinking I should write about what I call spiritual nutrition and how this connects with nutrition in general.

For the record, I don’t consider myself enlightened, but being the curious, emotional woman that I am, I reflect frequently about how to improve my relationships with the people around me in the world we live in.

Something that has really helped me in the self-reflecting process is the meditation practice. I was lucky to complete a 10 day meditation retreat (Vipassana Meditation) in 2004 in Sydney, Australia and it was the beginning of a calmer and happier me. Since then, I make an effort to meditate during the weekdays (unless I am sick or something extraordinary happens) for 15 minutes or more if I have the time. How does it help me? It helps me to reduce anxiety, be focused, calmer, to let go and enjoy the here and now. I should probably add here that to make the meditation practice a successful effort, its important to complement it with the teachings of the Buddha and practice meditation with a group (in Buddhism it’s called Sangha), so I also dedicate time to read, join the Sangha (not as often as I want to) and attend live sessions with spiritual leaders to improve my understanding in this topic. Being born in a catholic family shaped my values and beliefs but I always felt it lack something. I am not going to go into the details of the aspects about Catholicism that I don’t believe in or I don’t relate to, but I can say the more I read and study Buddhism, the more I connect to it. For the purpose of this blog (Because I could easily write a lot about my appreciation for Buddhism) what really speaks to me is the understanding that we have the power to be happy within ourselves. The fact that we have the power to be active and not reactive in our relationships with others and the world in general.

Think of this: When you get angry, have you ever had that feeling inside your gut when you are just about to yell or scream at someone? It’s almost like a click that turns on inside you making you feel hot as if smoke will come out of your ears in a second. This is the time when you have two choices (even though things happen really fast in your brain and you don’t really see the two choices immediately):

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Choice No. 1. React with aggression, say everything that comes to your head without thinking of the consequences, quickly looking for words to offend your opponent and defend yourself.

Choice No. 2. Breath in, breath out, acknowledge the heat inside your body and don’t engage in aggressive behaviour. See the other person with compassion and decide its better to cool off before saying anything else you will regret later.

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Personally, when I get upset, I feel the heat inside my head and I know in the next second I have to make a choice: should I put on my boxing gloves? Or should I just let it go and find another time to choose my words better? It’s not always easy but I have a choice. This is exactly what I mean by becoming active and not reactive. So the question is how do we train our mind to see things with this light? Meditation practice.

You don’t need to change religions to learn how to meditate. But it is crucial to act with intention. How can we expect others to act with wisdom and compassion if we don’t practice it ourselves?

So going back to the roller coaster comment, I could not agree more. Marriage is like a roller coaster, it has ups and downs but we have the choice to make the ups more enjoyable and memorable and the downs less intense and destructive.

Being a healthier person is not just about the physical food you eat, our emotional health is very important, meditation is one way to detox your mind and create the space to be calmer and content. There are different meditation schools and practices; I can suggest these ones: The Diamond Way Buddhism , Bodhy Path , and Vipassana Meditation. But be active and look for other options, you don’t need to start this path alone, there are more people than you think interested in practicing meditation.

Having clarified this point, I want to share with you healthy food options that would help you to focus when you start your meditation practice:

  • Have a herbal tea like ginger and lemon, mint or chamomile before you sit down in your quite area to meditate. Having a full stomach will make it very hard to focus
  • Plant based diet is the ideal option because its lighter and it will not take that long to digest. (Grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds) If your body is too busy breaking down the food, your attention will be diluted
  • Avoid drinks which are high in sugar and caffeine, they will get you agitated

Now that you have this information, I hope you share with me how’s your meditation practice and what type of healthy foods are you including in your diet. Don’t be shy and share it here.

Hasta pronto!