Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Trick... YOUR Taste Buds!

I know what you're ALL THINKING RIGHT NOW.... "Gimme a break, gimme a break... break me off a piece of that... kit kat bar!"


RESIST I TELL YOU - RESIST!!!



Yes, I am well aware that Halloween is this coming Saturday (I am a college student after all - ha ha)... which means a whole mess of candy is laying around at home, the office, the bathroom, oh who knows, you might even be tempted to take out the half eaten candy bar from the trash can!


It's not worth it, not worth it I tell you! There are so much healthier options you could choose over a Snickers bar or... dare I say it, Reeses peanut butter cup!


Take a look at this:




One Regular Sized Snicker's Bar Nutritional Info:
2.07 Ounces
Calories: 280
Fat: 14
Carbohydrates: 35
Fiber: 1
Sugar: 30
Protein: 4

Ingredients: Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Lactose, Skim Milk, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Artificial Flavor)Peanuts, Corn Syrup, Sugar, Milkfat, Skim Milk, Vegetable Oil (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil)Salt, Lactose, Egg Whites, Chocolate, Artificial Flavor.




One Milk Chocolate & Peanut Butter Big Cup Reese's Peanut Butter Cup:

1.3 ounces
Calories: 200
Fat: 12
Carbohydrates: 22
Fiber: 1
Sugar: 19
Protein: 5

Ingredients: Milk Chocolate (Milk Chocolate contains Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Nonfat Milk, Lactose, Milk Fat, and Soya Lecithin and PGPR (as Emulsifiers)Peanuts, Sugar, Enriched Flour (contains Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, and Folic Acid)Dextrose, Vegetable Oil (contains Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oil)Cocoa Processed with Alkali , Salt, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Chocolate, Nonfat Milk, Soya Lecithin, Sodium Bicarbonate, TBHQ (to Preserve Freshness)Vanillin (an Artificial Flavoring)Citric Acid, a Preservative.




One Regular Milk Chocolate Kit Kat Wafer Bar:
1.5 ounces
Calories: 210
Fat: 17
Carbohydrates: 28
Fiber: 1
Sugar: 22
Protein: 3

Ingredients: Sugar, Chocolate, Wheat Flour, Cocoa Butter, Refined Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Milkfat, contains 2% or Less of: Milk, Soya Lecithin (an Emulsifier)Vanillin (an Artificial Flavoring)Yeast and Sodium Bicarbonate.



There are SO MANY THINGS WRONG with the three things above... Don't even get me started!!! Although, if you really haven't a CLUE what's wrong with the candies above... leave me a note and I will most definitely tell you! ha ha.


So now what? What's left to chow down on as you go house to house trick-or-treating (yea, let's hope whom ever is reading this... doesn't do that anymore!)... more like, what's left to eat at the Halloween party or out of your kids bag of candy...




Well I am sorry but I am definitely NOT going to advocate eating any of those candies... but I am going to recommend some yummy snacks to load up on so you don't get the munchies at midnight and raid the plastic jack-o-lantern!


HEALTHY SNACKS - MUNCH AWAY!!
* Cherry Tomatoes
* Bell Pepper Strips
* Nuts
* Seeds
* Vegetable Chips (homemade = slice, salt, bake!)
* Pureed Pumpkin or Other Squash (sprinkle with cinnamon - AWESOME!)
* Pumpkin Pie Flavored Coffee (sweetened with Stevia & cinnamon/pumpkin pie spice)
* Green Bean "Fries" (Broiled Green Beans with Salt & Pepper)
* Hard Boiled Eggs
* Olives & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
* Nori Sheets & Other Seaweed
* Celery
* Cucumbers
* Olive Tapenade & Tomato Paste & Salsa
* Turkey & Chicken Slices
* Grass-Fed Hot Dogs



Yeah, I know these sounds BORING - but you gotta TRY THEM before shunning them and reverting back to the chocolate!


Good Luck this Saturday!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Friday, October 16, 2009

Sniffle... Sniffle!

Every day we come into contact with so many things... desks, keyboards, door handles, sink knobs... do you ever think about all the germs that are TEEMING on all of these things when you touch them? Well I certainly wasn't until now... hmm... wonder what kinds of germs are on my keyboard as I type?!


While a lot of these germs aren't deadly... or won't get you sick... there are SOME THAT WILL... OBVIOUSLY (that's why we get sick - ha ha!). But of course there are preventative measures we COULD ALL TAKE... in order to make sure that we don't (or are less likely) to get sick...


Oh and by the way, I am in college and go to campus/class on a daily basis and am surrounded by sick people (yea, we have tons of Swine Flu cases reported on campus)... and I am constantly touching dirty desks, door handles, etc... and while I really don't want to jinx myself... I have yet to get sick... OH GREAT: bring on the flu!!! ha ha!


So want to know what you can do to ward off the flu... because we all know when we get sick it's TERRIBLE... plus who can afford to miss work (or school) these days!! I know I can't!! So here goes:



No Brainer # 1: Wash Your Hands (Lather up - 20 seconds!)


No Brainer # 2: Cough Into Your Elbow/Cover Your Mouth When You Sneeze or Cough


No Brainer # 3: Throw Away Tissues After Use (There's nothing grosser than seeing a used tissue... actually MAYBE there is! ha ha)


No Brainer # 4: Avoid Touching Your Nose, Mouth & Eyes


No Brainer # 5: Don't Hang Out With People Infected With The Flu





Thought Provoker # 1: Eat Darkly Colored Vegetables/Fruits (perhaps a no-brainer to some)


Thought Provoker # 2: Exercise DAILY (45 to 70 minutes of heart pumping exercise)


Thought Provoker # 3: Sleep Tight (7 to 8 hours... stop partying on a nightly basis! ha ha)


Thought Provoker # 4: Stress Less (Take deep breaths! Life moves on! It's not the end of the world!)


Thought Provoker # 5: Up Your Vitamin C Intake (250 mg to 350 mg every 2 to 3 hours... be aware that SOME might experience... loose stools - to say it maturely! ha ha)


Thought Provoker # 6: Up Your Intake of Beta-Carotene to 25000 IUs a Day (It is PUMPKIN season after all!)


Thought Provoker # 7: Start Supplementing with Vitamin D3 if You Haven't Been Already (1000 IUs or MORE per day!!!)


Thought Provoker # 8: STAY HOME WHEN YOU'RE SICK!!! (Yes, we all want to keep working so we can bring home the "bacon" but most likely you'll be less productive - if productive at ALL - if you go to work, plus you'll spread your germs to others!)


Though Provoker # 9: STOP drinking so much... enough said! ha ha!


Thought Provoker # 10: STEER CLEAR of the SUGAR!!! (Read those labels people - sugar has so many names, it's like the Puff Daddy... no P. Diddy... no just Diddy or Daddy or WHAT... of the food world!)


WARNING SIGNS... THAT YOU HAVE THE FLU:

- Migraine Headaches
- Itchy Eyes
- Sneezing & Stuffed Nose
- Aches & Pains
- Chills
- Fever
- Tiredness
- Dry Cough
- Stomach Ailments (nausea, vomiting, etc)



*So now what??*


GET OUT TO YOUR LOCAL HEALTH FOOD/SUPPLEMENT STORE & STOCK UP ON THE ABOVE VITAMINS... THEN HEAD TO THE GYM FOR SOME HEART REVVING ACTIVITY... AFTERWARDS... FUEL UP ON SOME HEARTY ROASTED VEGETABLES... WASH IT DOWN WITH SOME DECAF GREEN TEA (so you can sleep at night)... THEN RELAX WITH A GOOD BOOK... AND GO TO SLEEP!!!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Ready?

So this morning I woke up to a pleasant looking white covering on the grass and streets... A.K.A. SNOW... And While this white dust is "pleasant" to look at... it's not all that pleasant to go out in, but of course, that's exactly what I had to do!






I'm currently at my internship at ABC in Denver, CO... but I live in Boulder and it took me 45 minutes to get here because of the reduced speeds on the highway.


It seems like the winter months cause a lot of problems that slow things down... would you agree?


I try so hard to grin and bear it but right now I just wish I was snuggled up in my bed with a cup of hot tea, watching a movie or napping. I know though, that I will be happy with myself come Monday and Tuesday when I can do just that (because M & T is my "weekend").


So who's ready for the winter months? Seen any snow yet? Currently here it's 20 degrees and quite gloomy!

The only thing that excites me about the winter months... the HOLIDAYS! I am obsessed with Thanksgiving and Christmas - they couldn't come sooner!




Along with my complaining I thought I would list some ways in which we can all prepare for the harsh winter ahead (well at least it will be harsh here in Colorado, I can just feel it... literally!)



*Driving in the Winter Tips:

- Use Snow Tires
- Use Headlights at all Times

- In a Blizzard Use Your Hazard Lights

- Invest in a Windshield Scraper

- Drive SLOWLY - quickly slowing down won't help curb swerving

- Clean Hood of Car When Clearing Windshield

- Carry a Clean Cloth in Your Car at all Times




*Stock Your Home With:

- Blankets, Sweatshirts, Jackets, Scarves, etc (DUH - ha ha)

- Shovel

- Sand & Rock Salt

- Canned Food & Can Opener

- Matches

- Flash Lights

- Batteries

- Wood (for a fire in the fire place)

- Tea, Coffee, Cocoa & Hot Water

- Soup & Broth

- Camping Grill/ BBQ Stove - if the power goes out, this could be a good thing to have... if you're oven, etc is electric!

- Board Games, Cards, etc

- Pet Supplies - if you have a pet of course




Of course there are things you need to do to "winterize" your house, like clean out gutters, etc but let's hope you already know that if you are a home owner (I myself am not so I don't have to worry about that aspect)...


Otherwise, enjoy your winter as much as you can... in my next post: I'll discuss ways to fight off getting SICK - because we ALL KNOW how annoying it is to be sick and not feel good one bit!






Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Now that's DIRTY!

So I just got back from a shopping trip at my FAVORITE place ever: Whole Foods (yes, my credit card is going APE-SH** on my right now because of course I spent LOADS!)... I love that store so much though, I don't know what it is because it always calms me down and makes me happy!


Any ways, while I was surfing the produce section for some spinach, bell peppers and leeks, I started thinking about conventional vs. organic... I bought organic spinach (@ $5.99 per pound) and I bought conventional red bell peppers (@ $.99 each - I got 5!)... As for the leeks, I got 2 (@ $2.99 a pound)...


So yea, I know that bell peppers should be bought organic, but am I really willing to spend $4.99 a pound on ORGANIC BELL PEPPERS (or simply orange or yellow for that matter) when the bigger, harder, delicious conventional peppers are SO MUCH cheaper?! Well I guess it really is up to the BUYER and whether or not they want to consume pesticides, and in this case, BRING EM' ON!!!


Wanna know some of the dirtiest pieces of produce around that should be bought organic... here goes:



THE FAMOUS DIRTY DOZEN!

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Lettuce
9. Grapes
10. Pears
11. Spinach
12. Potatoes



THE STRAIGHT EDGE & PRUDE DOZEN (ha ha!)

1. Onions
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn (frozen)
4. Pineapples
5. Mango
6. Sweet Peas (frozen)
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Bananas
10. Cabbage
11. Broccoli
12. Eggplan
t

*Yes I know you ALL love my color coding! ha ha*




So what's your preference, do you like your fruits & veggies DIRTY or CLEAN?! Is cost a major factor or are you all about health and not wanting chemicals in your body?! I do agree that we must treat our bodies well, but sometimes I just cannot get myself to buy ONE bell pepper at $4.99!!


Sunday, October 4, 2009

A Little Self Promotion

PLEASE VOTE AWAY:

http://www.exploremodeling.com/Contest/Faceof_ELF_2010/9731/GIGI_DUBOIS.aspx



You can vote every day for me if you think I have what it takes! All votes are truely appreciated - really!!!!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

My First Solo-PKG on News Team Boulder

So, I don't know if you already know this but I am a journalism student at CU-Boulder... and currently I am in a class where we have a live broadcast every Tuesday and Thursday. Well today was my day to create a news "package" or story for all you non-journalism lingo types out there...


And if you're curious about what my package (pkg) was/is about... here is the video for you:







OH AND PUMPKIN UPDATE: My shelves are once again STOCKED - THANK GOODNESS! I even tried baking a pumpkin and it just isn't (I'm not done eating it) the same!