October 2009 Archives

We know Halloween comes every year on October 31, and it's Hallowe'en - short for All Hallow's Eve.  Halloween is actually an old Pagan feast, a Celtic New Year called Samhain, or "summer's end."  What is it all about, other than Halloween costumes, candy, treats or tricks?

Halloween is a celebration of the spirits of the dead coming to visit the living.  It's like inviting all your ancestors over for a party, in celebration of their lives, and the lives they gave to us.

These days, it's not really tied to any religion.  Rather, it's a huge commercialized event, with gigantic sales second only to Christmas.  Interesting culturally, as so many people are really into hanging decorations of skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, and ghosts, and spend lots of time and money on costumes and parties.

Some people think that having any celebration of Halloween is anti-biblical, or anti-Christian in that it's feasting around dark, dead, hellish and ghoulish symbols.  I think just the opposite:  it's about renewal of faith and celebration of the living, especially with All Saints Day following.

Further, I think that honoring the "dark" shadow-side of ourselves is realistic and actually healthy.  Accepting that we're not perfect; that we make mistakes and mess up, and sin, is part of being able to resurrect and move on with living, doing the best we can.  One of my favorite psychologists, Carl Jung wrote extensively on embracing our shadow; the dark part of our being.  If we repress it, ignore or fake our shadow existence, we are inauthentic. Not being wholly ourselves can lead to illness, he taught.  His theories have been expanded upon and used now for many years, with great affect.

So be a little dark and scary.  Let that wild, dark, bad self have its day.  Just don't be too bad, and don't forget to thank God for your life.  Happy Halloween!

What dark, forgotten, scary side of YOU are you allowing to live this Halloween?  Please comment.

Join me on Twitter, too, please!  twitter.com/drnorris

Halloween is about food and candy, I always believed.  Halloween recipes for treats like Halloween scary body parts and Halloween frightening bugs, spiders and goblins are a lot of fun.  Would you serve vegetables?  Would you give fruit like apples and raisins to trick-or-treaters prowling and howling on your doorstep?  Here are some Halloween recipes with pictures, some that disguise healthy food.  Fear no vegetables or fruit, I've collected them for your pleasure!

This one features Halloween recipes with pictures, some 365 of them.

Here's the Food Network's "Eat, drink and be scary" recipes."

About.com's recipes for cooking with kids (please don't cook your kids!)

Visual Recipes shows step-by-step recipes for making ghastly treats.

Finally, this website gives you healthy vegetable Halloween treats.

We would love to hear YOUR spooky Halloween ideas and recipes, please comment below!

And ask your friends to subscribe -- email or RSS below, too, please.

Yesterday I wrote about added sugar, and the shock of how much sugar is in everything.  Consider this today: what if you ate only candy? What if you only ate foods with sugar in them, like candy bars, donuts, pastries and sodas?  Would you get sick? Gain weight? Certainly you would, right?

Not so!  The playwright and comedian Paul Rudnick claims that he has only eaten candy and sugary foods his whole life in his new book, "I Shudder" from HarperCollins Publishers.  May be he's kidding.

Rudnick is not fat, weighing only 150 pounds, at 5'10. He claims not to have any health problems, despite not eating meals, and almost never eating a vegetable in his whole life.

Don't try this at home, I say!  Rudnick is the exception to the rule, certainly, and there is likely more to his nutritional reality than meets the eye.  Don't forget, he is a comedian.

Rudnick's sweet story is in a New York Times article today, by David Colman.

Eating foods with added sugar causes overweight and obesity, this we know.  How much sugar is too much, though?  The USDA Food Guidelines don't specify how much sugar, they just say "limit" it.  Now, however, the American Heart Association has stepped forward with specific guidelines.

For women, the AHA says to limit added sugar in your daily life to 25 grams, which is around 6 teaspoons.  For men, the AHA tells us to not go beyond 37.5 grams, or approximately 9 teaspoons per day.  This amounts to about 100 calories from added sugar for women, and 150 for men.

That's not much, especially since they report that average Americans consume 22.2 teaspoons, 90 grams or 355 calories a day.  Think about it: a typical 16-ounce soda (called "small" these days) has approximately 44 grams, or 11 teaspoons of added sugar.  There's added sugar in most cereals, candy, deserts, juice "drinks" ketchup, even in healthy-seeming food products such as baked beans, applesauce, yogurt, fruit cocktail, granola bars - I can go on and on - added sugar is in almost everything.

The AHA has a great list of words found on labels, packages and boxes.  They all mean the same thing: SUGAR:

•    Brown sugar
•    Corn sweetener
•    Corn syrup
•    Sugar molecules ending in "ose" (dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose)
•    High-fructose corn syrup
•    Fruit juice concentrates
•    Honey
•    Invert sugar
•    Malt sugar
•    Molasses
•    Raw sugar
•    Sugar
•    Syrup

A lot of people have asked me how I really lost 160 pounds, and I tell them "I asked God to help, and gave up sugar."  Honestly, eliminating sugar really made a difference, and helped me lose a lot of weight.  I didn't switch to sugar-substitutes or "diet" drinks or food, I just gave up eating foods that had added sugar and ate fruit instead.


Take a look at the American Heart Association's FAQ's on Added Sugars here.

Yesterday, I just felt run-down, scratchy throat, and some sniffles.  It was after a week of really hard work and deadlines, and I had stayed up too late the two previous nights.  I'm not feeling myself today, either.  Time to...

A lot of people believe in affirming. I believe in using whatever works to lose weight and get healthy. Have you ever tried verbally affirming? Check it out. Try saying one of these lines to yourself: "I am God's creation,...

The other day someone stopped me and asked for directions. I understood why they were lost. We were in a maze-like area with lots of complicated directions to follow. I've gotten confused there myself; unless you follow the signs...

In response to my Balloon Boy blog (pardon all the "b"s), we got some interesting feedback.Thinfitnsassy (love that) wrote:  "Another reason to turn of the boob tube and not perpetuate this nonsense!"Helen commented: "Knowledge, TRUTH and Light is POWER!"  Yeah!Lou...

You are a believer in God, right?  Or by another name, Higher Power, Lord, Spirit - that great Creator of you and me, who is always there no matter what may come.  You believe in God and His power, right? ...

Are Fruit Loops a "Smart Choice?"  Even though they are 40% sugar?  It says they are a smart choice on the label!  It says they are "whole grain," too.What about Cocoa Puffs?  Are they a smart choice?  Yes, according to...

You may be interested in a blog about loss:  the sad loss of a beloved family member, and a positive loss: weight loss.  It was written by Holly Lebowitz Rossi. The blog is Fresh Living, my Beliefnet sister blog about...

This whole Balloon Boy story (and seems like it was a fictional story) in some ways is shocking, but it is also not a surprise that someone would lie so thoroughly, and do almost anything to be famous in this...

Yes it's Autumn, but in many places there are still garden vegetables from summer left for our enjoyment.  Our hearty root vegetables just came out of the ground, joining the bunches of kale and herbs that remain.  Speaking of bunches,...

The trend with little kids these days is to make "play dates." This is when the parents arrange for the their children to get together and have a good time. I'd like to suggest that adults do it, too. Why...

These days, our lives are so busy and the demands of mere existence are staggering. It's easy to be busy all day, every day, working yourself to the bone, and at the end of the day be tired -- really,...

Please tell me what you'd like me to talk and write about that is most helpful to you.  This is not only a blog, it's a community of those of us who love God (or Higher Power, Spirit, et al)...

Here's what I'm serving to some dear friends tonight for supper, a lasagna big in flavor but small in calories and fat.  It's a meatless recipe, using root vegetables from the garden; kind of the last of this year's harvest. ...

Here's a way to eat less by actually eating (and drinking) more. Before your meal or snack, drink a large, 16oz glass of water, and eat a little fruit or vegetables. Drinking water is so good for you, in so...

Soda, the usual kind, carries lots of calories and no nutrition.  I've written many times before: if you can manage to give up a daily soda you might lose 5-10 pounds in a month.  The problem is, if you are...

Look around you, Spirit is everywhere. Big and powerful, tiny and invisible all at the same time, in harmony. See God in simple, little things: a dog's tail wagging, a cat purring just because you're near. A leaf falling from...

Please take time to be silent every day, if only for a few minutes. This will help you immeasurably in your program for wellness of body, mind, and soul. Find a quiet place, and just sit and close your eyes....

Your body may be telling you that you need specific nutrients. Maybe you feel run down, and feel you need a hamburger (protein). Or perhaps the need for some quick energy from carbohydrates after a game of volleyball or tennis...

Congratulations, Mala, for really "getting it."  She commented on my Weight Loss Truths posting recently.  That's why I picked her for our Tip of the Week:"Not only did you not put on your weight overnight, it is more difficult to...

Now that the H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine is being delivered, many of us are asking if we should take it or not.  There are so many conflicting reports; it's hard to decide.  I thought I'd gather some information for you,...

New York City has required restaurants to post calories on menu choices for the last year or so.  Do these calorie postings change eating habits?  A new study from researchers at New York University and Yale in low-income neighborhoods where...

I can't believe it, Gourmet Magazine is no more!  Conde Nast announced the other day that it is canceling the magazine, due to poor ad sales.It's sad, I think, as I'm a big believer in cooking and enjoying food in...

How are you doing with food?  Are you eating healthy foods, in moderate or small amounts?  Or is your eating out-of-control, are you fast and furiously stuffing as much food into your mouth as possible?If you're feeling empty and constantly...

Another question from a reader: Do you think diet sodas are linked to overeating? Yes. Great question. Speaking again from my experience, and working with people for many years, I think diet sodas are a disaster for several reasons....

A question from a reader: What do you do if small portions don't fill you up?I recommend eating six small meals throughout the day: one serving (USDA Food Guide Pyramid size) of grains, protein (meat or dairy), and a fruit...

Each week, at the end of the week, I try to feature weight loss comments from our readers that I think are right on-track.  These tips are sound advice from people who are in the process of being healthy.  I...

What do I think of "The Biggest Loser" TV series?  I think it's terrible and cruel, and merely entertainment, not a program that overweight people should do.  In its 8 seasons on the air, I have always found it to...