Caren Jablonsky's Favorite Foods

I'm sure that you've probably seen the lists that come out every so often about what the premiere foods for optimum health are at any given moment. There are, in fact, many foods that appear time and time again.  I happen to eat a high percentage of these nutritional powerhouses on a daily to weekly basis. The ingredients that the foods have in common are known disease fighting properties, such as antioxidants and essential fatty acids, in addition to various vitamins such as C and D.
The first food that comes to mind are a couple of varieties of fish; salmon and sardines.  Salmon, especially wild caught, is high in omega 3-6-9 fatty acids; excellent nutrients for healthy brain function. Sardines are high in essential fatty acids as well as calcium.  Another non-fish food which is high in healthy fat is the delicious avocado.
Next comes one of my favorite groups of food; berries, such as blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, blackberry. The antioxidants are abundant in this luscious summer fruits, as is Vitamin C. Of course, citrus is another great source of Vitamin C.  Fiber is another great reason to load up on the berries and fruit in general. The saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" does have its merit, given the fact apples are another great source of fiber. As mentioned in my previous blog regarding pomegranates, they too are antioxidant superstars.
I'm nuts about nuts, especially walnuts and almonds, in their unadulterated raw form.  They are great sources of vegetarian protein and essential fatty acids.
Have you ever had Greek yogurt (in particular, Fage?) This brand is quite high in protein. In fact, a 6 oz. serving of the 0% fat variety contains only 100 calories, and 18 grams of protein as well as 20% of the RDA of calcium! Quite impressive.  The other brands, which are mixed with fruit and added sugar, have much less protein per serving.

Caren Jablonsky Loves Pomegranates!

I've often considered myself intuitive as an adult; perhaps, though, I was intuitive as a child as well. Case in point, pomegranates. One of my favorite activities throughout autumn was to go across the street to an alleyway where there was a pomegranate tree with abundant fruit.  A group of us kids would take a break from kickball to retrieve some of the red, cylindrical orbs which hung like Christmas ornaments.  We would sit in a circle, patiently peeling away the outer skin, to get to the inner skin, which engulfed the arils.  Arils are the juice filled sacs which encase the seeds.

Sometimes I would eat one section at a time; other times I would practice delayed gratification and collect all of the arils in a bowl to be eaten at once, after the whole dissection process had been completed. This was quite a fulfilling accomplishment!  As it turns out, pomegranates are one of the healthiest fruits out there.  According to the USDA: Nutrition Information for Raw Pomegranates, one serving (1/2 cup) of arils has only 70 calories and 3.5 grams of fiber (that's 14% of the RDA).  In addition, pomegranates are high in Vitamin C and potassium.  This fruit is also known for its high content of antioxidant polyphenols-tannins, anthocyanins and ellagic acid.  

As you may have noticed in stores, not only can you buy the whole fruits; now pomegranate juice has become quite popular as well.  I believe Pom was the first company to jump on the bandwagon to better health courtesy of the pomegranate. Many people are now drinking the concentrated form of this antioxidant powerhouse in order to help in lowering blood pressure. In fact, the results can be so remarkable, that care needs to be taken if a blood pressure lowering medication is also being used.

Now's the time to enjoy this wholesome fruit!  Happy Autumn and, happy peeling!

Caren Jablonsky's International Day of Peace Activities

This weekend was filled with feelings of peace, love and personal growth.  September 21 was International Day of Peace as well the Art of Recovery Expo in downtown Phoenix.  I enjoyed celebrating both events. For most of the day, I walked around the convention center, taking in the positive energy that surrounded me, from people in recovery and professionals working in the field.  I ran into several people that I know and enjoyed lively conversations with each of them.  Everyone is in a great mood at this event because there is a sense of hope, in general.

I find that when people have committed to living an authentic existence and being present, their overall sense of health and well-being naturally increases.  This, in turn, brings about a desire to eat healthier, if one is not already doing so.  I'm a firm believer in the mind-body connection; the healthier one eats, the happier the body and spirit will be. Along the same lines, I believe that if someone has an issue with being overweight or obese, there is a very high likelihood that unresolved trauma (childhood and/or adult) could be at the center of one's inability to lose weight on a permanent basis.  Of course, there are always physical issues which could be contributing to weight gain.  However, barring these factors, a nutritionally based shift in food intake as well as increase in physical activity will translate to slow and steady weight loss.  In the past year, I helped a friend lose almost fifty pounds by cutting out unrefined sugar sources such as cake and cookies, increase fiber to at least 25 grams per day, adding at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day and limiting red meat.  He also began walking at least five miles a day, several days per week. The results were so inspiring!

During the evening on September 21, I went to a drumming circle party to celebrate community, peace and the fall equinox.  The festivities took place both in the home and backyard of a couple who host a weekly vegetarian dinner in downtown Phoenix.  I am humbled to be in the presence of people who have so much love and care in their hearts for our community.  I have been to this dinner once during a full moon drumming celebration.  The food is delicious and nutritious; the people who attend are of a like-minded spirit. The backyard drumming circle took place around a bonfire.  It had cooled off enough on this fall night in Phoenix to watch some beautiful flames rising up as people opened their hearts to the drumbeats. It was a magical evening!

Caren Jablonsky's Last Hamburger

In the fall of 1978, I began to make some major changes to my diet.  I was 15 when I decided to become a vegetarian and cut out almost all forms of refined sugars, including soda.  Believe it or not, the last can or bottle of soda that I've consumed really was 35 years ago!  I think the last hamburger I had was from McDonald's.  When I first moved to Phoenix, one of my favorite places to hang out was at the Whataburger across the street from where I lived.  The hamburger was tasty but the apple pie was heavenly!

Love Is:  Eating Healthy!

On the first Thanksgiving on my vegetarianism, my mother began a tradition of making me split pea soup. Speaking of that thick green soup, I had seen "The Exorcist" when I was thirteen, during the trip to the east coast. My uncle actually dropped my two cousins and me off at the theater to see the movie by ourselves! My cousins were 9 and 12.  I thought it was amusing that the green liquid used to simulate Linda Blair's vomit scene was now the main course of my holiday feast. I also enjoyed sweet potatoes and other vegetables as well as salad.  I didn't really miss the turkey, like I thought I might.

The pretty sudden change of diet also brought about a significant weight loss.  I went from 135 lbs. to 108 lbs. in about two months.  My body reacted, shutting down my reproductive system temporarily.  I would later learn that this is a symptom of Anorexia. As an adult I was able to look back at this period of time and acknowledge the emotional stresses that were taking place.  I was fortunate to have several friends who also pointed out the sudden drop in weight and I began to account for the fact that I wasn't eating as much fat or carbohydrates.  I therefore began adding protein powder and other supplemental food items to boost the daily caloric intake. Shortly, the weight began to return.

Caren Jablonsky's First Nutrition Book

Although it wasn't until I had turned 13 that I began thinking more seriously about how eating healthy could extend my life, I was introduced to the science of nutrition by my great Aunt Ida, the matriarch of my mother's family.  Aunt Ida lived in Phoenix and my parents and I would visit her about once a month. When I was twelve, my aunt gave me a book called "Let's Get Well", by Adelle Davis, one of the first nutritional gurus in the country.  Ms. Davis touted vitamin supplementation as well as the dangers of hydrogenated fats and sugar.  Ironically, she died from cancer in 1974.  Much of her work was dismissed by the scientific community over the years, but to this day, she still has a large following.

I read "Let's Get Well" with much enthusiasm and started taking Vitamin E. I had read that it was good for fighting cancer in addition to promoting healthy skin and hair.  I still remember so vividly poking a tiny hole in the liquid filled gelatin capsule in order to squeeze the oil out and rub it on my face. Vitamin E is still one of the supplements that I take today.

A Teenaged Caren Jablonsky Has a Visionary Idea!

It was the summer of (19) '76; the Bicentennial festivities were about to be taking place and the country was adorned with all things sparkling in red, white and blue.

I was on the east coast again for the first time since having relocated with my family from New York to Phoenix a few years earlier.  I was so excited to be visiting my relatives and my friend, Bonnie, whom I had met when we were five. (We're still friends today!)

Here's to Your Berry Good Heatlh!

One of my goals during this visit was to persuade my uncle to drive into Manhattan to witness the largest 4th of July celebration in the country; Operation Sail. I used every trick in the book that a thirteen year old girl could think of, such as bribery (I'll mow your lawn for the next three weeks), manipulation (this is something that I'll remember for the rest of my life and think how good you'll feel knowing that you made your niece so happy) and of course, guilt (I am so sad that I won't be seeing those beautiful fireworks and tall ships in the harbor, how could you do this to me?)  Thank goodness, thinking back on the conversation as an adult, it's really quite funny.

Consequently, I actually have my Uncle Hal to thank for my first major life decision, one that has served me well to this day:  I decided on July 4, 1976, that I wanted to celebrate the Tricentennial and be able to go wherever the hell I chose.  I wasn't factoring in that I'm not really the one who gets to decide how long I'll be walking the earth.  However, I did realize that if I wanted to come anywhere close to 113, I'd have to at least begin eating healthy.