Fitness Friday Girl Answers More of Your Questions, 3rd Edition: 30-Day Shred and almond milk
Jen asks: Do you like the 30 minute shred a lot? I am down for 2 weeks since my surgery, but am looking at other exercise routines to add to my running.
FFG Says: I hate The 30 Day Shred. I hate it because it absolutely kicks my butt no matter how fit I am or how many times I do it. I hate it because I’m gasping for air and sweating profusely by the end of Level 3, Workout 3. I hate it because there are two exercises on that darn DVD that I still cannot do without stopping and taking a break. And I just KNOW those ladies on the DVD are using phony weights, dang it! But you can get all of that in just 20 minutes, which I love. Well worth the $10 investment.
Emily asks: I notice you are doing a lot of almond milk. I myself despise cow’s milk and when I have milk in cereal or make oatmeal I use organic lite vanilla soy (Kroger brand and I love it!). So my question is this, I’ve heard almond milk is yummy, but when I compared the two the soy has more protein and I think only 1 more calorie per serving (*I think*), why do you use almond milk over soy? Are there other health benefits or is it just a matter of taste?
FFG Says: I like cow’s milk. Which is a perfect fit for a girl who has recently decided to be vegan. Sort of like buying ground turkey in bulk, because I don’t like ground meat. Which is also faulty logic, which would disqualify me to guest post on my own blog.
But recently, I went to see a homeopathic doctor to discuss various health issues including, but not limited to, my recent diagnosis of asthma. He suggested that some people with asthma have complete relief when they eliminate dairy. Instead of dairy, he suggested I try almond milk because soymilk contains plant estrogens.
I’ll explain.
There is a catch phrase in the world of natural medicine called “estrogen dominance.” Personally, when I hear that word, I think of this:
But it really means when the body has too much estrogen in relation to progesterone. Apparently, estrogen dominance can lead to all kinds of problems, not the least of which is looking like Janet Reno. For a complete list of estrogen dominance symptoms and causes, click here.
As with all things in natural medicine, there is controversy involved. The soy people don’t want you to think for one second that soy will cause you to look like Janet Reno. So here is their answer to the plant estrogen argument.
Personally, I do eat soy and like it in most forms, but I prefer the taste of almond milk to soy milk. Like you, I was surprised that almond milk is so low in protein. Especially, considering almonds are a great protein source. Weird. So, that’s it. I really only drink almond milk at home because I like the taste better than soy. And honestly, when I get off the vegan kick, I might just go back to regular ole skim milk. Not sure, but probably.
Lisa writes: Post that chicken, mozzerella ravioli recipe.
FFG says: Um, YES…of course. Here you go:
1. Get into your car and drive to the nearest Costco.
2. Find the refrigerated fresh food/deli section (which is sort of near the ground turkey in bulk)
3. Look for the pre-made package of chicken-mozzarella ravioli.
4. Buy it.
5. Take it home and dump it in a pot of boiling water.
6. Drain and serve. But not to me, because I’m temporarily vegan.
You got questions? I may have answers! Comment or e-mail me and I’ll answer it in a future post.
I'm off my 2 week hiatus from exercising! Yay! I've already started back running, which has been fabulous, but I think it would be great for me to, at least do one non-running workout. I'm off to Target today to buy the video you hate (but love). I may even pick up some ground turkey, too. 🙂
Milk Debate:
I frankly got annoyed and overwhelmed that there were so many answers and I never know who to trust on the issue so I quit fighting a lot of those battles, and found a naturopath that I trust. She put alternative milks in this order for health benefits with Almond being the best for you…
#1 Almond milk
#2 Rice milk
#3 Soy milk
#4 Absolutely no cow's milk
Oh, the main reason for soy being last on the "good" list is the same reason Sandy mentioned, the estrogen part. She said soy just needed to be consumed in moderation like anything else and if you tend to use soy as many vegans do, then using soy milk can be over the top. To say all that, we use it all… Chocolate Almond just for flavor, original (not flavored)rice milk is my 3 years olds favorite and what I usually cook with because it is fairly bland and vanilla soy once in a while for my cereal or when i need a thicker substitute in baking….
No stats, data, expert opinion, just my families experience… hope it helps!
I linked up. I don´t know if you are still doing that, but I have missed posting fitness posts and am doing a fitness seminar so I thought it was only fitting now.
I miss the other font that you use on your other blog. This one is kind a hard to read, but I love the blog! I love your humor as always. 😉
Why are you going vegan? just curious.
Glad to come check out your new blog finally and I will be putting a link to you on my fitness blog.
Workin for the King,
Dani Joy
Oh just a side note, Jillian Michael´s 30 day shred changed my body!
http://gospel2gijon.blogspot.com/2010/09/it-takes-work.html
I too have a love/hate with Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. But like you, I need it to be quick and therefore it cannot be easy. I told my husband the other day that I think Jillian is trying to kill me!
Thanks for answering my soy milk vs. almond milk question. And thank you Shanda for your input as well. I've heard of the estrogen argument and always avoided it when I was pregnant, especially with my boys. I really have no idea if it is true or not, but I heard it can have a negative effect on boys, and I'll leave it at that. I decided it wasn't worth the risk to my sons 😉 I'll have to give almond milk a try, you've got me curious.
I'm enjoying the fitness blog! Keep up the good work!
Love the question and answer segment. Love more that I got a question and answer segment over the phone!
I too would love to guest post or "interview". This week was easy yet hard for me. Easy thinking of healthy Vegan meals, but hard to change my train of thought from "Protein, Protein, Protein!"
And I'm still LOVING the Agave Nectar and Almond Butter! You just may have kicked my Sweet-N-Low habit!
Now if I can only get a Whole Foods in my area! Do you think you can help me on that one? lol!