It's January! Foodie New Year's Resolutions

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Hello, 2013!

The new year is upon us and with that comes New Year's resolutions. For 2012 I vowed to reduce unnecessary chemicals in my life. My aspirations went far beyond the dinner plate.

My resolution included:

• buying organic foods when affordable
• cooking from scratch to avoid preservatives and fillers
• overhauling my makeup choices to reduce chemical exposure
• making natural household cleaners
• using natural and organic beauty products

This year I plan to continue my healthy crusade and add financial health to the mix. Although having your own business has its perks (I am working in lounge pants and slippers today!) it also comes with unpaid holidays and vacations. For 2013, I will plan for these events not only based on deadlines and client needs, but also with a planned-out financial schedule. (Tips and ideas welcome!)

Do your New Year's resolutions for 2013 relate to your diet, health or overall well-being? Please share in the comments below and inspire other readers!

Happy New Year!

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

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Gluten-Free Dunkin' Donuts Coming Soon?

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Dunkin' Donuts. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Ok, so doughnuts aren't healthy or a whole food.

But, if you're gluten-sensitive or have Celiac Disease you eat healthy most of the time, right? I do! So, it's ok to want to splurge on a sugary treat every once in awhile. (Hey, I'm human!)

Dunkin' Donuts is taking a proactive approach and reaching out to folks following a gluten-free diet. The company temporarily added two new items to store menus in Boston and Miami to see if customers are interested in having gluten-free treats, according to the Miami New Times.

Individually wrapped blueberry muffins and cinnamon sugar donuts are now available. You can read more about the menu change in my news commentary article on Gather News.

Do you live in Miami or Boston? Have you tried these treats? I'm curious! Many pre-packaged gluten-free items I've tried are dry or have a tough texture. Since a Dunkin' Donuts is opening in my neck of the woods soon, I'd love to have a gluten-free option to enjoy.

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague
Whole Foods Living

PS: Did you miss these posts? Check out these gluten-free topics!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins that Actually Rise!

Gluten-Free Soy Sauce Alternative: Liquid Amino Acids

What Is Xanthan Gum?


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Beans: The High-Protein Food That's Healthy and Cheap

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Another fine article from Real age
Here's why beans always make our best-foods list: They're a healthy, cheap source of protein that'll reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, lower your blood sugar, and flatten your belly. (Protect your heart with a batch of EatingWell's Smoky Black Bean Soup tonight.)Yep, beans do all that and more. Here are 5 ways beans help your waistline, heart, and blood sugar:

1. Reduce belly fat. A recent study found that beans' soluble fiber chases away deep-down, visceral belly fat -- the toxin-filled kind that threatens your vital organs.
   
2. Lower blood sugar. Beans are low on the glycemic index, which means they're digested slowly, so they stabilize your blood sugar. Translation: Beans reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Stabilize blood sugar deliciously with this Very Green Lentil Soup recipe from EatingWell.
   
3. Reduce blood pressure. Beans are rich in artery-friendly minerals and healthy plant protein -- the kind that's better for blood pressure than protein from animals. Substitute the deli meat on your next sandwich with EatingWell's Braised Greens & Cannellini Bean Panini recipe.
   
4. Protect heart health. The soluble fiber in beans also helps reduce blood levels of C-reactive protein, which lowers your risk for heart disease and heart attacks. Try this pasta dish fromEatingWell to help lower your heart disease risk: Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe & Chickpeas.
   
5. Reduce cancer risk. Simply eating beans three times a week helps prevent colon cancer. (You're 33% less likely to develop colon polyps.) Cutting back on red meat can reduce cancer risk, too.

So, what's not to like about beans? Oh, those gas attacks? Ease into eating beans, and take the supplement Beano (available at grocery stores) until your body is used to them. Beano's natural enzymes deflate gas attacks. The elevator crowd will thank you.

DON'T IGNORE STAGE IV

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WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? STAGE IV DOESN'T HAVE TIME TO WAIT.

1. Visit MBCaware.org and Eisai will donate $1 to Metastatic Breast Cancer research.
2. Sign up for MBCaware emails, and Eisai will donate another $1.
3. "Like" the 'METAvivor' page on Facebook and another $1 will be donated...
4. Share an image on Facebook, Eisai will donate another $1.
5. Follow @METAvivor or Tweet with #MBCaware and another $1 is donated!
6. There is an important video about Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) created by METAvivor that is phenomenal. Trigger a $1 donation to MBC research simply by visiting the MBCaware.org website. 
7. Some stats about the Stage IV Community:

CANCER? AIN'T NO GIFT

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My blogging friend Nancy over at the always-insightful Nancy's Point is revisiting the ever-present query of whether or not cancer is a gift. That got me thinking. Is cancer a gift? 

My Big Fat Cancer Adventure began two years ago, when I really did get Cancer for Christmas. But I'm not seeing that shimmer (or is it glimmer?) of warm and fuzzy light at the end of the proverbial cancer tunnel. Every time I round a bend on The Big C Highway, there's a new roadblock in my way, another hurdle to climb over, another hoop to jump through. It is never ending and, as the great Gilda Radner's Roseanne Roseannadanna character famously quipped, "It's always something."

But back to the concept of cancer being a "gift." Is cancer an opportunity to live your life differently? Yup...
... But don't we all have that option, every single day? (Yup.)

Is cancer a wakeup call? Yup. Like stepping into the path of an express train could be considered an eye-opening event, cancer stops us smack in our tracks. Many of us live to tell the tale; many of us do not. All of us are maimed. But am I thankful for the train that is trying to run me over? Nope.

Let's try a different analogy: Does the deer being hunted in the forest think the rifle is a gift? Nope.

(Copyright © CamoGirl_18)

I'm here to tell you that getting diagnosed with cancer is akin to having crosshairs tattooed on your back. You will forever be a target of The Big C. And like the deer, you will try very, very hard to outrun this enemy. You'll attack it with your arsenal of surgery and chemicals and radiation and years of hormone-surpressing pills. You'll fill an emotional moat with your tears. You'll find out all too quickly who your real friends are — and you will take this realization like a bullet to the heart. You'll need a nap every day and be unable to fend off your fears in the darkness of night. You'll experience "scanxiety" any time you have to take any kind of medical test. You'll develop PTSD whenever you walk into a doctor's office (especially at a cancer center) or when you notice a new ache or pain. Of course you'll become an expert on nutrition and additives and the many, many things that are harmful in our environment and you'll try to live a cleaner life. (Good luck with that.) You'll exercise more and eat less. And you'll also pine for the days when you could remember details quickly, concentrate easily, and be motivated in general. You'll curse the necessity of being your own health advocate 24/7, and appreciate your hands-on WedMD degree. You'll wonder how the hell you ever had time to do anything besides go to the doctor and monitor your own health.

Because in the end, it all comes down to this: Cancer is hiding like a hunter in a blind deep within the woods, holding a loaded rifle with its sights set on you and me. 

And that ain't no gift.

Blueberry Flax Seed Pancakes

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How are you eating healthy today? I'm serving up a plate of blueberry-flax seed pancakes for breakfast.

No, there's no recipe. I simply tossed a handful of blueberries and a few tablespoons of milled flax seed into my gluten-free pancake batter. I like the extra nutrition and the flavor!

On our honeymoon we indulged in wild rice and blueberry pancakes several mornings. It's a popular breakfast treat in Northern Minnesota. Since I don't have wild rice on hand, I used flax seed for the nutty flavor and texture.

What do you like to add to your pancakes to make them healthier?

Until Next Time,
Choose Healthy!

Angela Tague

Beans: The High-Protein Food That's Healthy and Cheap

To contact us Click HERE

Another fine article from Real age
Here's why beans always make our best-foods list: They're a healthy, cheap source of protein that'll reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, lower your blood sugar, and flatten your belly. (Protect your heart with a batch of EatingWell's Smoky Black Bean Soup tonight.)Yep, beans do all that and more. Here are 5 ways beans help your waistline, heart, and blood sugar:

1. Reduce belly fat. A recent study found that beans' soluble fiber chases away deep-down, visceral belly fat -- the toxin-filled kind that threatens your vital organs.
   
2. Lower blood sugar. Beans are low on the glycemic index, which means they're digested slowly, so they stabilize your blood sugar. Translation: Beans reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Stabilize blood sugar deliciously with this Very Green Lentil Soup recipe from EatingWell.
   
3. Reduce blood pressure. Beans are rich in artery-friendly minerals and healthy plant protein -- the kind that's better for blood pressure than protein from animals. Substitute the deli meat on your next sandwich with EatingWell's Braised Greens & Cannellini Bean Panini recipe.
   
4. Protect heart health. The soluble fiber in beans also helps reduce blood levels of C-reactive protein, which lowers your risk for heart disease and heart attacks. Try this pasta dish fromEatingWell to help lower your heart disease risk: Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe & Chickpeas.
   
5. Reduce cancer risk. Simply eating beans three times a week helps prevent colon cancer. (You're 33% less likely to develop colon polyps.) Cutting back on red meat can reduce cancer risk, too.

So, what's not to like about beans? Oh, those gas attacks? Ease into eating beans, and take the supplement Beano (available at grocery stores) until your body is used to them. Beano's natural enzymes deflate gas attacks. The elevator crowd will thank you.