3 Reasons to Go Veggie When Travelling by Plane

by Janet Gomez

With the holiday season coming up many of us are planning to go and visit family and friends. Often our travel plans involve flying, which can be tiring at the best of times. Whenever I fly I order a vegetarian option for the meal since I'm vegetarian. However, I'm going to share with you three good reasons to "go veggie" when you're travelling by plane even if you're not normally vegetarian!

1. We are served first (or before our fellow passengers). In any case this is my experience. It's the same principle of service that you have in a restaurant. It's rare that a large party of people is served before a table of two or three. The same logic seems to work when you're on a plane. You also have more time to enjoy your meals before the plates are cleared away. This means you can take time to chew and savour what you receive. This can be a great bonus if you're travelling with children. The only downside is that it's a bit unfortunate for your fellow meat-eating travellers who have to wait for their row to be served, while you're tucking in.

2. We get the lighter option - meaning that it's lighter on our digestive system. This is definitely the main reason to "go veggie" when flying.

Flying is dehydrating to the whole body. When the body is dehydrated you feel tired and your concentration decreases. Various functions, especially the digestive one, don't work as well as they could. Anything you can do to ease the work your digestive system needs to do when travelling will benefit you tremendously when you arrive at your destination. Other tips to improve digestion while flying include drinking plenty of water before, during and after the flight (warm water is best), and avoiding tea, coffee and alcohol while flying. With improved hydration and the lighter option of the vegetarian meal, you and your family will have much less jet lag when you arrive at your destination and will be able to start enjoying your holiday much more quickly.

3. We have "healthier" options - I always get some sort of salad and fruit when I fly. For some reason, airlines presume that if you "go veggie" you want the healthy option. I rarely am served cake when I take the vegetarian option. By taking in less refined food than the average traveller, our digestive system also functions better - another bonus :) A word of warning for good digestion when flying - keep the fruit to eat a couple of hours after you've had your meal. Fruit digests more quickly than other foods and so should be eaten separately.

Final point - you may find that some airlines seem to be unaware that there are different categories of vegetarians, and that some of us do eat dairy products. Sometimes you may receive margarine to put on your bread roll or crackers, which is a shame after the rest of the meal was so healthy! My opinion is that margarine is not a natural product and does not break down in the body so I just ask for butter, and if they have it, the airline gives it to me. And if not, I am fine about going without. It's a small price to pay for all the other perks of "going veggie" when flying!

(c) 2008 Janet Gomez

Janet Gomez, nutritional consultant, produces the "Nutri-Jyoti News", a free bi-monthly e-newsletter for busy professionals. If you feel ready to learn how to use nutritional strategies to manage your energy levels, sign up for her FREE e-course " 5 Nutritional Keys to Vitality in your Life " at http://www.nutrijyoti.com

Savory Soups and Stews

by Kaleena Lawless

 In the fall and winter time, we crave hearty meals that keep our bodies warm and full. Soups and stews offer a dish that is both healthy and filling. Soups are hydrating and great for weight loss. Stews have the potential to deliver an awesome serving of lean proteins for workout recovery and building muscle.

Soups

Soups can be made from scratch using a broth, fresh vegetables, meat, pasta and spice. You can purchase a soup blend mix containing grains and vegetables to add to your favourite broth.

Made from scratch soups usually don't take long to prepare but they can take a long time to cook for the ingredients to become tender and the spices to come out.

If you are in a hurry there is a wide variety of canned and boxed soups. When you go canned, try to pick up the low sodium option. My favourite ready to eat soups are the brands in mason jars sold in most grocery stores. They are a little more expensive but they are packed with grains and vegetables. The thicker pureed soups are delicious paired with a piece of whole grain bread for dipping.

Avoid creamed soups that are high in fat and try to make canned soup with water or low fat milk instead of full fat milk or cream.

Stews

Stews are similar to soup except they are thick and made with larger pieces of food. Typically stews are made with beans, chunks of beef, other meats or vegetarian meat-like alternatives and vegetables such as peppers, corn, carrots and potatoes.

Stews are perfect for when you have a bunch of left overs. Just throw all ingredients in to a pot with a bit of water, stock or crushed tomatoes (some recipes call for wine or beer but this is a health blog!) and simmer on low heat until the flavours and spices have blended.

Stews are great for people trying to cut back on carbohydrates and fat because it's such a filling meal that you won't notice the only carbs are coming from vegetables.

Eating healthy doesn't mean being hungry. With literally thousands of soup and stew recipes out there your palate will never get bored and your body will be more fit than ever before!

Kaleena Lawless
Personal Training Specialist
http://www.kalisthenixfitnessblog.com

5 Tips For a Healthier Thanksgiving

by Randi Cestaro

In just a few short weeks we'll gather together to give thanks for the unlimited good that surrounds us. You know what I mean: nature, prosperity, love, faith and an incredible planet that provides so much to us. Wouldn't it be a shame to upset the balance of it all by overeating on the big day?

When it comes to gobbling up the goodies on turkey day, I encourage you to follow these suggestions for feasting:

Exercise at some point on the day of Thanksgiving
It's very important that you exercise on Thanksgiving day. You may want to engage your family in going for a walk with you to enjoy the fresh air, the foliage, and time away from the kitchen so you can all just relax together.
And there's another payoff: by exercising on this big day, you will eat less that night. And you will be more conscious of what you're putting in your mouth.

Eat a protein-rich breakfast the day of Thanksgiving
Don't fall into the trap of "Well, I am going to have a big dinner tonight so I will save my appetite for dinner". That's not correct and it won't work. But, by having a protein- rich breakfast, you'll stabilize your blood sugar levels, and that means fewer sugar cravings.

Drink at least 10 glasses of water during the day
By drinking at least 10 glasses of water today (starting as soon as you wake up), you will thoroughly and totally hydrate your body. That's a good thing. Do it. This is another way to reduce sugar cravings because those in the know realize that often times, when your body appears to crave sugar, it's because you are dehydrated. Who knew? But now you do, so drink up!

Portion control your plate
This is so crucial to not overstuffing your belly. Think of it as a secret mission to better health. When your hostess begins passing tempting trays of appetizers, grab a small plate. Don't see one? Ask for one and use it. Placing appetizers on a plate assures that you take only the ones you really want and avoid adding unnecessary calories by trying everything in sight. And make sure the majority of items on that plate is lots of fresh vegetables. Yum!


Make a turkey and vegetable soup with the leftovers
So how did you do? At the end of the day you most likely have leftovers. Now what? By using the leftover turkey and vegetables, you can make a wonderful soup to nourish you. Soup gives your digestive system a break the next day. Just use a nice broth and add the turkey and veggies. Make some natural corn muffins and you've got a treat for everyone in your home.

Incorporating these healthy tips for Thanksgiving will free you of all the guilt that we normally put on ourselves when we eat too much. Make this the year that you truly enjoy the holiday season and remain healthy and happy.

All the best to you and yours this Thanksgiving day. I am grateful for your interest in this article and would love to hear how well you did in managing your Thanksgiving meal.

Randi studied holistic nutrition, changed her diet and healed herself of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Hypoglycemia and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). She is sharing this information and her ebook (I Healed Myself from IBS and You Can Too!) on her website at http://www.happyhealing.net .