veggiefeed

April 5, 2013
by Matthew
1 Comment

How We Define Ourselves

I consider myself many things: student, athlete, alcoholic, foodie, cook, writer, and husband-to-be just to name a few. I could place any number of adjectives in front of these words to further define my past, present or future, but is any single word or phrase fully able to describe my ultimate contribution in life? Do certain actions hold greater weight in helping me achieve my goals or in another’s perception of my ‘worth’?

In response to a recent NPR piece that reflects upon the markers that define our personal identity in the context of an seemingly loving and heartfelt obituary, I can’t help but wonder what markers I am laying in my mission to improve lives through the application of food, fitness and self-awareness.

more, please…

March 30, 2013
by Matthew
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Soda, Sickness and a Fun Infographic

I have had the extreme displeasure of being exceptionally ill the past few days. I’ll spare you a majority the gruesome details, but in what I would call a desperate attempt to prevent diarrhea induced dehydration, I drank a few ounces of Sprite Zero and I was quickly reminded of why I gave up soft drinks over 5 years ago. Not only did I feel like my teeth were about to fall out after a few meager sips, but the damage it was causing my vital organs was almost palpable. And, as a little reminder of what an ‘innocent’ soda can do to the body, here is a fun infographic that I stumbled upon, courtesy of the fine folks at termlifeinsurance.org.

March 16, 2013
by Matthew
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My Paleo Experience: Magical

It seems that almost daily some new story or study is released that touts the benefit of this or that new ‘magic bullet’ diet. Whether it’s low-carb, low-fat, no-fat, no meat, gluten free, wheat free, grain free, sugar free, caffeine free, or horse free, someone is always promoting the latest and greatest diet that promises to restore health, clear skin, eliminate fat, and improve your sense of humor. In an effort to better understand one such diet, I spent a week living and breathing a strictly Paleo lifestyle and thought it would be fun to share my experience.

Defining Paleo

But, before we get to the good stuff, it may be beneficial for us to define Paleo and identify a few things that it tries to accomplish. Paleo, short for Paleolithic and synonymous with Ancestral and Primal, emphasizes eating only the highest quality whole, organic, real foods that were available to our ancestors while eliminating the processed and fortified ‘food-like’ items that now form the foundation of the Standard American Diet. It is believed that eating like our forefathers will improve the digestion, assimilation and integration of food nutrients to improve vital immune function (and avoid leaky gut) while helping to maintain ideal blood sugar levels and eliminating the risk associated with consuming ‘toxic’ foods, a.k.a. gastric distress and lifestyle diseases (diabetes, cancer, heart disease). The Paleo diet then builds upon these foundational tenets to take into consideration the unique needs of each individual and provides some guidance on building a nutritional plan that will help us all reach our health and wellness goals.

more, please…

March 10, 2013
by Matthew
3 Comments

Thunderbird Energetica and Overcoming Questionable Sports Nutrition

I know this is loooooong overdue, but better late than never. I need to share with y’all an amazing product that I have recently embraced in helping me overcome my most persistent less-than-ideal dietary habit: synthetic sports supplements. But, before we get into the bread and butter (fruit and nuts may be a more appropriate metaphor here, but we will get to that shortly) of this post, I feel that it is necessary for me to share a little bit more about myself and my routine. more, please…

February 18, 2013
by Matthew
0 comments

Is Television Quality, Not Quantity, Really the Problem?

On Monday, the New York Times covered a study published in the journal Pediatrics that found a child’s consumption of ‘pro-social’ media, which encourages empathy, is inversely proportional to aggressive behavior towards others. The authors of the study thus concluded that exposing children to less adult TV and modifying other potentially harmful media habits may be able to improve a child’s social skills and motivate a more appropriate response when confronted with conflict. According the study’s lead author, “the take-home message for parents is it’s not just about turning off the TV; it’s about changing the channel.”

more, please…