high fructose corn syrup

alright so if you know me and have spent much time around me, you know my rant about high fructose corn syrup. somewhat a joke among my peers, i believe this stuff is terrible. and while i love to laugh at a good snl skit like this one:

i think there is a valid point to be made there. sure, a lot of folks would like us to believe that HFCS has no harm, and is just like sugar, but the fact is, i dont think thats the case. there has been a lot of research done on this topic, and while i don't claim to be an expert, i will summarize and regurgitate some of the into i have found.

just like the snl skit shows, high fructose corn syrup has replaced sugar in a lot of kid-friendly products, and is thought to have a correlation to the excessive levels of childhood obesity we find in our country today. researchers at Princeton have found that rats gain more weight on HCFS than regular sugar when caloric intake is the same (here) "In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides." (same source) yikes. additionally, "The second experiment -- the first long-term study of the effects of high-fructose corn syrup consumption on obesity in lab animals -- monitored weight gain, body fat and triglyceride levels in rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup over a period of six months. Compared to animals eating only rat chow, rats on a diet rich in high-fructose corn syrup showed characteristic signs of a dangerous condition known in humans as the metabolic syndrome, including abnormal weight gain, significant increases in circulating triglycerides and augmented fat deposition, especially visceral fat around the belly. Male rats in particular ballooned in size: Animals with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained 48 percent more weight than those eating a normal diet." (same source)

and while the corn farmers would like you to believe that HFCS is just "corn sugar" (here), research shows that their proposition is a bit misleading.

there have been other concerning findings with HCFS, including mercury traces in over half the samples, as well as an abundance of reactive carbonyls, which are found in diabetics blood. also, research has shown that high consumption levels of fructose can also lead to diabetes. (all found here)

HCFS is anything but natural, and in fact, is highly processed. "High-fructose corn syrup starts out as cornstarch, which is chemically or enzymatically degraded to glucose and some short polymers of glucose. Another enzyme is then used to convert varying" (here)

and while it might be ok in small amounts, as the corn sugar supporters suggest, the truth is, its near impossible because its everywhere these day!  "The commercials claim that just like sugar, high-fructose corn syrup isn't unhealthy when consumed" in moderation. But it's hard to know exactly how much of it we're actually consuming because it shows up in so many unexpected foods. "It was in my children's vitamins!" said Elise Mackin. Because high-fructose corn syrup extends the shelf life of foods, and farm subsidies make it cheaper than sugar, it's added to a staggering range of items, including fruity yogurts, cereals, crackers, ketchup and bread — and in most foods marketed to children. So, unless you're making a concerted effort to avoid it, it's pretty difficult to consume high-fructose corn syrup in moderation."(here)

im sure at the end of the day, anything is fine in small amounts. but i think it is very much important for us to know what we are putting in our body, and to strive to keep it as natural as possible (part of the reason i stopped drinking diet cokes & other soft drinks). since around my junior year of college, i have strived to not consume high fructose corn syrup. its a sneaky little booger because it is in everything- even healthy products marketed as "natural." i am very used to flipping over the container and seeing the first or second ingredient on something being HCFS, and then sighing and putting it away. it seems like only time will tell the truth about this. heres one more good article for you to read. what are you thoughts? i'd love to hear them!

no more diet coke!

so if you know me, you know i have quite the affection for diet coke. i'm quite a fan. especially when its on ice, in a glass, with a fresh squeezed lime. i'm also quite a fan of coke light, Europe's version. i promise its different- and much better!

problem is, thats not all the caffeine i take in in a day. i have a diet coke after having at least two cups of coffee, and i generally go on to have another diet coke. not so great for the kidneys. or the head. or really any part of me.

i've been working really hard the last few years to live a healthy lifestyle. i run fairly often, have almost entirely cut out high fructose corn syrup (i'll rant about that another day!), and try to eat as naturally as possible. i have upped my intake of fruits and veggies and try to eat a limited amount of processed junk. i drink lots of water and even have tried to not drink as much out of plastic bottles.

i truly believe that my body is a temple, and i am just as much a steward of it as i am any other resource that God has given me. how can i love God and not take care of what he has given me, namely, my body?

when i eat right and pursue healthiness, i feel stronger, happier, more satisfied, and find that my walk with God is often closer and more consistent.

now i am not saying that diet cokes have hindered my walk with God or that they are sinful or bad. oh no. i believe i will always love an ice cold diet coke. and i will choose to enjoy them. but i know that i must take care of what God has given me. as i read about the possible side effects of regular consumption of artificial sweeteners, i am kind of grossed out. its pretty bad.  read here and here and here and here. 

so, for the next while, i am going off diet coke. cold turkey. starting yesterday, no more. now i'm still having my morning coffee- and am trying to replace my afternoon diet coke with an iced coffee. up next will be weening myself off so much caffeine. but for now, no more diet coke. i'll keep you posted on how that goes!

ps, have you checked out the gratitude blog?

my planner

so i keep a well detailed planner. i did all through college, and even though i'm not nearly as busy now, i still do. its funny, i'm not always the neatest person, like say when it comes to laundry, and i'm a mess in the kitchen, but there are some things i keep completely organized- like my email inbox. and my planner. in college, it was actually color coded by category. i only use certain pens in my planner- generally, when i get a new planner, i get a new pen and that is all i use. i'll put a sticky note in my planner before i write in it in the "wrong" pen. i use 1-2 clean mark through lines when i have done something, and scribble out in zigzags things that get canceled. i find that by the end of the year, my planner becomes a sort of journal- mostly because, i write everything down. if its not in my planner, chances are, its not going to happen. some weeks have more written down than others. often, i stick in grocery lists, menus, etc. sometimes, when i'm feeling overwhelmed because i have a lot to do, i flip back through all the weeks before to see all the things i have accomplished, all the things that are marked out. i really like that.

when looking for a planner, i am pretty picky. i like plenty of space for each day to write things out. i dont like times listed. i like for the planner to have a full month or year view to write in quick notes like vacations. it has to feel good to- this one, the pages are crisp and yet it bends easily. i like to identify where i am in the planner somehow- in my last planner, i used a paper clip. this one, the bottom right corner tears off so all the ones are torn up to where i am. i also appreciate notes pages- in this one, i have a list of all the magazines we are currently subscribed to. typically, i go for an academic calendar over a true 12 month calendar-  i haven't been able to make the switch since being in college, and i find that academic planners seem to suit my fancy. also, they tend to come in pink :)

here's some pictures for you to get a visual of what i mean...



the planner, with this year's pen...a uni 0.7 blue ink jetstream. it writes very nicely.

this week in my calendar- it's a pretty light week so far



here's the overview calendar at the beginning- highlighted days have to do with my PTO at work





a good busy week a while back- see all i accomplished!

recently, i added a small notepad to my planner to keep up with different lists that i always want to be able to get to- like restaurants we want to check out, ideas for our basement, and a dream list for our future home. this has been a good way for me to keep a log so that i don't forget. now, i don't have a smart phone yet so its hard to truly say, but i think i will always prefer paper & ink over technology. theres just something about the satisfaction of crossing through things when they have been accomplished, and of make a neat & tidy check list in my own handwriting. here's a few samples from the notepad (labeled "ideas")

this was some planning we did for our lifegroup (sunday school class)



so there you have it friends, a peek inside my planner life.

pound cake & a meal for a friend

every southern girl knows that there are just some things that you must do, such as:

• waiting to wear white until after easter, and not wearing it after labor day (same with open toe shoes)
• how to set the table
• how to make sweet tea
• of course you must have at least one casserole or salad recipe that you are a master of
• have your bridesmaids' dresses shoes match the punch at your wedding (mine technically did, since we served coffee in lieu of punch)

and of course, along with that casserole recipe, every southern girl knows that you must take meal when a dear friend (or anyone at the church) has a baby. i blogged a link the other day that someone i dont know posted about taking meals to new moms, and while it was pure coincidence, i used some of that advice today when i took a meal from nathan and i to a couple who had a baby about two weeks ago. kristen & craig welcomed little lincoln in the world (they were also the ones that ash & i made cake pops for) and we were more than excited to celebrate with them. so i spent last night cooking up a storm. in addition to the main topic of the blog for today (pound cake!), i made blueberry muffins, homemade salsa, mimi's rice, broccoli slaw, and packed some sweet potatoes to bake as well as i marinated some chicken to bake/grill, and of course some of our favorite mission brand chips for the salsa. an odd assortment, but i knew they liked the broccoli slaw & salsa, so thats why those got added in. it was of course a much appreciated addition to the fridge, and it was good to check in on kristen & even get to hold little lincoln for a bit. i've never seen a new born look more like their parent than lincoln does of craig! baby & mom are both doing great.

so on to the goods- the pound cake! now, this is truly my moms speciality. there are two smells i strongly associate to growing up- the smell of pot roast (still gets me!) and the smell of freshly baking pound cake. where some of my friends moms baked bread, mine baked pound cake. and i love it. so does pretty much anyone else that eats it. its good fresh out of the oven with strawberries & whipped cream, the next morning for breakfast with coffee, and as a snack any time of day. is it healthy? definitely not. but its good for the soul, i'm convinced!!

i love this recipe because its consistent- just like a box cake mix, you always know what you are going to get. it dense, moist, not too sweet but just a touch, and its got a perfectly crunchy crust. it always rises, always has great color, and always tastes fresh. is your mouth watering yet? it should be!

i'll share the recipe with you, but you have to promise to never bring it to a function that i'm at (or that my moms at) because most likely, we'll be bringing it! i keep it in my awesome recipe book that mom got me when i was a little girl- its one of my favorite things in my kitchen, and i love how vintage it looks

so to get started, here's what you need:

• a kitchenaid mixer (this is actually quite essential to getting the right consistency)

• a few ingredients:
• 2 sticks softened unsalted butter
• 1 stick crisco (NOT butter flavored)
• 3 cups white sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk (i always use whole milk
• a bundt pan with lots of pam

• an oven (preferably one that maintains temperature a little better than ours!)

so to start, you're going to make sure you butter is soft (but not melted!) and you want to whip it with the crisco

you want it to end up looking like this

next, add in the sugar and beat until fluffy

once fluffy, add in one egg at a time, beating well in between. i use some cage free eggs from a local farmer- they make everything i bake even better! once all the eggs are added, add in the vanilla, and then alternate adding in the flour and milk. once all ingredients are added beat for 2-5 minutes. be sure to scrap the bowl real good! your goodness should end up looking like this:

and yes, it already tastes fantastic!!

get that goodness into your bundt pan, and get it into a cold oven (not sure why, just do it!)

bake at 325 for around an hour and 25 minutes- start watching after an hour, and don't go by the color on top. you'll have to stick a fork or knife in one of the cracks to test for doneness inside. when a knife comes out clean, its time to take out! let cool for about 5 minutes, and then invert onto a pan.

this one ended up a little more done than i would have liked, but i know it will still be good.

enjoy! i hope kristen and craig will!

a visit to new moms (& dads!)

so, several of our friends in our lifegroup (aka, sunday school class) have had or are having babies, and i came across the article. i think everyone could learn a few lessons in how to be a help & a blessing (and not a hindrance & a bother). check out this article (from another blog) and take note!

http://avital.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-be-best-post-partum-visitor-in.html#axzz1MHOWYmXm

lupron

this morning, i got up early and drove to rome for my third and final injection of lupron depot. i thought this would make for a perfect post topic for the day, as it has played a big part of my life for the last couple of years. not so much the shot, but the reason for it. this post contains some information personal in nature, so i would appreciate if you read it with respect and if youre not interested, then wait for tomorrows post :)


during my junior year of college, i noticed a rather quickly intensifying pain in my right side. what started out one morning as an annoying pain, by the end of the day had me doubled over in tears. i went to sleep (after looking up my symptoms on webmd to make sure i wasn't dying), but woke early the next morning with pain so bad i could barely walk. i was able to get myself down to our campus health & wellness center, hoping that maybe they could just give me something and i'd be better. however, because of the location of my pain, the nurse was worried so she sent me to the e.r. after some tests and blood work, the kind e.r. folks found a medium size cyst on my right ovary. based on the size and location, they decided to let it go away on its own, although i was told to lay low until we could prove that it had decreased in size. this would be a good spot to add in that my mom had many, many cysts growing up and in fact struggled with endometriosis (for the sake of this blog & space, i'll abbreviate from here on out as endo.). so the fact that i had a cyst was troubling news. 


during the whole cyst situation, i was connected with an excellent doctor who would become my GYN. connected to a family member, dr. barrell. located in rome, i continue to drive there to this day because i think she is just so great. she did a few belly ultrasounds, and we (thankfully) watch my cyst decrease in size.  a few months later, she started me on a birth control pill to hopefully protect the health of my ovaries and prevent further cysts and damage. another side note, up to this point in my life, i had very long, painful, and heavy cycles with terrible cramping. by the time of this cyst, it wasn't uncommon for me to spend a day in bed, taking multiple aleves, hoping it would help. some months, if i started taking medicine early enough, i would be able to make it, although i was a big grump and in pain. i tried limiting caffeine, drinking extra water, exercising, not exercising, heat pads, anything. now, while i knew that i had it a little worse than my girlfriends, i thought my cycles weren't that abnormal. after my cyst and my appts with my GYN, i realized i was wrong. she was worried that i was starting to go down the path of my mother. so, because of that (and the fact that i was getting married a few months later), she started me on a pill. over the next 1 1/2 years, i tried 4-5 different pills. none of them offered complete relief- some i still cramped, some my cycle remained heavy and inconsistent, and on one pill, my cycle was lasting 6 weeks! this was getting old. also, i was starting to worry about the integrity of my reproductive system- surely, all these problems must be causing some problems. so, i chatted extensively with my dr and we decided that it would be best for me to go ahead and have a laparoscopy, D&C, & hysteroscopy. following that, i started taking lupron depot, a 6 month treatment for endo that involves either monthly or every three month shots that basically put your body in a menopausal state (so yes, i have had SEVERAL heat flashes- actually, i have several a day). so i had a one month shot, and now have had two 3-month shots. and i'm done!


now to anyone out there considering lupron- here are my thoughts on it:
nathan and i really want to have a family. really bad. i want lots of little babies. i love babies. nathan loves babies. however, there is no room what so ever in our basement for babies. so, ideally, we would like to wait to have babies until we have more than a basement to call home. we are trying to do things the right way, and based on that, we will be in a home hopefully by the end of next year. so, based on what the dr found in my laparoscopy, we wanted to buy as much time as possible before we started planning on a baby. therefore, we are doing the shots. i say all this to say- the side effects of the shot are only tolerable because i know the shot is buying us time. i'm not sure they would be tolerable if the shot was just to "offer relief." because relief is relative- no pain but constant heat flashes, not so great. 
secondly, there are a lot of side effects. and my dr warned me of that. so far, i have experienced dizziness and some naseau (mostly just on and a few days after injections), MAJOR heat flashes, moodiness (which is weird- its almost like i cant control my reactions, but i recognize mentally that they are not me), tiredness, inability to sleep at night (mostly just in the 2nd month), random cramping, and headaches. i haven't had a cycle since the first month (which is what was expected) so thats
the shots hurt. usually, my hip hurts for a few days and you can feel the knot of fluid. gross. 
so, i would do the shot if you need the time, or if you dont mind the side effects. otherwise, i'm not sure that i would recommend it.

all that to say- i'm glad i've received my last injection! this whole process- all the different birth control pills, the surgery & meds i took around that, and these injections- make me look forward to a drug-free day. based on my drs recommendation, i'll probably attempt to go back on the pill for around 6 months, and then i'll go drug-free. i can't wait. i long to be back to "me."

so there you go. lupron & endo. and you know a lot of personal details about me :)

if you have any questions, feel free to contact me. i left out a lot of details (very personal) that i am happy to share, and i'm happy to answer any questions about any of this stuff. i'll gladly let you know anything i've learned/experienced!

Get to know me a little bit...

so i've seen this around the blog world, and thought it would be a good addition to mine! here's some context to who i am:

A. Age: 22, but ALMOST 23 :)

B. Bed Size: king, thanks to my super amazing husband (it was my 1st anniversary present)

C. Chore that you hate: easy one...dishes.

D. Dogs: don't like them.

E. Essential start to your day: coffee and a shower

F. Favorite Color: brown and pink. especially together.

G. Gold or Silver: silver

H. Height: 5'1

I. Instruments you play: macbook?

J. Job Title: Customer Support, Social Marketing, and Budget Analyst

K. Kids: we want several!! hopefully in the next couple of years

L. Live: duh... in a basement! in the best little neighborhood in the city, at least we think so:)

M. Mother's Name: teri-sue

N. Nicknames: "whitster-head" by my grandaddy, whit, "ni-ni' by my little bro and nephews, "true love" by my true love :)

O. Overnight hospital stays: not recently, but several times as a little girl

P. Pet peeve: undisciplined children (mind you, i didn't say misbehaving, i'm realistic. its kids that aren't disciplined)

Q. Quote from a movie: anything in life can be answered with a quote from christmas vacation, my family's favorite christmastime movie :)

R. Right or left handed: right

S. Siblings: 3- two brothers and a sis

T. Time you wake up: 5/5:30

U. Underwear: the boyfriend briefs from ae will always be my fav

V. Vegetable you hate: tomatoes

W. What makes you run late: waking up late? not wanting to get out of bed? spilling something on myself as i walk out the door?

X. X-Rays you've had: several- too many to list

Y. Yummy food that you make: pumpkin bread, cakes, and rachel ray's broken spaghetti

Z. Zoo Animal: yeah, i don't like animals.

my true love and i at the wynn encore theatre in vegas to see garth!!

here's another list i did a while back... http://on.fb.me/j6uQNz enjoy!