You just need to cool them first.

I don't know about you, but I've avoided eating white potatoes for years because I believed they were a source of "empty" carbohydrates that negatively affect healthy blood sugar and insulin levels.

Boy was I wrong!

After listening to a series of podcasts and doing a bit of my own research, I discovered something called "Resistant Starch." Guess where it's found...

You guessed it-- POTATOES!

I've got a new YouTube video up, touting the benefits of introducing white potatoes back into your diet, along with tips on how to prepare the healthiest potatoes.

Click HERE to watch the video.

Just to whet your appetite (I indulged in some delicious, healthy potato salad after I learned all of this), here are some of the major points I cover in the video:

*Potatoes are loaded with potassium, vitamin C, dietary fiber, and many other minerals and phytonutrients.

*Resistant starch, found in potatoes, rice, bananas, legumes, etc., feeds 90% of our healthy gut bacteria. Thus, it's considered a"prebiotic."

*Potatoes must be cooked, then cooled before eating for maximum benefit. This takes a bit of planning, but it's worth it. Bake, boil, roast, or mash your potatoes ahead of time, then allow to cool. Eat them cold or reheat if needed to enhance the resistant starches. It is vital that the cooling takes place before eating.

*Benefits of resistant starch include decreased insulin sensitivity, increased fullness/weight loss, decreased blood sugar levels, and improved digestion. (All things I thought I was gaining by avoiding potatoes.)

It just goes to show, it's important to keep up on the latest research on nutrition, as it is constantly changing and updating!

Thanks for learning along with me!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much I let distractions dictate my life.

Distraction is real. It is an energy-drainer, focus-stealer, relationship-tester, and overall problem with just about everyone these days (not just the teenagers), and not just me.

"Just checking" our phones has turned into a major waste of time for many of us. A telling statistic is the average person checks their phone 150 times a day (The Model Health Show, Episode 307). That's time we could use to work out, meditate, shop for fresh produce, write a thank-you note, have coffee with a friend, read a book, take a walk, volunteer, play catch with your kids, or anything else that could boost our quality of life.

Our phones aren't our only distractions. Sometimes we are our own biggest obstacle. In his article, "9 Ever-Present Distractions That Keep Us From Fully Living," blogger Joshua Becker outlines ways that we avoid being present with our thoughts, tasks, and the people around us. A quote under the first distraction, "the promise of tomorrow," goes like this: “We waste so many days waiting for the weekend. So many nights wanting morning. Our lust for future comfort is the biggest thief of life.” -- Joshua Glenn Clark

Being present is tough when our minds are bombarded with more information than ever before. In fact, it is said we take in 5 times more data a day than adults did in 1986! (The Chalene Show, Episode 102). This overload affects our ability to focus and complete tasks, and our attention span can take a dive. Some experts believe, based on a recent study, that we have a shorter attention span than a goldfish! Check out the article HERE and a rebuttal HERE (which I personally want to believe).

Awareness of what environments, situations, activities, things, or people distract us the most is the first step towards being present. The next is to set boundaries or rules to live by that enable us to focus when we need to without sacrificing time on our wonderful digital devices.

For your learning pleasure, the podcasts below are great to listen to on your commute, errands, etc., and can help give you ideas on how to minimize distractions and improve focus.

Episode 307, "The Model Health Show," with Shawn Stevenson, talks about "12 Tips For Conquering Distraction and Getting More Done."

Episode 102, "The Chalene Show," with Chalene Johnson, talks about "How to Organize Your Brain-- Creating Laser Focus." (She's got other podcasts about focus HERE.)

I wish I could say I didn’t allow any distractions while writing this post, but, hey, I’m only human.

Always yours in Health,