Saturday, December 18, 2010

Welcome Statement

Welcome everyone!

My name is Allana, and I am pursuing a degree in Health and Wellness at Kaplan University. I am a mother of four awesome kids who are constantly motivating me to embrace knowledge and learn all I can to do to make this world a better place to live in. The man I have been married to for 18 years is a wonderful husband, father and friend who supports my dreams and passions. My interests include holistic health, nutrition and fitness from a professional standpoint, but I also enjoy running, yoga, creative writing, reading, listening to music, gardening, cooking healthy meals, and spending quality time with my family. In order to maintain a "healthy" and sustainable lifestyle, I decided to adopt a vegetarian/vegan diet, which has been working well for me and my family for many years now. As such, I make sure to include a variety of plant-based foods in my family's meals, which includes all the food groups. I try to balance family life and school by making it a priority to include daily leisure time for me, which has helped to reduce my stress levels . I also love nature and animals...after all, without them, life could not exist.

3 comments:

singlecoop32 said...

Allana,
That is wonderful that you are teaching your children the value of home grown food, saving the environment, and offering your wisdom to others. I miss gardening.
I also think that it is great that you take the personal time out everyday for yourself. How long have you been practicing yoga and meditation? How did you get started and have you found a way that works best for you? I know that if I could do it before I go to bed then maybe I would be able to sleep better.
Keep up the good work and I am eager to learn more from you on how you make a filling meal with just vegetables. I know that sounds crazy but I have always been a meat, potatoes, and vegetable kind of girl.

Allana said...

Hi Ann,

I have been practicing yoga for a few years now...how time flies :) Meditation for me is a struggle at times as I am an active person so trying to sit still for long periods tends to make my mind wander.

However, thanks to a stress management class I took last semester; I was able to learn more about "the relaxation response" which has been easier for me. It involves a quiet environment, a passive attitude, a comfortable position, and a mental device to help you focus, such as a mantra or concentrated breathing. The latter works for me as I tend to use a lot of deep breathing during yoga and running...it also helps me to relax when I'm stressed. I also discovered that running is a form of active meditation as it involves deep, rhythmical breathing and repetitive movement. This actually helps to filter out distracting and disruptive thoughts where the focus is on the breath and movement.

I guess it's not that hard for me to prepare "veggie" meals as I have a background in dietetics. My family gets protein from legumes, beans, nuts, seeds, and we do some tofu and tempeh. Other than that, you'd be surprise to discover that grains such as quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal, bulgar, and pasta contain moderate amounts of protein; not to mention that vegetable also contain small amounts of protein as well. In fact, our bodies have a biological requirement for amino acids; they are the building blocks that constitute protein. It may not be easy for most people, but I enjoy eating this way as it reduces my consumption of processed foods and helps me to eat more fruits and vegetables that contain loads of vitamins and minerals.

No, a meat, potatoes, and veggies diet does not sound crazy...as a matter of fact, it's what you think works best for you. There is no perfect diet out there; the important thing is make sure that you are receiving all the essential nutrients that your body needs to maintain health and body weight. Of course, we should be mindful of our food choices, and include variety, balance, moderation, adequacy, and limit empty calorie foods.

A diet consisting of the foods I mentioned are sufficient for providing protein as long as calorie intake is adequate.

Best of health to you and your loved ones!

Allana

Diana Davis said...

Hi Allana,

First of all, WOW! I am pretty amazed with your blog. You have surely set the standards for us. You have seem to really put alot of effort and time into your blog. I love how you are incorporating recipes as well as tips to a healthy eating. This is truly an amazing blog. I look forward as to what other things you plan on posting on your blog. I wish you good luck in all your endeavors and goals. Once again what a great blog.