A Rebel for Health

A Rebel For Health Has Moved!

2010-01-07T22:01:00.003-05:00

RebelHealth's blog has moved.
Check me out on Wordpress:
http://www.rebelhealth.wordpress.com

Relflect & Evolve

2009-12-15T11:22:00.004-05:00

RebelHealth has been in a winter cave, hibernating for the past several months...feeding off of stored and new information...rethinking past beliefs and formulating new ones.

Ahh, the joys of the end of one year and the beginning of the next!

As I look back over my previous posts, I find some obviously-Western/American schools of thought regarding nutrition, some solidly-supported exercise science, a bit of opinion lending itself toward less of a Western/American school of thought...I see a transition...a morphing of my beliefs - if we can even call them that anymore! I'm almost afraid to say "I believe..." anymore because it's probably short lived! Without getting too long winded here, a few things will change in 2010:

I'll be more active here, blogging about current issues - hopefully those from that very week - whether it be bloat-busting foods at the request of a client, or how to motivate yourself to workout (from a day I was most likely personally unmotivated to make it to the gym).
Even if I have to port this blog into Wordpress, I'm going to figure out how to "hard code" some pages to this blog with local information on finding quality food sources - a huge source of stress and a time consuming task on a weekly basis!
I will admit to a few organized (albeit allegedly "cultish"...insert evil laugh here!) schools of thought on nutrition, fitness and motivation.
I'll spend some time on how to figure out what you really believe...from exercise science to food...to what you should be responsible and accountable for (e.g. your health).

So here's to 2010. I'm looking forward to your arrival!

Race for the Cure? I couldn't have said it better...

2009-10-09T10:13:00.002-04:00

Just prior to October, Breast Cancer Month, I went on a little tear about donating to the cure of preventable diseases and how more money should go to the prevention versus the cure.

This morning when I opened my Google Homepage which is littered with feeds from nutrition, fitness and lifestyle blogs and websites I follow, the following post came up from FitnessSpotlight. I really don't or can't say anything more than "my sentiments exactly!".

http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2009/10/06/race-for-cure-prevention/

Preventing Preventable Disease...again

2009-09-10T07:32:00.004-04:00

Back in March, (DONATING TO THE CAUSE, SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2009) I was struggling with being asked to donate to certain "causes" for the purpose of finding a cure, and since October is upon us and Breast Cancer is in the foreground, I thought this was interesting and pertinent.

Michael Pollan's column in today's OP-ED section of the NY Times speaks to this topic indirectly, with concern over our government's push to reform health care, but continue to subsidize farmers and industrialize agriculture.

I'll not say much more other than this is a good article and makes good, valid points that are difficult with which to argue. So where do we go from here? BIG FOOD VS. BIG INSURANCE NY TIMES OP-ED by Michael Pollan Thursday, September 10, 2009

Choices that Kill Us

2009-08-16T21:49:00.009-04:00

I have a friend who always likes to take something hard or difficult and pose it as "think of it as a choice - you can either do this, or that - it's your choice". She's one of those eternal optimists...gotta love her! But the way she thinks is good, and frankly, right on the money. When we feel stuck with a problem or in a tight spot, we typically do have a choice, and that choice determines the outcome.

As it relates to our general health, we definitely have a choice. In fact, I'm a firm believer that we choose our destiny; we live with our choices every day; and, we MUST own those choices.

I recently spent some time in a place where I was surrounded by people who, for many years, have made poor choices related to their health, and continue to make those same choices to this day. Their subsequent poor health is now outwardly apparent, and continues to worsen. The choice to be sedentary has resulted in sarcopenia which is evident by their inability to ambulate for any extended period of time, repetitive surgeries to repair small tendon tears or "flush out" arthritic joints, and a general lack of energy. The choice to consume highly refined and processed carbohydrates, saturated and man-made fats, and very little quality protein has invited Metabolic Syndrome to pitch camp and settle in...and over the past 10 years, full blown obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and I'm certain a few other lifestyle-related diseases are now permanent residents with solid foundations and flowing American Flags waiving in the wind in the front yard. They would tell you "yes, I choose to eat this way because I want to", and they would also tell you that they already know the definition of healthy or clean eating (excuse me while I cough out loud to cover up my sputtering of "bullshit").

Unfortunately they are the norm versus the exception when it comes to Americans' with lifestyle-related health problems. They make the choices and are living with the consequences, but will try to find blame everywhere but within themselves. They will blame their medication for not working correctly (and then the cost of that will come up, undoubtedly). They will blame their hectic schedule for their inability to be active or eat right. They will even try to find a distant relative who was obese, had high...anything, so that they can claim "genetics" for their problems - all the while being arrogantly ignorant to their own part in this mess. And if challenged about their choices, their lack of concern or air of exaggerated self-opinion will quickly shut down the questioner, as he/she thinks to him/herself "so how's that workin' for ya?".

I'm truly saddened by the "ignorant arrogance" and delusions that they are not directly responsible for their health, especially when the poor choices are so blatant. I'm not speaking of the childhood cancers or neurological disorders...NO! I'm talking about the most common ailments among Americans today such as obesity, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, atherosclerosis, lung cancer, osteoporosis, stroke, depression...shall I go on? I admit, I am sometimes ashamed with how our society has become a society of lazy, resourceless, illogical homosapiens who feel entitled and deserving of so many things without the desire or will to work for what they want. These days, if it doesn't come easy, or in the form a magic pill or potion, we're no longer interested.

I frankly appreciate the effort I put into my training, as I know I'm getting stronger, fitter, more powerful, faster and/or more flexible as a result of each effort. I appreciate the time it takes to read labels and plan meals so that there is a good balance between energy intake and expenditure. I appreciate the flavor of real, whole, natural food...and am still trying to spot that Cheetos Tree or field of white bread growing along the roadside. I appreciate the feeling from positive vibes and keeping a positive open mind; and I see the results of negativity and those who can only find blame.

I'm not sure what the answer is to our nation's self-created health crisis. People still smoke, although you'll not find one person who can prove that it's not detrimental to both the smoker and those around him/her.

Perhaps we can each set a goal to try to positively influence one person - just one - related to healthy living, if by nothing else but our behaviors and leading by example. But beware - finding a person willing to change, invest, work - that's the hard part!

No sole point here...if you can't tell, just a platform to vent again...to express disbelief in people's poor choices...and to remove all of that negativity and, well, I guess sorrow is right word, from my head so that I can move on.

It's very difficult to watch people literally kill themselves with the choices they make - and even worse when they're so defensive of their choices.

Black Sheep

2009-06-13T22:57:00.000-04:00

It usually takes a series of events, sometimes unfortunate ones, to spawn enough thought for a topic these days...plus time management has not been one of my super-skills lately, so this type of dialog is typically logged after 10pm! But today, as the day started with an inspirational email to a client and ended with a Brillo pad and pruney fingers, a series of events has morphed into another necessary analogous blog - sometimes it's cathartic to just get this stuff out of my head and on to paper (or into a cloud somewhere!).

So, my title is Black Sheep. You know, "Are you the black sheep in your family?", or "I've decided to quit smoking and now I feel like the black sheep when I'm out with my friends who all smoke." Oh, and here I go again...gotta look up the term to be sure I really understand what it means and where it came from...

Dictionary.com cites one definition as "a person who causes shame or embarrassment because of deviation from the accepted standards of his or her group".

The American Heritage Dictionary cites a definition as "a member of a family or other group who is considered undesirable or disreputable".

The origin of the term, as listed consistently by numerous sources, appears to be that in a flock of white sheep, a black sheep was considered less valuable or worthless because it's wool was more difficult, if not impossible, to dye. Not only did the black sheep stand out, but it was inconsequential, or worse, despicable.

So, now that we have that straight, let me tell you how my day started, but in the most generic sense possible to preserve client confidentiality. One of the hardest things for people who are trying to incorporate physical activity and a healthy diet into their already busy lives is to deal with the peer pressure from family and friends...to avoid veering too far out of what is considered the "norm" of current lifestyle and habits. Whether with immediate family, close friends or new acquaintances, trying to change poor diet habits or be more active can create situations wrought with anxiety for the one who is trying to change. I can remember a friend who, when we scheduled lunch together or dinner as couples, would consistently pick the "greasiest-spoon" or worst chain restaurant I can imagine (Chili's, Olive Garden, Applebee's). Both my husband and I dreaded time together with this couple because we ended up making excuses why we didn't want to eat, and rather just had a few beers or a glass of wine. Why we just didn't suggest an alternative or 'fess up and articulate our dislike for the food... I don't know. Well, I do know - we didn't want to offend them, or seem like "black sheep" because we're not lovers of Wendy's and Taco Bell. Although we truly felt it was detrimental to our health and knew how we'd feel the next day (bloated!), we tried to maintain the norm. And I could go into some really deep-seeded "nasties" I've heard conveyed from my own family regarding how I'm "starving" my husband (which gives him very little credit, aside from punching me in the gut!), or simply the lack of acknowledgement for personal health goals or professional goals that I've achieved...simply because they're related to health and fitness. But in a nutshell, from my perspective and those of my clients, the majority of the time, the undermining or "nasties" typically go out to those trying to get healthier, and are coming from those who lack the self-awareness to know they're not healthy or don't have healthy behaviors, those who are in denial of their current health "situation", or those who know they're obese and physically inactive, but can't deal with it so they lash out at those who are trying to deal with it.

So, back to the email. I have a client with whom I feel the last hurdle is her ability to confidently function in coffee shops and restaurants with friends and acquaintances when they pressure her to "get something other than coffee", or join in on the bagel- or danish-fest. My email to her this morning eluded to that - well, actually it right out described a scenario and exactly what I hoped would play out; what she would be thinking and exactly what she might say. I actually cracked myself up conjuring up the scenario! But my whole point was that we know eating whole, healthy foods is good for us, and sometimes, if the alternative is to refuse versus join in, it's uncomfortable. Why is it that doing something different, albeit a better way, a healthier way, or simply a different way that's undeniably right in comparison, is so hard? Because we don't want to feel like the "black sheep". Being different is hard...until you understand the payoff and believe in the way of life you're creating for yourself so much, that you begin to pity those who are undermining you, versus feeling like an outcast. (And I'm sorry I used the word "pity" - it's harsh, I know.) Anyway, you begin to feel...well, elite...your health is better, your energy is better, you like yourself more, you know that by doing this for yourself you are ensuring your ability to care and do for others better in the future. You respect yourself. I suppose it's not unlike become super-proficient at something else, like, say playing the piano. If asked to play at a party, and you accommodate the request, why would you feel like an outsider or a black sheep if you rock the party and entertain people? Would you feel bad because you were so good, and one of the few (maybe the only) person at the party so skilled to be able to perform upon request? No! You'd feel honored and grateful for the effort you put into the training. The same mental processes should go into your feelings about trying to create a healthier lifestyle.

Sociologists call the little phenomenon I'm describing above, as it relates to health and wellness, "social undermining". With respect to diet and nutrition, family members rank first, second to significant others and friends undermining a person's attempts at improving their health; and with respect to exercise and physical activity, friends ranked first, followed by significant others and family. It makes sense that family would be the first to sabotage healthy diet attempts since family gathers tend to be based around food and meals. What a shame that events that should serve to support and bind families can actually ostracize individual members who are simply trying to improve themselves. And as it relates to the friends and significant others that fail to support attempts to increase physical activity levels and intensities in our lives, once again, many of those saboteurs simply see the time you wish to spend improving that part of your life as cutting in on the time you used to or could be spending with them.

How we respond in these times of feeling "sheepish" has also been studied. The most common responses to undermining are to "ignore it" or "try to explain one's self". That's not very easy to do when you're dealing with people you love and care about...being on the defensive or sticking our heads in the sand? So much for unconditional support, huh? I guess it makes sense ...you've probably seen articles written in health and fitness magazines in the past few years about social networks promoting obesity? I remember one headline that said "Are your friends making you fat?". Isn't that sad?

Once again, I digress. Back to the day, the email, etc. As the day went on, I thought back to that email I'd sent earlier several times. My day was busy and fairly under-productive. As I often do, I threw dinner together a bit too quickly and didn't cover the pan I used under the very hot broiler with foil...causing the spray oil, EVOO, cauliflower and onion that were on that pan to form a permanent union! So here I am with my hot water and Brillo pad, trying to scrub every last bit of the burnt oil and food off my favorite Calphalon pan. The whole time I was scrubbing (which felt like forever), I was thinking how my mom would wonder why I was trying to get it so clean and spotless...yep, I'm the black sheep in my family for A LOT of things! But then I quickly turned that negative thought around. I remembered that my grandmother would appreciate it! Yes! Negativity abated...for tonight!

You see, we all have our black sheep moments. Our ability to change our internal thoughts of guilt and potentially anger for the lack of acceptance and support, into positives is as important as trying to build our confidence levels up so that we can politely and politically deal with these situations. If you have a desire to eat healthier, be more active or lose weight, you're going to have your black sheep moments, I guarantee it! Heck, the reason I named my little healthy company "RebelHealth" is because I whole-heartedly believe you have to be a rebel for your health - a rebel against conventional and mainstream diet strategies and advice, sometimes a rebel against conventional western medicine, a rebel against overly processed and refined foods, and a rebel against "comfortable" forms of exercise and physical activity. Be confident in your decisions to get healthy. Know that by choosing whole foods and veering from the norm in the name of health IS the right thing to do. Pull your shoulders back and smile graciously when you decline that offer to join a friend for a Venti Caramel Macchiato - and know that your choice of latte or plain black coffee is YOUR decision, and it's a good one. Instead of feeling guilty that you are about to decline the offer to hit the mall on Saturday with a friend in lieu of that much needed 3 mile run, ask your friend to join you on the run, and then hit the mall. Pressure works both ways!

And the next time you envision a flock of sheep, perhaps when you're counting them while trying to get to sleep, think fondly of that lonely black sheep. Though it's wool may be harder to dye, black is always IN! Why try to change it. Relate to it in a confident and progressive way...let's hear it for the Black Sheep!!

ACSM Hlth Fit J. 2009; 13(3):14-19

Fail Strong!!!

2009-05-15T10:42:00.004-04:00

OK, I'm loving this catch-phrase: "Fail Strong"! Today, I found that it applies to SO MANY different settings! But first, I've got to give credit to a local celebrity (in my mind, she's a celebrity, anyway) who I first heard this from. Ms. Wendy Arnold (aka "Garanimal"), a Crossfit Certified & NSCA Certified Personal Trainer at my local St. Pete Crossfit / Dammit Gym (and also a Professional Firefighter, former Figure Competitor, all around incredible and intelligent woman... - quality single guys out there: she's a catch!)

...anyway, sorry to digress. Wendy was "motivating me" through a workout last Friday (OK - she was yelling, but I loved it!) and I knew (and she knew) I was not going to get the last few squat reps in before the timer went off. She yelled out "Come on! Fail strong!". And since then, I can't get that phrase out of my head. What a great way to think when you just can't muster "I can do it". It is perfect for the way my brain works with some training sessions, and I've found it's absolutely perfect in other settings - as I learned last night helping with dinner in a friend's kitchen. We didn't have everything we thought we needed to make a few of the things we were conjuring up, and all of a sudden "Fail Strong!" popped into my head! It made me more resourceful. Instead of "we don't have butter", I thought "what can we use instead of butter". Instead of "I'm still hungry and we don't have dessert", I thought "What can we make for dessert from what I have", which was a bunch of dairy based, creamy things like cottage cheese, yogurt and ricotta...and with a little innovation - a dollop on honey, some chocolate and vanilla extract, a bit of almond butter...and whipped cream - not bad! ...satisfied the sweet tooth and didn't break the scale this morning. It all might have failed, but if it did, I was surely going to fail trying my best - with my best effort!

And then just a bit ago, my refrigerator is virtually empty! I fed my poor husband a smoothie for breakfast made with the last of the milk, the last of the chocolate protein powder, 1/2 of the last serving of pre-made oatmeal I had from the week, and a banana I stole from a continuing education seminar yesterday! Now, we're empty. But I have a lot on my plate today and want to be able to make a nice dinner without haphazardly going to the grocery and spending money on things just for tonight that I'll have left over and that may not fit into the rest of the weekend's or week's "plan" - once it's conjured up. So, what to do, what to do???...

Well, let's Fail Strong again. Surely there's not "nothing" (double negative, I know, but effective!) in the fridge/freezer. After searching, I found 1/2 bag of frozen scallops, about one and a half servings of "salad" in my spinner and a little fresh asparagus and cauliflower. My pantry is almost always stocked well - meaning vinegars, lemon/lime juice, olives, capers, etc. And I do have wine...I always have wine...what can I do here? Fail strong! Get resourceful, figure it out and if it sucks, I've tried really hard and the pizza place across the street is programmed in my phone! So, we're going to try for scallops-piccata tonight with a small salad and skillet stir-fried asparagus and cauliflower with a sweet ginger sauce. Not bad for an empty fridge. I think that Fail Strong phrase resonating in my head motivated me to search beyond what I knew was an empty fridge!

So, emboss Wendy's phrase in your head: FAIL STRONG! If you're unsure and can't muster the will to know you're going to conquer the task at hand, know that you're going down trying your hardest!!!

When You Feel Down...

2009-05-13T06:13:00.002-04:00

I used to have a teenage version of the Bible, given to my by pastor, called The Way. I just Googled it an ironically can't find the exact cover I have, but the "neat" thing about it is that in the front of the book, there's a section entitled "How This Book Speaks Directly To You" - there are phrases that identify common strife among teenagers, such as:

When you feel guilty
When you're tired
When you're hurting
When you need courage
When you think about injustice
When you've been offended
When you wonder about the government

At the end of each of these phrases, the book tells you where to goin the Bible to find a Christian answer to that question. It was a great resource as a child/teenager, and frankly, because of how simplistically my brain prefers to work, it's still a great resource. Life, and all that's in it, doesn't have to be complicated - we make it complicated because of how we feel.

Because I'm a health and wellness exit on the World Wide Web's Interstate, I'll keep this post focused on these topics...losing weight, eating healthier, adding physical activity into your life....or, if you're already on those bandwagons...getting back on the good nutrition wagon, getting back to the gym or restarting exercise after an unforeseen hiatus (or upping the intensity) isn't hard, you just have to do it. Not sure what can push you in that direction? Check out this very short but very powerful article by the folks at Again, Faster - it's worth, not just the read, but also a bookmark! Simple, basic and true...just like what we learned in "kindygarten"...play nice with others, share, say please and thank you...

http://www.againfaster.com/articles/starting-over.html

Are You Lost?

2009-04-21T17:13:00.006-04:00

Have you ever felt lost? By lost I mean like the answer you're searching for is invisble, missing or misplaced; like you feel stranded on the island of [insert goal or objective here] and there's only room to stand, water all around and no signs of a rescue boat anywhere; or maybe it's just a feeling of hopelessness where you're drained from trying to find the answer to no avail.

Now, speaking along the lines of health and fitness, what about being lost here? I mean, you get up, you know you need to eat healthier, but you don't know where to start or you're so confused by all the conflicting and confounding media reports where today tuna is healthy and tomorrow it's toxic. Does your morning start off like this:

"Should I have eggs?...or is there too much fat in the yolk?...so maybe I should just have egg whites...but then do I lose all the nutritional value of the yolks? Or,
"Should I have a salad for lunch? Should I add protein to the salad? If so, what kind? And what about salad dressing? Should it have fat in it? I've heard that you need fat to help with the absorption of the vitamins and minerals in the vegetables (fat soluble vitamins/minerals) - but then again, oil has so many calories...what to do???"

Or what about with exercise? Have you ever thought: "I know I need to exercise, but I just don't know what to do?" Or, worse: you know what to do but you're so stuck in a rut or are so bored with what you're doing that you just feel lost? ...almost paralyzed?

Well, I've been there too - seems from eating to exercising to life - I've definitely been lost, and it's truly hard to find your way back. I started thinking, I wonder if the rules for getting "un-lost" are the same with health and fitness as they are if, say, you were lost in the woods or even in a parking lot - looking for your car?

It turns out that with a little due diligence, the answers I found to being lost in the woods can help us with many of the scenarios I described above. And it's ironic that these answers are so crazy simple - like everything I seem to be drawn to these days that produces results or success: the basics!

So, here is the answer I found as a common solution to getting lost in the woods - so common the Boy Scouts use it! (compliments of The Boy Scouts of America and Equipped To Survive)

S.T.O.P.

Stop/Stay put. Take a deep breath. Calm yourself. Recognize that whatever has happened is past and cannot be undone. Your "survival" situation (the situation you're in - your feeling of being lost or stuck) is reality, and you must move forward.

Think. Take no action until you have thought through the situation. Your brain is your biggest asset.

Observe. Take a look around you and assess your situation and surroundings. Consider your resources and personal capabilities.

Plan. Prioritize your immediate needs and establish a step by step plan to systematically deal with and resolve the situation, inclusive of contingencies. Be flexible and prepared to adjust to changing circumstances.

These steps seem so ridiculously simple, but really look at how effective the outcome can be with such a simple (and easy to remember) plan! There's no 10 step system, worksheets, $100/hr shrink sessions (although I am a huge proponent of talk therapy) - just a simple-to-remember acronym and basic elementary terms strategically ordered to produce a result.

The "basics" are always a good place to start - whether it be fitness or nutrition - and the STOP for survival acronym is certainly worth a try.

So, let's test 'er out, shall we?

Lose 5 in 7 - Day 6

2009-04-17T13:21:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a blurrrrrr!

We woke up late for whatever reason - that's happened twice that I can remember, so I sprinted through breakfast and out the door. Didn't weigh in due to the late start, but kept on the meal plan and used yesterday as my rest day from working out. My upper body was starting to ache so I took advantage of not wanting to drive the extra 40 minutes to the gym!

So today, though not necessarily leisurely, we were up on schedule, weighed in at 127.0 - pretty close to what I expected, especially with no physical activity yesterday. I'm on Monday's meal plan - just recycling it

So, I'm at day 6 of the first 7 days, having started last Sunday at 131.4 being the highest weight. My total body weight loss to date is 4.4 pounds, right on track to hit the 5 pound mark by tomorrow morning (need a loss of -0.6 which is a weight of 126.4). My workout this morning wasn't aerobic - but rather a few Olympic lifts for max weight, so I'll try to take a jog or hit the Tmill or stepper at the gym later today.

I started this blog and effort with the quote "the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary" - and it's true. While this week's not been exceptionally peachy, it was fruitful (pardon the pun!). I had one higher calorie day and because my fat levels were moderate, I can only remember being hungry a few times, usually before a morning workout.

So, one more week at this. Sunday I'll "reprogram" my meals within the CFSP MOW (menu of the week) and schedule out my week to try to do a few two-a-day workouts, a rest day, and also take into consideration Friday and Saturday will be "event days" as my husband and I are headed to the Alafia River State Park where he'll participate with Team RebelHealth/Crossfit St. Pete in the Talon Adventure Race. We're taking food for most of the meals, so I should be able to stay on course - just can't weigh in at the hotel -not without MY scale (said the scale-o-phobe)!

I think what this potentially humbling experience proves is that the basics are true - the basics to weight loss...

Be Accountable. Document or log your food and KNOW how many calories you're taking in.
Eat whole foods. By eating whole "real" food versus overly processed and refined foods, your organism gets the type of nourishment on which it was meant to function. Your organism does not innately know what a HoHo is, or even a "box" of mac 'n cheese. It does, however, know what carrots and radishes are; what apples and fish and chicken are; and what an oat grout or a rice grain is. And it likes these things!
Be active - strategically. I hate this one, not because I hate to exercise - quite the contrary! But because this one is sooooo misconstrued. A slow "floppy" walk down the sidewalk for 10 minutes is not going to contribute to your health, let alone aid in weight loss. Science provides us with thresholds for exertion with exercise. If you don't know what they are, find someone who is qualified (certified by an NCCA accredited organization) and learn. This is where benefits come from - not just "being active" - although for those who are sedentary, it's a good start. (The operative word being "start" - not "end"!)

Tomorrow is Saturday - early beach run with husband then, unfortunately for the diet plan, lunch out with family...I'll be Googling PF Chang's menu tonight to strategize my choices for tomorrow - fish and veggies will be the goal - as well as resisting dessert and wine!

Lose 5 in 7 - Day 4 (late post)

2009-04-15T19:05:00.005-04:00

Dinner's done and I "feel" the bonk. Between the feelings of dehydration and general fatigue, my 10 minute "150 wall ball" workout was truly more than I could take. Totally zapped me, even after that great breakfast. But I half expected to be a bit fatigued today. Didn't do the afternoon run - simply didn't have the energy.

Calories were up today and have good intentions for tomorrow.

Meal plan for tomorrow is as follows:

Breakfast: 1 cup Egg Beaters, 1 egg, kale, red pepper and onion in an omelet with 1/2 cup blackberries

AM Snack: 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese with 1/2 cup broccoli

Lunch: Kale, red pepper, onion, 4 oz ham and 1/4 cup fat free mozzarella cheese

PM Snack: 1/2 scoop protein powder in 1 cup almond milk

Dinner: 4 oz chicken, 1 wedge Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese, 1/2 cup spinach - rolled up and baked, with 1/4 cup Lima beans and small salad.

This will provide approximately 1100 calories, 130 grams of protein, 77 grams of carbs and 29 grams of fat. I have appointments all morning, so hope to either Crossfit in the afternoon or long run from home - maybe even local gym for stepper and core.

I anticipate begin back up around 127, probably where I really was today if fully hydrated.

Lose 5 in 7 - Day 4 early post

2009-04-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

5 a.m. scale reading: 126.6#. But I didn't get too excited, because yesterday had some hiccups in it, I felt dehydrated when I woke up (my eyes were even dry), and I know tomorrow I'll probably pop back up to 128-ish - which is where I'd expected to be.

So, to summarize the progress so far:

Saturday: 131.4
Sunday: 130.0
Monday: 129.4
Tuesday: 128.4
Wednesday: 126.6

I totalled up the calories and macronutrients for today's meal plan, tweaked it a bit and it will provide about 1400 calories (room for a latte in the afternoon!), 120 grams of protein (36%), 125 grams of carbohydrate (37%) and 26 grams of fat (17%). Higher carb, lower fat, same protein.

Luckily, the gym posted a "Pick your WOD" today, so I can pick a tough one, and then also, hopefully, do a soft sand run this afternoon.

Onward and upward! Or should I say ...DOWNWARD...re: the scale!

Lose 5 in 7 - Day 3 late post

2009-04-14T20:47:00.002-04:00

Today did not go as planned, 100%. Had breakfast as planned, then left for the day of appointments and errands WITHOUT MY COOLER BAG! So by lunchtime, I was at Target and starving! I grabbed a $5.00 four pack of Atkins 150 calorie protein shakes and drank two of them. I had the grocery store on my list of stops, but not till the end of the day, several hours out. It just didn't hit the spot. Dinner was as planned.

Because of the five plus hours between meals, when I'm used to a small meal every 3 -4 hours, I'm totally exhausted - and I know it's because of that and because I missed my workout today.

But it's 1/2 (or 1/3) of a day unplanned, it's not a week or a month. Tomorrow's a new day.
Exercise will be whatever the Crossfit WOD is plus a late run. Meal plan for the day is as follows, and will be a higher calorie day to be sure my "organism" doesn't get used to such low calories and start to conserve energy and slow down metabolically. I'll keep my protein level the same and jack up the carbs in the morning and the fat in the evening.

Breakfast: "Gruel", consisting of 1 single serving of Chobani Yogurt, about a cup of strawberries and blackberries, 1/2 scoop of protein powder and 1/2 serving of whole hard winter oats (oatmeal). This is also pre-workout. Maybe even a cup of coffee!

AM snack - post workout: 8 oz milk with 2 Tbsp Hershey's 50% Syrup

Lunch: Left over salmon (about 3 oz) over big salad of spinach, red peppers, onion, carrots, fat free shredded mozzarella cheese with 2 tsp EVOO and balsamic vinegar. 1/2 pear.

PM snack - also pre-run: 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup chopped tomato, basil, salt and pepper

Dinner: Pan Seared Scallops (3 oz) pan sauteed in 2 tsp EVOO with large salad and steamed broccoli.

I'll total calories up in the morning and post them, but I'm estimating about 1500 - 1600, still 120-ish grams of protein, 100-ish carbs and...not sure - over 30% fat.

I'm crossing my fingers on the scale in the morning - worried the Atkins (nothing-natural-in-there) shake may backfire.

Lose 5 in 7 - Day 3 (early report)

2009-04-14T06:15:00.002-04:00

Scale read 128.4# this morning (at 5am, the same time every day). So,

Saturday: 131.4#
Sunday: 130.0#
Monday: 129.4#
Tuesday: 128.4#

First, this supports "logging", tracking or whatever you want to call it - FEEDBACK - in an organized fashion. I use Google 15 on my homepage - which is a simple weight tracking module that gives you a little graph with bouncy balls that bounce up and down on the chart with your actual weight, then a trend line, which is highly motivating, because if you have a blip and your actual weight jumps up a bit on a particular day, the trend line focuses on the week long trend vs. that one day. It's the right way to look at bodyweight if you can't measure bodyfat every week.

Second, and here's the kicker, my workout yesterday PLUS the sandy beach run on Sunday has left my body with a serious case of the aches. I can handle the sore glutes and quads, but all the pull ups left my rt shoulder throbbing and aching this morning (and all night). So I'm adding "ibuprofen cocktails" to my day - 400 mg 3x a day for two days - like an elephant gun of anti-inflammatory OTC meds. The problem with that is that ibuprofen makes me nauseous, but it's the only thing that works. So, weight loss with nausea, here we go!

Sticking with my meal plan for the day - just prepped it in a cooler bag. Will head out for a little cardio on an empty stomach now, then breakfast, then start the day.

I'll check back in tonight with if I got that Crossfit workout in this afternoon or not (it's all overhead stuff, so probably not smart, but then again, this is supposed to be an uncomfortable week - hungry is OK, so maybe sore is OK too! I'll also post my meal plan for tomorrow.

Lose 5 in 7 - Day 2

2009-04-13T19:49:00.004-04:00

Woke up this morning at 129.4#. Down...whew.

Stayed on the meal plan today with the exception of the a.m. snack - had maintenance people in the condo and didn't want to eat in front of them.

Did about 20 minutes of BORING stepper this morning early, then a pretty tough WOD at the gym - only about 16 minutes, but HR was high enough I had to break several times. 600 feet of walking lunges - good workout for legs which were still sore from soft sand run on Easter morning - plus 81 pull ups and 81 sit ups (WOD called "Cough up a Lunge").

Onward and upward! Tuesday's plan:

Tomorrow's a busy day - a few appointments and a MILLION errands! Will pack the cooler bag and take everything with me for the road. But here's the "tentative" plan:

Exercise: Hopefully, some cardio in the morning before the first appointment, then HOPEFULLY, I'll get errands and other appt done in time to hit Crossfit in the late afternoon - but not sure.

Breakfast: 4 egg whites cooked in 1/2 tsp EVOO, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1% no salt added, 1/2 cup strawberries and 1/2 oz slivered, toasted almonds

AM Snack: 1 cup radishes, 1/2 cup carrots and 1/2 oz toasted walnuts

Lunch: 1 can tuna over veggie salad with vinaigrette

PM Snack: 5.3 oz container Fage 0% yogurt

Dinner: 5 oz salmon broiled, served with 1/2 cup balsamic strawberries, 4 oz Brussels sprouts

and...sf jello!

This will give me about 1100 calories (I'll do a pre or post workout shake if I workout to add calories), 120 grams of protein (44%), 57 grams of carbs (21%) and 37 grams of fat (30%). I'll be busy so won't focus on the hunger so much. The likelihood of making the workout is slim, so I'll plan on jacking up the calories and the activity on Wednesday.

So, that's the plan for the full Day 2 (Tuesday). Heading to the fridge now for jello - lots of jello!

How to Lose 5 Pounds in 7 Days

2009-04-12T22:00:00.001-04:00

That title outta get ya! It's certainly got me!

I have tried to keep most of my topics, thoughts and rants inclusive of education or teaching, usable information, reviews of mainstream media and motivational musings that might overlap my lifestyle, but would also be sources of ways to include more physical activity, healthy food choices and positive "you can do it's" in all of our lives. I see this series as a real-life motivational "you can do it" with some education and aggressive examples thrown in for good measure!

This will be a bit of a continuation of my March 21st Blog Dueling Turtle Doves & Strong Women. In it, I skimmed over a personal issue where I was still frustrated that I just hadn't accomplished losing that last "four" pounds. I have pretty much lived for over a year at four to five pounds above my ideal weight, and that day it just happened to be four. Since then, in over a week of low levels of exercise, high levels of calories (and not necessarily healthy calories), spring break, family visiting...healthy living and healthy choices can get away from you - they certainly got away from me. And since I'm such a HUGE advocate of using the bathroom scale (though I am still, and will always be deathly afraid of it), this is the perfect example of what happens when you (I) don't use it! Had I gotten on that slick, glass Tanita two or even three days into the week, I'd have caught this before it became an overwhelming and wardrobe affecting five pounds above where I was complaining to be at on the 21st, and a whopping 10 pounds above my ideal. This is what I meant by this type of thing getting to point of feeling unmanageable.

The fear of public humiliation always adds needed accountability to my efforts. It's funny, the same holds true with my Crossfit workouts - the fear of posting a bad performance for all to see drives me to do a little better than I might if it was only me involved in the effort and it's outcome. Ironic? No. That's why Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig...and yes, for me, Crossfit workouts, all work. Yes, there's an element of support, but there's also a bit of fear or self-imposed pressure to perform - and perform well. Who wants to show up at a Weight Watchers meeting with your supportive buddies and constantly remain at the same weight or gain weight? As I logged on and posted the other day: The only place success comes before work is the dictionary! Effort yields results. Discipline enhances effort. Motivation drives discipline. Right now, with muffin top in stretchy pants...I'm motivated to put forth the effort to produce the results. So here are the numbers:

Goal Weight: 120# (never quite been there!)
Typical Weight: 123-125#
Current Weight: 130#

And just in case there's one of "those" people out there who might say: "Oh, part of it's just water retention from eating crappy food here and there for a week"...not so. I spent a big part of my life coddled by people who liked to use that excuse, along with "muscle weighs more than fat" - excuses that frankly were just little white lies to make a fat kid feel better. While that might have been the right thing to do back then to spare feelings, right now, as an adult, we have to own our situations. No one can make you feel bad about yourself without your permission, no one can take advantage of you without your permission, and no one can make you fat, period! My husband always ways: "When you're fat, look in the mirror and say you're fat". And I'm sort of saying it now - not necessarily that I'm fat (though I certainly feel it when squeezing into my clothes today), but I'm definitely above my normal weight, and my organism is not comfortable! It doesn't make me happy to be here so I'm going to do something about it. We all could do ourselves justice by being honest with ourselves versus sugar-coating and ignoring our faults or problems - it's not like our friends and family don't see them, they're just to polite to call us out on them. I've been back on track, eating clean but with lack of exercise three days last week, and "healthing" it back up with the diet over the last three days. I bounced between 129.8# and 131.4 - so, drum roll please....the number is 130#!

So, what's the plan?

The plan is the same thing and the only thing that works for most people who lose weight successfully: eat less and be more active. And though there's a lot of media buzz right now about a calorie being a calorie, I can't FULLY subscribe to that, as I do think there are differences in the way people metabolize the three macronutrients. Personally, I don't do well with artificial sweeteners - I like them, but they make me crave more. After I get out of the "fog" of no "sweet coffee & tea", I also know that I do better (feeling & performing) on a lower GI meal plan that's about 30% carbs 40% protein and 30% fat. Lastly, I feel my best if there's a intense workout during the day that lasts at least 20 minutes. So I do better on my Crossfit WODs that are "the girls or heroes" and have to make adjustments on days we do the O-lifts. It's funny, I know myself so well...but I also recognize the weakness where I tend to ignore what's going on to make me throw caution to the wind and overindulge at Maggianos!

So, what's the specific plan?

I started yesterday. Scale read 130.0# even, down from 131.4 #. I split my exercise up yesterday and did a little at the gym in the morning (20 minutes of slow cardio just to get me going) and then ran intervals in the evening. My diet was "fair" yesterday, considering it ended at Hooters! But none of that for the next five days - maybe seven, if we don't plan anything for the weekend. Today my diet was totally clean (eggs/egg whites & veggies & fruit for breakfast, chicken over salad for lunch and ahi tuna, brussel sprouts and broccoli for dinner), but I didn't bother to do a calorie tally. It was low though. I'm feeling it right now! I'll reassess how I did on Sunday of next week and trudge on.

I'm using the St. Pete Crossfit/ RebelHealth Menu of the Week, or MOW, for my diet components and will make adjustments to portions (especially since there are no portions on the menu) and substitutions for higher GI carbs. I'll try to get most of my carbs from fresh vegetables and fruit. I'll also up the mutli-vitamin since I'll be lower than I like with fruits and veggies and whole grains - where I get most of the nutrients my organism needs for all its wonderful parts to function optimally. Here are the components/principles of the plan, and which are a normal part of my family's daily life - just not this past month, obviously!

5 days of concentrated effort: Monday (tomorrow) through Friday.

Clean eating. Whole, unrefined foods. The challenge here? There is ice cream in the freezer, homemade "energy" granola (high carb) in the pantry and a bit of cheesecake left in the fridge. I know myself - if it's there, I'm susceptible to it. There. I've said it out load, let's see if that helps with the discipline - or typical lack thereof! Or, I just got "permission" to throw out all the bad stuff - ugh! I hate wasting money that way. Those Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips are expensive! But after Monday, I may clean house...I mean, clean pantry!

Moderate to low carbohydrate intake (25-30%, or about 90 grams) - consisting solely of fruit and vegetable carbohydrates with the exception of breakfast, where a whole grain is an option. This will put me below one side of a wavering understanding I have of the fuel our brains need to function optimally. Some science states that we need 100-130 grams of carbohydrate for our brains to function optimally. Others say that our brains will function optimally on mostly fat and protein. We'll see if the brain fog rolls in!
High protein (40%, or about 130 grams), which is about 1 gram per pound of current body weight. Chicken, fish, grass-fed lean beef, eggs, Greek yogurt and protein powder.

Moderate to high fat (30%, or about 40 grams), consisting mostly of unsaturated fats - EVOO, healthy fats from fish, avocados, nuts, and eggs. But I certainly won't discount saturated fat in modest quantities.

5 meals a day, attempting no desserts! That's hard for me, because hubby likes his desserts. I'll try to quell the urge for dessert with hot tea - peppermint and vanilla to provide opposite ends of the spectrum. And I'll buy some SF Jello (yes, I know, not exactly "natural") and make it with club soda or seltzer for a kick - and at 10 calories per serving, it'll satisfy that 8pm itch for sweets.

Target for total calories will be around 1300, give or take, and may switch my carb and fat % up and down to mix it up, while keeping protein at the same level.

Exercise: Crossfit daily (M-F), plus as much extra cardio or stairs here at home,focusing there on either slow & over 60 minutes or intervals. Cardio (running, biking, stepper @ gym & steps at our condo) bores me to tears - this will be a challenge. Need a new audio book!

I'll post my meal plan for each day a day in advance, and try to comment on progress as I go. If you'd like to follow along, I'd love to hear your comments/feedback.

Plan for Monday:

Early Cardio (6-7am)
Breakfast: 2 eggs & 4 egg whites in an omelet with 1/2 cup kale and 1/4 cup onion, made with cooking spray; 1/2 cup blackberries
AM Snack: 4 oz (1/2 cup) 1% no salt added cottage cheese
Lunch: 2 oz chicken breast and 1/2 chicken sausage link, 1 cup fresh spinach leaves, 1/2 oz walnuts, 1/4 cup shredded fat free mozzarella cheese (needed more protein), and 1 tsp EVOO in the vinaigrette salad dressing
PM Snack/Pre-Workout: 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder in 4 oz fat free milk; same thing post workout
Dinner: 2 cups soy-sesame kale, 5 ounces of chicken char siu (omit most of honey & hoisin in my portion)

As written, this will provide only about 1080 calories, 146 grams of protein (54%), 59 grams of carbohydrate (22%) and 28 grams of fat (23%) - not what I outlined above, but I kick-start better this way. I think I'll need that Jello, however, after dinner!

Here we go!

SUCCESS

2009-04-11T21:50:00.001-04:00

The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary!

Dueling Turtle Doves & Strong Women

2009-03-21T13:45:00.005-04:00

Now that's a title: "Dueling Turtle Doves & Strong Women". Yes, I made that up myself. Here's what happened. I've been thinking about strong women all week. Women I know that, at young ages, have very mature, motivated attitudes and outlooks. And older strong women who are wise, patient and diligent. All week, I've had this on my mind as it relates to "the last 5 pounds" - or, rather, the 4 pounds that crept up on me over the course of a month of not getting on the scale and being hit or miss with physical activity. Strong women may let that get them down for a few minutes, or a day, but then they figure out all is not lost, get back on track, and within a week or so...viola! Off it comes! But my thinking was along the lines of the fact that there are so many women out there that can't make that succinct determination, and that 4 pounds becomes 8, which becomes 15, an so on. Before they know it, it's unmanageable. Men, on the other hand, or at least the one's I'm associated with, don't have that problem. Most men I know just commit, quit eating (not the right strategy) and viola! Off it comes. Besides the fact that men have a slightly easier time losing weight than women, they also don't have all the emotionally charged hormones that come with being a woman and dealing with excess weight, among other brain-infesting demons! Our hormones give us that emotion, as well as the resistance, at times, to weight loss.

And now, enter the Turtle Doves. This is the connection that spawned the blog. I walked my husband to his car this morning to help pack it up and load his bike so he could go off road biking with friends. There were two Turtle Doves perched about 20 yards apart - one in the parking garage and one by the pool - and they were dueling! I'd not been that close to two of them before, and never had I had the luxury of seeing, as well as hearing them call to each other. It took my breath away. And while my husband was absorbed in other things, even had he been paying attention to them, it wouldn't have affected him the same way. Being a woman gives us the ability to appreciate some truly simple, God-given things! So there's my crazy connection - the fact that I was so taken by those birds brought to mind the innate difference between men and women - our hormones and emotionally capacities and differences - and how this allows women to be strong in the same ways as men, yet in different ways than men.

So, back to strong women. My appreciation for them is equal to that of the Turtle Dove's coo - I'm constantly in awe. I see women's strength in three distinct areas: emotional, mental and physical - yes, physical, too. You can be the toughest, most organized and sensitive woman, but if you don't pay attention to your body, I do lose some respect for you. We were given a brain with which to do things, learn things and care for things emotionally, and which we are responsible to ensure it's maintenance and continued development. And we were given a body with which to do things, and which we are responsible to ensure it's maintenance and continued development. And on this body our bones and muscles must be kept strong and able through exercise and movement, as well our organs and other parts must be maintained through the foods we feed it. These seem like primal needs that should be intuitively fulfilled just because of the gift of life. But so many women I know neglect one or more of the things required to keep our "organism" functioning optimally. And it's the women who don't see the need or don't have the desire to maintain one or more of these things, that I have trouble respecting.

The women in my life currently are either all already strong (but of course, looking to be stronger) in all three areas I mentioned earlier, or they want to be strong, and are seeking the means or pathway. I'll admit, I've had a few ladies who I've "cut loose" because they were either toxic, or they just didn't respect themselves enough to try to make a change to move in the right direction. I struggled with the decision to move them to arms length for months, but once I did, it was weight I no longer carried, because if I consider you a friend, I feel a responsibility to you and to your goals as well. So, to all you ladies:

If you're not eating right, get to it! And use your head - no fads! If you don't know what to do, hire someone to show you!
If you're not exercising, get to it! Get outside and run, hit the gym, and if you don't know what to do, again hire someone to show you!
If you're not accomplishing your personal or professional goals, get to it! Write things down, make a list, confide in a friend for support, ditch the things in life that are blocking you from your goals...and if it's still happening...hire someone to help you!

And to all the strong women in my life, thank you for your ongoing and continued inspiration and support. Whether you know it or not, you're inspiring just by being who you are. At any moment of weakness I may have (e.g., that 4 pounds about a week ago), I simply think of one of you and all that you accomplish and it's that strength I draw on to push myself through. I think of my mom-friends that juggle husbands, kids, homes and activities! Talk about overload! I think of my professional friends that make quick, complicated decisions all day and function at levels equivalent to their male peers, all the while also keeping their home lives in order and working smoothly. And these women also take care of their bodies - whether marathoners, Pilate's-nuts, gym rats or my fellow Crossfitters - they leave nothing behind and love to sweat! I draw from the strength of all you! Thanks!

How Diversified Is Your Diet?

2009-03-11T09:30:00.000-04:00

I love this word: diversity. Every time I hear "diversity", I think about newness, variety, no boredom, blah, blah, blah. It's a good word! So, speaking of diversity…not just what you eat, but why you would want diversity in your diet (or rather, why wouldn't you want it)…just how diversified do you think your diet is? And why would this be important?

First, let's define diversity. Diversity is defined as:

the state of being diverse
variety, multiformity
the point of difference
differing from one another; unlike
composed of distinct or unlike elements or qualities

I prefer definition numbers 2 and 5 as it relates to our diets. "Variety, multiformity" and "Composed of distinct or unlike elements or qualities".

As usual, let me digress, but at least with a related point. Monthly, weekly, daily, my husband labors over ensuring our financial portfolio is well "diversified". He keeps me in the loop, which I appreciate, but he manages this process for our family. One day we were discussing it, and I commented on how the need for diversity is pertinent not just in our financial lives, but also our social lives, our diet, our intellectual well-being, and so on. For instance, as it relates to our social lives, I would hope we all surround ourselves with friends of diverse backgrounds, likes and interests, intellectual and emotional levels, and socioeconomic levels. Exposure to all of this makes each of us more whole...more "worldly" and aware...and less isolated. Or, from an exercise and physical activity standpoint, diversity keeps our minds engaged in the activity so that we don't get bored with the "same ol'", as well as keeps our bodies "shocked" by not settling into one mode of exercise. We benefit and progress from a variety of exercise styles, resistance levels and intensities as opposed to one sole mode, load and intensity (and of course, I whole-heartily subscribe to the Crossfit "mode" for exercise - more on that later in "How Diversified is Your Exercise Routine?).

Back to food - the same concepts about diversity hold true with our diets. Variety is key in both combating boredom and in ensuring we are our healthiest. I think many people don't see variety as a health factor, but rather an option, a trivial choice or even a luxury. Simply put, however, you cannot eat the exact same food every single day and be as healthy as someone who consumes the same macronutrient profile (% protein, % carbs, % fat) and total calories, but with a variety of food types. And this is key in making healthy choices, influencing our family's choices, maintaining and interest in the wonders of whole foods and their value, and also in weight management.

You know, I'm sure, that other countries...healthier countries... don't see food the way we do. The Chinese surround mealtimes with ancient rituals that envelope their social and spiritual beliefs. Many European countries still eat from the land and embrace the old style of family and "block" lunches and dinners - and yes, they often take time away from work to actually sit down and eat lunch- they're not known for eating at their desks over a computer. Now, I know America is different. Heavens, are we different! Everything is faster, more stressful, more metropolitan/urban, less rural...and also, let's face it: less healthy! I bring up these ways of eating to lead us into a thought process with respect to diversity in our diets. Perhaps by acknowledging that other countries do things a bit differently in this area, and are healthier, we could humble ourselves into discovering and embracing new ways of approaching our diet, meals and planning so as to improve the quality of both our overall nutrition, as well as also our family life and social lives.

The scientific rationale for having diversity in your diet is, frankly, the easy part. In a nutshell, our bodies need a variety of nutrients in order to perform and function at optimum levels and to produce "robust health". Different vegetables and fruits provide different micronutrient (vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants) profiles. By getting a variety of fruits and vegetables in our diets, we fulfill a fuller spectrum of these micronutrients. Whole grains, nuts and seeds provide a myriad of natural nutrients, including B Vitamins, fiber, iron, magnesium and healthy fats. Seafood, poultry, lean beef and pork, eggs and dairy also provide valuable complete sources of protein, healthy and essential fats, as well as other vital nutrients. It would be too lengthy to do this for a whole day’s worth of meals, but let's imagine a diet that day after day our breakfast consisted solely of one type of cereal, a splash of milk, an apple and a bit of yogurt. And I mean day after day...the exact same thing. Not only do we become apathetic about breakfast, but it becomes routine, robotic and there is no appreciation for the fact that what you're ingesting is not only keeping you alive, but supporting your ability to do all of the things you want to do that day. Imagine if it's a day you have a stressful meeting or a really fun activity planned - going into that event knowing that your body is optimally fueled should provide an added level of confidence (like high octane gas in your car versus regular unleaded). Unfortunately, McDonald's or Chik-fil-a drive through takes less mental energy, and here we sit. Bummer!

I recently attended a continuing education seminar where a boring, nutrient deficient diet was described as a "beige diet". Great analogy! Here, the presenter used the color of the foods we consume, versus the my focus on a limited variety or the same foods, to paint a picture of a nutrient deficient diet. Think about it:

bread/bun (beige)
french fries (beige)
mac and cheese (beige-ish if it comes from one of those boxes)
chicken nuggets (beige)
pizza (beige-ish)

Not only am I yawning, but gross! I'm sorry, but you can call me a bit of an elitist with food, the fact remains I couldn't gag down a chicken nugget or a fast food carton of french fries if I tried!

Now, let me paint a different picture - a healthier picture:

strawberries (R)
oranges (O)
bananas (Y)
asparagus/green peppers (G)
blueberries (B)
grapes/beets (I, V)

I'm trying to "paint the rainbow" (ROY G BIV) of colors we can find in our food, and to quickly help you recall what we all heard from Saturday morning cartoon commercial: eat a rainbow of flavors...oh no, that from Skittles, isn't it? Well, let’s adopt it and forget about the Skittles! But let's don't stop with the rainbow. There are so many other non-colorful foods that are just as nutritious: ...shrimp, corn, , milk, eggs...get the picture?

Another experience I had related to variety or diversity happened a few months ago. I was coming home from the market with my “shopping cart” of groceries (I live in a high-rise condo, and toting multiple bags typically requires a cart), and I end up on the elevator with an acquaintance from one of my local gyms. She’s an incredibly fit older woman, who I’d had enough conversations with to know she struggled with her weight, as had I, and that her diet is where she’d struggled in the past. She was a fan of health food store fads: “cilantro speeds your metabolism”, or “juicing is the way to go” – oye! In fact, this is a woman who stated emphatically

“If there was a pill I could take to provide me with enough nutrients, I’d take it. I hate food and hate having to think about it.”

Once again..Bummer! I really felt sorry for her. I felt sorry that I see her slave away at the gym – over an hour a day walking (nope, not even jogging) on the t-mill, over an hour a day lifting weights - slowly – same routine – light weights – moderate reps. I know this blog is about nutrition, but come on…you’re not going to achieve your ideal physique or robust health with that exercise routine. My point is (though again loosely sewn to this story), I almost believe, and I have no data to back this up which is why I say “almost”, that the enjoyment of knowing what we’re nourishing our bodies with has some positive psychological, and therefore physiological, effect on our health. A great example is that strawberries are currently in season here in Florida. When I see those incredible, succulent red berries with their little “Plant City” stickers, my mouth not only waters, but I can almost feel my body craving the vitamin A, C, B6 and potassium. Or when my husband and I go out for a nice dinner, I invariably order a Kobe or Wagyu beef carpaccio or tartare, and once again, I can almost feel my body sucking up the protein, iron and B vitamins. My muscles scream “Holy Cannoli! Now THIS is nourishment!” Can’t you just envision them? Little plump hamstrings and lats singing: “box jumps and burpees and pull ups – oh my!” – bring it on! Maybe that’s just me, or maybe I have found and felt the physical and psychological connection between a high quality, diversified diet and robust health. Think about it…

Donating to "the cause"

2009-03-01T21:21:00.002-05:00

RebelHealth Chick has been distracted lately. I've had too many issues swirling around in my head and haven't been able to complete a thought. This, however, is one that is heightened by both the healthcare crisis as well as the recent financial crisis. (Crisis, crisis, crisis...I wonder how many times a day that words creeps into our head from the news? Anyway...)

Have you ever gotten slammed in the head by one of those "ah ha" moments? Well, I was driving home the other day, thinking about two friends who are walking in one of the breast cancer walks and it hit me - not totally or specifically about "the cause" of breast cancer, but somewhat. What hit me, specifically, took me back to a donation I had made last year for a friend's daughter who was jumping rope for the American Heart Association. I felt like a tidal wave of "donate for the cure..." causes came to mind, and frankly, I got angry. I started thinking about "the cure" for heart disease, lung cancer, type 2 diabetes, ...and to a certain extent, for breast cancer. These first three diseases are truly classified as lifestyle-related diseases, and with many forms of breast cancer, lifestyle factors such as poor nutrition, sedentary lifestyle and and obesity contribute directly to this disease as well. My anger came from the thought that we're donating money to cure diseases that are preventable. Why aren't we donating to "the prevention of" versus "the cure of" these diseases. It seems to me that if we took steps to prevent the disease, there would be no need to cure it. But perhaps that's too simple, or too logical. Or, get real, right? That's what politics and lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry are for!

I went to the American Heart Association's (AHA) and Susan G. Komen's website to see if I could determine to what area (research, community education, treatment) donations actually go. A portion, approximately 30% (if I'm correct in my math -they make it difficult to decipher from the Annual Reports - and I welcome correction if I'm wrong) of the donations made to the AHA do go to community education and awareness. While this is admirable, heart disease is one of the conditions with so many risk factors related to lifestyle, I would have hoped the percentage of funds for prevention would have been equal to those for a cure or treatment. Heredity, age, sex/gender certainly may not be preventable or modifiable risks, but physical activity (exercise), a diet low in saturated fat and high in fresh fruits/vegetables/whole grains/lean protein, not smoking, maintaining a healthy BMI...all preventable. And I say "MAY not be preventable" in relation to the non-preventable/modifiable risks, because you are deemed to be at risk for heart disease if a first generation relative had a cardiovascular-related incident before a certain age, but what if their lifestyle contributed to the condition, and not heredity. Then, you may not be at risk if you don't make the same poor lifestyle choices. The same goes for lung cancer and high blood pressure - both diseases with preventable risk factors. And honestly, I didn't have the patience to dig through the Annual Report at the Susan G. Komen site.

So, now, every time I see a "donate to cure (insert name of disease here)", I look at it so very differently. I don't want to donate to pay, or even be forced to pay through taxes (Medicare/Medicaid) or high healthcare premiums, for other people's poor lifestyle choices. I'm not sure, however, what the answer is. So many Americans make not just poor, but the absolute wrong choices related to smoking, drinking, diet, physical activity and stress management, and they arrogantly refuse to make the right choice - even though the length and quality of their life depends on it. And frankly, it's not just their life, it's their family's life, as it's their family members who will be caring for them in poor health as they age with the diseases they caused.

We need to donate more toward the prevention of lifestyle-related disease, versus toward pharmacological and other medical treatment. I'm not saying not to donate to the cure at all, as so many people already suffer from these diseases, but to put more energy into prevention would reduce the incidence of the disease, thereby reducing the need for treatment/cure.

As I commented (or more likely ranted) in an earlier blog about "scrutinizing", employ some objective, distanced, critical thinking the next time someone asks you to donate "for the cure" - make sure you think how many ways the cure for that disease may not be needed if preventative strategies were more aggressive.

Eggs or Egg Beaters

2009-02-22T16:25:00.004-05:00

I certainly have regard for our governments' caution flags related to general health metrics, recommended levels of nutrients, and clinical studies from which they base their recommendations. Mind you, I said "regard", not high regard. I believe these guidelines and recommendations are truly based on scientific research, but I also believe there are political influences on that research, and therefore we may be swayed in one direction or another to benefit, say, The American Dairy Association or The National Cattlemen's Beef Association. It is for these reasons that I heed the information provided to us as Americans, but also do my own due diligence with a critical eye.

One of those areas I'm mindful of, but still cautious of, is dietary cholesterol levels. Should I eat eggs or Egg Beaters?...and if I choose eggs, how many per week?...and what happens if I eat too many eggs?... The issue with eggs is the saturated fat (and hence, cholesterol) contained in the yolk. Here's a little breakdown on our friend, the egg: Of the 5.5 grams of fat in the average large egg, 2-3.5 grams (depending on the source) are saturated and found in the yolk of the egg. Saturated is the kind of fat we're supposed to limit in our diets to less than 10% of our calories per our "American Authorities". Additionally, of the 210 mg of cholesterol in the average large egg, all of it resides, again, in the yolk.. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that we consume no more than 300 mg of cholesterol per day, and if you have heart disease, no more than 200 mg per day. Dietary cholesterol, or that which we get from food, is considered a non-essential nutrient because our bodies (mainly our liver) manufactures all we need on its own. If you're interested, you can read more about what the AHA has to say about cholesterol at their website.

So, for those who consume cholesterol containing foods throughout their day (meat, poultry, fish and dairy) and who regularly have 2 eggs for breakfast (=420 mg of dietary cholesterol), you're exceeding the recommended limit before lunch...that is if you personally subscribe to the recommended limit. Now, enter the egg substitute.

I think Egg Beaters was the first, or one of the the first, "brands" on the market, although now there are several. Each grocery chain probably has their own generic version as well. The egg substitute concept made loving the taste of eggs without the yolk possible for many Americans. By taking just the white of the egg and adding coloring (of course, because if it's yellow it will taste like an egg), flavoring (to simulate the palatable, umami-like fat "feel" we get from the yolk) and, of course, preservatives. For most of us, the scrambled egg substitute takes hauntingly like whole eggs when served up scrambled.

The questions that arise from making this change to better our health by, once again, eliminating an alleged disease-causing natural food from our diets are:

Are we truly concerned that it is the saturated fat in the yolk of that egg that contributes to heart disease. Unlike other saturated fats (butter, animal fat), that yolk isn't solid at room temperature...heck, it's not solid at refrigerator temperature.
Are we at all concerned that whoever created the chicken that laid the egg we want to eat may have intended for us to ingest the nutrients from that yolk? I've only commented on the bad so far, but there's a lot of good in the yolk of that egg, specifically a decent source of phosphorus, selenium, folate, B12, vitamin D and Riboflavin, among others.
Why were our grandparents, who had less of an incidence of heart disease, able to eat whole eggs daily for breakfast and not suffer the same incidence of heart disease that our generation(s) do?
And finally, why do other countries who consume whole eggs daily, not have the same fear of the yolk as we do, and don't have the same incidence of heart disease as we do?

All of these are questions you need to wrestle with on your own, and determine what you feel is accurate, health-oriented and honest research/data. Personally, I hate wasting the yolks by cracking the egg and separating it just to use the white. But I hate using a man-made egg substitute even more. And really, I'm not so sure about the whole yolk/cholesterol thing. We're running our own little test case on this, as my husband, with a history of heart disease on both sides of his family, has returned to consuming whole eggs in addition to the other sources of saturated fat in his diet. Prior to this change, his cholesterol levels were perfect, certainly after a huge correction in his diet and activity level (See "Congratulations Hubby"). So, in about three months when he has his annual physical, we'll see what the results are.

In the meantime, use what we are given by the government as guidelines, throw a few egg whites in from time to time for balance, search for quality sources of eggs when eating the entire egg (organic, free-range/cage-free, antibiotic free, etc., etc., etc.). You have to feel good about the reason you make your choice, not because a label says "our chickens are raised in Ritz-Carlton-like facilities with rolling green pastures on which they run and are fed only the most natural foods". The choices you make for the food you eat and the food you feed your family are 100% within your control.

Packaging Human Motivation

2009-02-19T20:45:00.000-05:00

Whenever someone figures this one out, license it because it's worth a bundle!

Human motivation is not objective. It is about as predictable and controllable as the weather! Individual personalities, preferences, ground-in lifestyle habits (both conscious & unconscious), hormonal fluctuations (men, too)...all affect our daily, and at times, hourly motivation to accomplish our goals. Think about it: you start with a planned day at work - a list of accomplishable goals for the day. Invariably, one or two items get pushed off to tomorrow because they either weren't important enough to complete today or because you just didn't feel like tackling that task today...not necessarily because you didn't have time to complete it/them. It's funny how yesterday when you planned today's list, that task was more important then than now. And why? Perhaps yesterday you were motivated to have that task off your list and today you changed your mind. There was a different motivation when you came to that item today. I do it all the time: my schedule indicates several things to address or do today, and those I don't get to, I "slide" to the next day with the touch of a finger...Apple makes it so easy to procrastinate!

Now, I know that there are a thousand - OK, well maybe just hundreds - of terms to describe the phenomenon I just illustrated, but I like human motivation, or the occasional lack thereof. A friend of our family's who happens to be an accomplished orthopaedic surgeon and entrepreneur tipped me off to the problems associated with human motivation as he worked diligently to perfect a home exercise program for patients with post-op total knee replacements - not that the program wasn't perfect, but patient compliance with the program was always the variable and that which could not be predicted. Patients are being instructed on the importance of this type of program from medical professionals. They are being told that the degree of their recovery, specifically how much they can bend and straighten their knee, pain and stiffness levels and overall daily functionality, is dependent on their compliance with the program. But, everyday patients rationalize within their own little brains why they just didn't have the 10 minutes to complete their exercise this morning and/or this evening. And now they wonder why they don't have the outcome that their physician predicted and that they expected...and they probably blame their doctor. Human motivation. Personal responsibility? Connecting intention with execution. We can't predict outcomes if the subject is non-compliant. It was this specific orthopaedist who stated "If you figure out how to package human motivation, it's worth a million".

I also remember several years ago after attending a seminar on Fat Cells and Disease - I approached a friend with all of the facts I'd acquired. I told her how excited I was to communicate these facts to potential clients, friends and family, because once they knew the health-related consequences of how metabolically destructive fat cells are (in excess), they'd surely WANT to change their behavior patterns, exercise and eat right. Her response, though crushing, was an eye opener. "Knowledge does not equate to behavior change. How many nurses do you know that smoke?". She was right, but I just couldn't fathom why. And I still can't. Although, our occasional trip to Hooters for wings and beer still thrills me, and I indulge, even though I know the potential effects of the deep fried wings on the health of my arteries. I also still harbor ill-will toward people who've wronged me in the past, even though I know that type of stress is dangerous. I still don't get enough sleep, even though I know it's critical to my health. And I still occasionally avoid hard workouts, even though I know they are what will take me to next level. Why? Lack of motivation to progress or to do the things I know are right? Naaah - why would I lack motivation for those things? Why would anyone? Rather, perhaps, I lack motivation to do those things because I can.

This all remains a mystery and a highly studied topic in the realm of behavior modification. The only conclusion I can make is that we lack motivation in certain areas because we can. If the US was not democratic, but rather socialistic or totalitarian, we may be more "motivated" to do certain things, as there would be mandates and government control, not just oversight. Health has begun to be patrolled in some less democratic countries such as Japan, as the government began measuring waistlines and enforcing mandatory nutritional counseling to manage their rising obesity problem (partially created by our "western" fast food infiltration of their society). I bring this up with caution, and will be brief in ending. With the state of health in the US where people are allowed to make poor lifestyle choices related to nutrition and physical activity, and where taxpayers who make good choices in those areas end up paying higher taxes due to rising insurance, medical and pharmaceutical costs (among other things) as a result of the poor health of those who chose poorly (long sentence! whew!...and drum roll...I can't believe I'm going to say this:)...would it be so bad to have more government involvement in "motivating people" to make the right choices? Human motivation to be healthy...do we have a right to choose not to be healthy?

Appreciate Your Failures

2009-02-17T14:24:00.004-05:00

In my 20's, I certainly did not like to fail, nor did I find any appreciation of the concept of failing. Today, however, I have a growing admiration for failure. If you haven't failed, you haven't tried. If you do fail, at least you know what doesn't work. The more you fail, the more you know about what doesn't work. And the more failures you have (subsequent to the number of attempts you make, of course), the more successes you will ultimately accrue!

The same holds true with both fitness and nutrition/cooking. With fitness, driving your intensity up to the point of failure every once in a while stimulates your metabolic systems to a level they aren't used to reaching, thereby creating change and growth. Maxing out to failure on, say dead lifts, may not be enjoyable on that last, lightheaded repetition, but that max weight and subsequent failure have primed you to do better the next time you do them. (Can you tell that's what I did today? Failure #1 (with a PR attached to it!)) The ability to approach your workout without fear, anxiety or apprehension as to it's difficulty level is the key to "super-fitness". It's something a lot of people struggle with. There's an ongoing joke at the gym I train at: "how many times do you have to pee before you start a hard workout?" The standard answer for a select group of brilliant and incredibly strong women is "a lot"! But we do it (both pee a lot and train hard) - and they're stronger and better for it. No fear of failure, once you get started.

With cooking...ah, the fear of failure again..."that's why I don't cook - I don't know how". No, rather, we're simply afraid of failing. What happens if it doesn't work out or if it's terrible? 1-800-PIZZA HUT! But really, every time you fail in the kitchen, you learn something that no cookbook can teach you: what not to do! If you fail at the same thing enough, you'll eventually get it - or, you'll look up the process and correct what you're doing wrong. The best education is hands on/immersion. Sometimes, especially in the kitchen, having no fear of failure can create the most profound growth. Just today, I was dreaming up a healthy peanut butter and jelly flavored pudding dessert. I thought a puree of peanut butter, seedless black grapes, yogurt and cottage cheese, sweetened with a bit of honey or agave would be fantabulous! After assembling and pureeing the choice ingredients, the flavor was certainly there - but it was too runny and I wasn't sure if it would set up. I knew flour and cornstarch weren't the answer (from past failures), but Google told me to try a bit of plain gelatin dissolved in boiling water. And I had gelatin! I also had those little 8 oz shaker cups I use to make mini-protein powder mixes in the morning. So I nuked the water to boiling, added the gelatin, put the lid on it and started to shake it up. Are there any science-geniuses out there that have been thinking..."DON'T PUT THE LID ON IT!" since I typed the words "put the lid on it"? Yep, it exploded sticky boiling gelatin water all over me, the cat, the cabinets, the stainless steel front of the dishwasher, the TV and the floor (Failure #2). Heck, it's probably on the ceiling as well, but I won't know until it dries and turns yellow with age. My point to this is that one serious failure that took me 20 minutes to clean up and left me with runny PBJ pudding (still), taught me a lesson I'll never forget. Sure, I was upset with the mess, but later was laughing at my own stupidity.

I guess the point is that our fears truly hold back our full potential with just about everything in life. I am solely speaking from within the realm of health, but the concept applies to our careers, our relationships, our faiths, and so on. We need to figure out a way to humble ourselves and look for ways to fail, and after the failure, embrace the emotion of accomplishment versus embarrassment. I know there are several books written on this topic. But from a health perspective - drive yourself to failure every once in a while. The surge of energy and pride in the volume of effort you put into that failure should be reward enough!

Back at it! Topic: Scrutiny

2009-02-13T04:59:00.005-05:00

OK, I'm back at it, and going to try to commit to this every morning, if nothing else, to purge my swelling brain!

It's every day that a newscaster illuminates us with the brilliance from some single study (backed by "who knows") that exercise abates hot flashes for women in menopause, eliminating or reducing fast food for kids helps battle childhood obesity, eating more fruits and vegetables may prevent many types of cancer, reducing calories to "within your normal limits" can yield weight loss, increasing exercise intensity can improve your fitness levels or better yet, improve insulin sensitivity and lessen (or dare I say it... CURE) Type 2 Diabetes), or that the phytonutrients and/or antioxidants in various types of fresh/whole foods can yield specific benefits to our bodies (beta carotene for eye health, lycopene for prostate health), etc., etc., etc.,

My comments: "No kidding!", "Duh", "And your point is...", "Don't we already know that?", "Didn't we learn that in kindergarten?"

Come on people. Why are fascinated that the most obvious things-the things we already KNOW we know-are good for us. And why do we swoon over "a university study" that tells us what we already know? Pull your shoulders back because you already know it, AND DO IT!

Better yet, why don't we crinkle our foreheads and cock our heads to the right in suspicion when we hear about a pharmaceutical industry-funded study that reveals a "magic bean" (a.k.a. a pill) can do one or any of the same things I mentioned above? Or that a supplement (funded by the company producing or selling the supplement, of course) containing an extract of, or derived from a natural food we could ingest, such as Vitamin C or Cinnamon, can cure...whatever...and we buy into it.

I think I started last year with "back to basics". That's what's going to improve our health and create overall wellness.

Eat whole, natural foods.
Eat only enough to satisfy your energy needs for the day.
Eat a variety of foods to obtain the myriad of micronutrients offered to us by nature.
Move. Be physically active. Sweat.
Be an example for the young people in this country. Be healthy.

In a nutshell, be a critical thinker when listening to news related to health and nutrition, question everything then go find the answer (this would be called exercising your brain!), be smart when researching the answer (don't believe everything you read), be an example and eat healthily most of the time, and exercise.

It's not hard. We all know it. To quote Nike's cliche: Just do it!

IT'S OFFICIAL!!

2009-01-14T19:11:00.002-05:00

Hello again!

Well, the way-to-long hiatus has finally paid off. Today, Jan. 14th, a few weeks BEFORE my 40th birthday, I sat for and passed my ACSM Certified Personal Trainer Test. If this is what "taking a load off" feels like, I highly recommend it!

So, now, to put in motion the all the planning that I had done prior to putting the emphasis into the certification (cart before the horse!) - I'm in business!

Stay tuned for regular science-based, creative and motivating information on how to eat better, get fitter, be healthier, and feel better - all while loving every minute of it.

Here's to an uber-healthy 2009 and beyond!

Scissors for Christmas?

2008-12-04T07:16:00.004-05:00

Yes, it's been TOO LONG since I've been here and laid out new information, education and my thoughts on all that's been going on in health and fitness news! And yes, my title of "Scissors for Christmas?" is serious. And frankly, they are connected: what's been happening in our society and my recommendation to purchase scissors as Christmas gifts. Let me explain...

First, my two month hiatus from blogging has been due to an increased focus on studying for my ACSM Personal Trainer Certification Test. My goal of completing the certification before my 40th birthday is about 60 days away - hence the lack of activity here!

Next, let me explain my Christmas plan for 2008 that lends itself to the "Christmas Scissors idea". My husband and I have spoken to just a few friends about this so far, but have confirmed with parents and siblings, and made the pact within our family of two people and one feline, that we will not be purchasing Christmas gifts this year, other than for my husband's daughter and our new little nephew, Jack. Last evening, we also made the decision not to send holiday cards. Even by downsizing from our usual Christmas Card Project (which was always an event in of itself) to a postcard, we felt that the postage funds should go elsewhere. This year we have committed to taking the money we would have allocated on gifts, cards and postage, in addition to the time we would have invested shopping for the gifts and planning the card, and will be 100% focused on helping families in the Tampa Bay area who have been hit by hard times this year and this season. We are committing time and money to two local organizations to help specific families with dependent children have a true holiday, rich with warm food, Christmas decorations, gifts for the children - as well as the parents. We will take a small part in celebrating Christmas with these families, as well as volunteer time to help prepare and serve meals.

Now, what do the Christmas Scissors have to do with all this? Well, this morning as I was eating my chicken and veggie omelet, drinking my green tea and reading the paper, I found a few ads:

one for "$10.00 off your visit" to Smokey Bones, an Applebees/Bennigans-like chain of sit-down fast food,
one for my local Surf & Turf market with great lean beef, chicken and deli meat (Board Head: no preservatives/additives!) sales, and
one for Metropolitan Ministries, advertising that a donation of $1.67 would feed one person an entire holiday meal through Metropolitan Ministries of Tampa Bay.

And the scissors? Last evening while reading the New York Times, they suggested scissors as holiday gifts...for coupon cutting!!

And so, my suggestion for those of you caught up in the holiday hubbub or those of you who just want to do "something" to serve your community but don't know what to do, is this:

First, throw away the Smokey Bones "deals", chain restaurant dinners with two for one appetizers in exchange for a meal at home with healthy food choices. You'll save money, even considering the coupon, and you'll actually know what you are feeding your body! Or better yet, get together with friends and cook a meal together. Congregate and celebrate - it doesn't have to be at a restaurant!
Second, buy some scissors. Clip local coupons. And for those of you that I have personally heard utter these words: "I don't have time" - forgo your soap operas, Oprah or CSI for ONE DAY, give up one redundant, non-productive telephone conversation, or get up a 1/2 hour early tomorrow and just do it. Excuses are for the weak. Solutions are for the powerful. Clip local coupons for healthy foods and services you use regularly. Save a few bucks!
Third, use the few dollars you saved by eating in and clipping coupons...maybe all of $1.67....to make this holiday a little better for someone who isn't as fortunate. It's not about being frugal for those who are afraid of that word. It's about finding the means and will to help someone less fortunate this year have a happy holiday.

Happy Holidays from RebelHealth. I'm looking forward to 2009 - helping people lead healthier lives!

The Race Is Over!

2008-10-10T08:07:00.013-04:00

Well, the inaugural two-man "Team RebelHealth" completed the NYC Men's Health Urbanathlon a few weeks ago, and I'm happy to say that for two middle-aged adventure junkies, we're now fully recovered! No major injuries: a few bruises and calves so tight and bitey, had we not walked the city for the two days after the race, we'd probably still be walking like Frankenstein! All in all, it was an overwhelming success! We were actually overtained. We could have almost double-timed it on the runs and the stairs, and had we done that, we would have made it to the obstacles quicker and avoided the lines (strategies for next year). The race course was absolutely fantastic, even with the overcast skies and misty rains. We ran from mid-Central Park @ the 72nd Street Bandshell, west to Riverside Park, and then south along the West Side Highway and the Hudson River all the way down through the Financial District and Battery Park, and back up to the South Street Seaport. It was amazing to see parts of Manhattan that we'd otherwise not have seen on foot. We stayed along Central Park South on the west corner and explored the Upper West Side neighborhoods for a few days before returning home - what an exquisite part of Manhattan. Very "not midtown" - very pedestrian friendly! We're planning to do it again next year and hopefully entice some of our friends who don't mind a few hours of glamourless activity added to their day!

I have to give another shout out to Big Frog printers who did our shirts, as well as to Jay @ St. Pete Crossfit, who more than prepared us for the obstacles and for "running when already tired" - his strategy. Thanks, Jay!

I got only a few good photos -
this action shot was sort of fun!

As the window of time leading up to the race for next year nears, and the training calendar begins to lay itself out, I'll put the call out to friends, family and clients who might be interested in joining us. It's a little more fun than the standard running race because of the intermittent obstacles, and it's a beautiful time to be in New York City. Until next year...

I Admit It: I Love The Biggest Loser!

2008-09-17T06:56:00.004-04:00

Yes, every Tuesday evening for the past two years I sit motionless, like an L-shaped Idaho spud, and for 60 minutes (really 2 hours on premier night, like last night) watch reality TV. I'm not a huge TV watcher. I have it on most times for noise in the background while I clean, cook or study, but to sit and watch something for an hour...OK, I am committed to a few things: Prison Break and 24, when it returns. But other than those two, and now The Biggest Loser, not much. And, typically, I have a magazine or book in my lap at the same time -I just get bored and restless easily and feel like if I'm not learning something or expanding my brain, it's a total drain!

So, back to The Biggest Loser. I was in awe, and truly learned a lot about human motivation the first time I watched it. I watched couples weep when physicians showed them their mortality prognoses. Husbands said to wives "We're killing ourselves". Daughters said to fathers "I want you to be around to walk me down the aisle". And the most profound statement came from a beautiful young woman last season who weighed in at 221 pounds. I'll never forget one of her interviews when she explained how she had gained so much weight at such a young age. She indicated that she didn't realize it was happening....that it happened "5 pounds at a time". She said she didn't get on the scale often, but when she did, at times, it was just 5 pounds more than the last time, versus 55 or 75 pounds more than the first time. This is a huge testament to weighing yourself every day, but more on that some other day.

This season the contestants are husbands and wives, and parents and children. I was struck by the Brady & Vicki, a couple with an overweight daughter at home - by their worry and guilt for her condition; By Tom & L.T. (Little Tom), the father and son cab drivers whose entire family is obese and whose sole focus seems to be food - and of the physician's dire predictions for their future health. And lastly, Jerry & Colleen, the father/daughter team. There was a father/daughter team that began last season, but didn't make it very far. These two will pull on your heartstrings. Jerry has the most medical conditions of anyone who has been on The Biggest Loser so far, and his daughter's concern for both her own health and the health of her father are wrenching. I know, it's "reality TV", but I'm just not so sure it's so far off what so many Americans are dealing with today. Busy, fast-paced lives driving people to fast food joints, lack of education and knowledge about food and nutrition, and lack of physical activity...all contributing to the self-induced, lifestyle epidemic we are currently living through. Yes, I'm a Tuesday night TV junkie. And yes, sometimes I cry, too - both for the contestants pain, and also for their successes. And YES, I know it's reality TV, I keep that in mind and I'm not blind to flash & glass. I'm also not blind that all these people have to do to succeed (other than play the reality TV "strategy" game when voting others off), is to exercise 6+ hours a day and mostly eat what they're given or what they prepare as a group. Who wouldn't lose weight if this is all they had to do? I hear so many friends say: "I could look like 'her' too if I had a personal trainer"... an excuse, I know, but there is an advantage when someone else helps or pushes you daily.

I won't say much else, other than I do admit subjecting myself to this type of entertainment (can I call it that?) once a week. And it motivates me. Goals can be achieved, and one person at a time, I hope I'm there for people the same way this crazy broadcast is there for these people.

If you have absolutely nothing to do on Tuesday nights at 8pm, tune in to NBC. I will say, however, it does compete with House, which may be a tough sell!!

Compliments.

2008-09-14T21:00:00.004-04:00

Have you ever received a compliment and not been 100% totally sure how to respond? Well, how about a compliment at the giver's expense? Compliments such as: "I'd love to have your legs!". or "I wish I could have a flat stomach like you but I've had two kids". I don't profess these comments out of arrogance, pride or even a lack of humility - quite the opposite. I provide this information out of an honest desire to provide the giver the answer to what they are requesting, which is typically, "How'd you get like that?". I find that often times when people offer compliments at their expense, they are desirous of the magic bullet or the quick route they perceive is the answer...and it's never a quick route...it never,ever is. I do it all the time when I admire something about someone else - but I've also become quick to begin my compliment with "I'm humble enough to admit" for example "... that I envy your lifestyle...or that I'd love to have your abs."

A few months back my husband and I were at dinner and while in the ladies room, two women approached me and asked who did my hair and who my personal trainer was. That made me stand up straighter and pull my shoulders back! That was a great night! It felt good, but at the same time, I was being asked for a solution to two things: either a new hair style or color, and how to shape up and get leaner. I was only prepared for the first question. It's easy to roll someone else's name of your tongue (my hairstylist), but how do you say, without sounding arrogant or less than humble, that my body is my own masterpiece, and it's a work in progress? (Ooooo - I like the way that sounds - a work in progress!). Maybe that's just how you say it. But to offer that information, you're almost acknowledging that the giver or the questioner, is flawed and that you have the answer.

I am 110% overly sensitive to the feelings of those around me - which is probably why I abhor people who lack humility, a natural sense of "realness", and who ooze arrogance. Can't you just envision the slimy green goopy arrogance oozing from the pores of someone who just feels or acts superior? Ugh!

I recently read that an appropriate response to a compliment at the giver's expense, such as those I mentioned above, is this: "Thanks, but no body's perfect." And how true is that! At the gym today, I was flailing through an unplanned workout, which is simply the worst feeling. I was ending with a few sets of split squats on the Smith Rack with very low weight. I noticed that the woman on the leg press next to me was watching me. I was totally self conscious, so I made eye contact to ease my own insecurities - specifically because whether it was the shorts I had on or the ice cream from the night before, to me, my quads looked huge today, and not in a good way! I'd seen this woman before and knew her to be new to the gym and from what I could tell, new to exercise. I said hello, and she engaged me with one of those compliments..."Can I tell you...", she said, "...yours is the body I'd love to have". I quickly pulled out my recently learned response and replied "Thank you, but trust me, no body is perfect!". It brought a smile to her face and a nice conversation thereafter. I got her name, and made a nice new acquaintance. And before I ended my conversation with her, I made sure to compliment her back by indicating that I'd noticed how hard she worked when she was at the gym, and at times, I wish I had her intensity. Good deed for the day done - and a true compliment at that.

Compliments are a great thing, when they're not at the giver's expense, unless perhaps qualified or specified. What I mean is that if I'm going to give a compliment, it should be straightforward, graceful or with finesse, and without any attachments. "That color is great on you!". "Your arms look fantastic." "I love your new car! I bet you're really proud!". See, no strings. Not..."Your arms look fantastic. I wish mine didn't look like bat wings", or "I love your new car. It really puts mine to shame." Think about it next time to give a compliment. And if your compliment is truly meant to ask the recipient a question - just ask the question - no need to belittle yourself. Find a bit of old Ben Franklin's humility. You will feel better because you organized your words a little more strategically, and the recipient will feel better, as it's easier to answer a question than to defend the compliment so that you can spare the implied insecurities of the giver.

How Our Nutritional Choices Affect the United States' Healthcare System, Part 1

2008-09-10T08:24:00.010-04:00

I have had this on my mind for a long time and have struggled with how to speak to the subject without sounding aggressive, accusatory and frankly, mad. But yesterday my husband brought home a brief article from AOL Money & Finance entitled "McDonald's same-store sales rise in August". He had circled a few things and made comments in the margins. It was, to some extent, cathartic to see his passion for the topic and disgust with what we both see is occurring in the United States.

The article basically reports how McDonald's same-store revenues rose globally by 8.5% in August, even with "most restaurant chains experiencing slower sales this year as consumers cut back on discretionary spending due to high gas prices, tight credit and the weak housing market." McDonald's credited the increase to:

the dollar menu,
the breakfast menu (great...the most important meal of the day is being eaten at McDonald's...excuse me while I collect myself...),
the Olympics campaign for the "Southern Style Chicken sandwich and biscuit",
the nationwide advertising of the $1.00 Sweet Tea,
and "everyday affordability"

I need to stay focused on the above to try to explain where my growing frustration comes from, and then I'll dive into the guts of how this affects our health care system.

So much for the abundant nightly newscasts and concerns over obesity, Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc., etc! The article indicates an increase in sales numbers, specifically an 8.5% increase globally, in some areas of Europe an increase of 11.6%, and in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa, same store sales rose 10%! I notice the quote "everyday affordability" as one of the reasons people patronize McDonald's in this tough economy, but what is the price you are willing to pay for good health?

My frustrations come from the following moral standpoint:

doing what's right versus what's en vogue
doing what's right versus following the masses
doing what's right versus doing what's trendy
doing what's right versus what the television advertisements tell you is right
doing what's right versus doing what you perceive is easy* or convenient*

And this is not to say that many Americans simply are not educated as to the nutritional lack-of-content of this type of fast food, and I've said before that if you aren't educated on a topic or don't know something, it's difficult to change behavior surrounding it.

Both my husband and a friend today threw another dart at my theory: that perhaps Americans just don't care...don't care that the food is unhealthy, bad for you, causes poor health, contributes empty calories to your diet, is loaded with unhealthy fats, sugar, refined carbohydrates in high quantities, and contains nutritionally-deficient macronutrients such as chemically-laden, factory farmed meats and pesticide doused vegetables...don't care? or just don't know. I shudder at the word ignorant as I find it an offensive word, but my husband uses it so freely in conjunction with people who are uneducated on the intricate and even basic nuances of diet, nutrition and physical activity, that I had to get a better definition. Merriam-Webster defines ignorant as:

1 a: destitute of knowledge or education ;
also : lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified
b: resulting from or showing
lack of knowledge or intelligence 2: unaware, uninformed

So whereas the term ignorant does apply to those who simply don't know better, I'm going to use the term uninformed, unless, of course, there is a bit of arrogance mixed in with that ignorance, at which point I will use the term(s) arrogantly ignorant (a very unattractive adjective)!

Perhaps people don't care because they don't see the link between this type of eating or these types of nutritional choices (because no one's forcing them to eat from fast food restaurants) to the universal cost of health care and the fact that we (my husband, me, you, my friends, my family) all pay, in dollars...CASH!...for these choices. How? Well first, let me say other countries are already doing it, and are already putting pressure on citizens to make better choices because of a rise in lifestyle-related disease such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer (and this is per the CDC, not my opinion!) and the rising cost of health care, which is already government funded. Don't believe it? Check this out: Japan, Seeking Trimmer Waists, Measures Millions. In an nutshell, Japan is getting fatter and unhealthier due to and increasing "western" influence as it relates to fast food and nutrition. Because Japanese citizens health care is either covered under public health care or through their work, the government instituted an annual waistline measuring campaign for citizens between the age of 40 and 74 with limits placed at 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women. If their waistline is above the limit, they are referred to nutritional counseling, or if the problem is not resolved, financial penalties are to be placed on the companies and/or local governments. Americans were so disturbed and affected with the fact that China could have done this, it made national news! But I digress. We have an impending promise from both presidential candidates to institute some form of universal health care. Universal health care is health care coverage which is provided and most times, mandated, to all citizens of a country. Funding of Universal health care is typically by the government, taxation and/or some private/public industry (employers). As health care costs rise, taxes usually rise to accommodate the increase. We already participate in much of this financial responsibility for the health care of our citizens through the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and through the monthly premiums we pay for our health insurance coverage...we pay, whether we use it or not! And I won't even comment on how much we, as taxpayers, pay out in taxes to cover those who have elected not to carry health coverage whether it because of cost or choice, as they use emergency rooms (admitted as uninsured) and local clinics, which are subsidized by our tax dollars. So, you don't think or believe you could end up paying for your chronic McDonald's' habit or your neighbor's chronic Checkers or Wendy's habits? The financial impact to us could be likened to what's happening with our current mortgage industry. And while I'm not a financial or business wizard, I've kept up on the subject (who can't, with it being in the news everyday).

It's the Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac issue. In another nutshell (and nuts are great sources of healthy fats, remember??!!!), our government has taken control of these two mortgage giants who own or guarantee 50% of our country's' mortgages. Once again, through taxpayers dollars, the government will provide financial aid to subsidize these companies, most likely to the tune of billions of dollars. So, again, you and I are paying to help support Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, even if our mortgage doesn't happen to be with them and even if we aren't having financial problems that put our homes in jeopardy.

My growing frustration and analogy to the McDonald's article and healthy living is about making good, educated decisions for the health and welfare of yourself and your family, and NOT expecting others or the government to fund your poor decisions. Many food choices are made because consumer are "uninformed" because someone told them it was their best choice...just like many citizens who were bamboozled into signing a mortgage they could not afford. Many people, however, make a choice to eat unhealthy, to smoke, or drink excessively and yet complain about the cost of health care. Many Americana's were acutely aware they couldn't afford the lifestyle or mortgage they agreed to and now complain of their dire straits.

Daily choices have consequences that require ownership. As insignificant as a single choice may seem (lunch at a fast food restaurant), made over and over, it can have a major impact on your health. Frankly, the same can be said of your life, relationship(s), marriage and/or career.

Do what you wish, eat what you like, but don't ask me to be responsible for your choices and decisions. Be accountable for your actions, and the consequences (short- and long- term) of your actions.

*Note the asterisks way up in the beginning of the blog where I tagged the words easy and convenient as it related to the fast food breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Getting in your car to drive to the fast food restaurant, through the drive-thru to pick up your fast food, and then back to the office within the hour or half-hour you get for lunch is not only a poor time-management decision, but also a poor environmental decision with the price of gas and our overuse of gas-guzzling, polluting vehicles. Easy and convenient, from my standpoint, would be to use the 1/2 hour the day or night before that you usually spend on the couch in front of Oprah or a soap opera or a gossip show (or heaven forbid a repeat sitcom) to plan your breakfast and/or dinner and pack your lunch for the next day. During that hour or half hour you get for lunch, now you can read the newspaper, catch up on that book you've been wanting to read or to socialize with other health-conscious friends. Maybe you'd even have time to take a quick walk or climb some stairwells before you eat, to combat our ever-so-increasing sedentary lifestyles. Yes, planning takes time, but it's also smart and a necessary part of eating clean and healthy. No less important in my mind than cleaning your toilets and taking out the trash. The are essential chores, and you do them because you have to. Ronald McDonald isn't going to take out that trash, and the dude from Wendy's isn't going to clean your toilets. Maybe they shouldn't be who you rely on to provide food for your body or that of your family.

I'm anticipating Part 2 of this topic to be a personal challenge for those who choose fast food because of the "everyday affordability". I'm going to see if I can price out breakfast and lunch at McDonald's (because of the dollar menu), and then try to feed my two person family on that cost for 3-5 days from the grocery store and my typically planning, excluding dinner because I think it's simply ridiculous to spend good money on a dinner out at a fast food restaurant - geez!

Stay tuned!!

RebelHealth Runs, Jumps, and Climbs Tall Buildings!

2008-09-09T12:00:00.002-04:00

On Saturday September 27th, my husband and I will be running in the New York Men's Health Urbanathlon. It's a combination of short distance running and urban obstacles. In between each "leg" of running (about 3 miles) is an obstacle of some sort: culverts to crawl through, cargo nets to crawl over, head-height hurdles to climb over, walls to scale and lastly, 50 flights of stairs (up AND down) of the World Trade Center #7. This race is mostly men, although in YouTube videos from last year's race, I did see a few women participating. For me, it'll be about simply finishing!!

I'm excited to announce that we will both be running in Under Armour / RebelHealth attire!! Introducing the first RebelHealth shirt! And yes, that's my hunky hubby modeling his black and white version. We were just back from the gym and when we photographed my shirt (the color version), the image from the neck up...just wasn't something I was interested in publishing! But seriously, a big shout out to BigFrog in Clearwater, FL. Nate jazzed up our shirts in no time flat. Thanks!

I enjoy entering competitions like this for several reasons. First, it's definitely going to be a physical and mental challenge for me. I get bored with exercise routines easily, and the training program for this race, although I haven't followed it to the letter, was somewhat fun and definitely functional - lots of functional exercises! Second, it's and opportunity to seriously rely on my hubby - he's a great motivator - and probably the only one, other than my brother, that I'd trust to get me through this type of course. And lastly, it's an opportunity to get away for a long weekend, see a show, hoof it around the city like we so love to do, and be active, all at the same time. My kind of time away! Semi-healthy and fun!

Adventurous vacations are a great idea, especially if you've fallen into a rut of doing the same things over and over. Taking yourself out of your comfort zone is a great way both enhance the vacation experience and invigorate your fitness routine. The Internet is flush with companies offering packaged adventure vacations like rafting, hiking, biking, skiing, climbing...you name it and there's probably a company who'll set it up for you. Even if it's just taking an exercise class that you've never taken before at your vacation hotel - mix it up! Both your body and your mind will benefit.

So, wish us luck on the last three weeks of training, and then on race day. Pray for no blisters, no face-plants and no"tripping" up the stairwells - and for strong hearts, lungs and muscles!

How Clean Are You Eating?

2008-09-08T20:41:00.003-04:00

A few nights ago, my husband and I were headed out to dinner and a movie, and he asked: "Knowing what I know, and that I think we currently eat pretty 'clean', could we possibly eat any 'cleaner'?"

Though I know my personal definition of clean eating or eating clean, I dug a bit to see if there was a general consensus. Obviously, there is no Merriam-Webster definition for the term or concept, however, generally speaking around and about the Internet and health & fitness magazines & industries, clean eating represents a lifestyle of making the most wholesome nutritional choices for you and your family. I wouldn't say that it encompasses supplementation of any sort, because if you are eating clean, you are ATTEMPTING to get as many essential and beneficial nutrients needed by your body from whole foods.

But what exactly are "whole foods"? Good question. Based on each individual's level of education about food & nutrition, your definition will vary. You can't achieve a higher level or more healthful level of eating if what you don't know what that consists of and what the underlying science behind it is (again, I warn against magazine snippets that say "STUDIES SHOW:..." - what study? how big? how long? blind, double blind? controlled? who funded it?...), and the more you know, the more you will be aware of what "the masses" don't know. You can't eat healthier if you don't know what healthy is.

For example:
If you don't know that Crisco or lard is a saturated fat and that it's inferior to monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (if you even know what these are), you can't make the proper selection.

If you don't know how many calories are in the foods you prepare, you can't say "I eat 1200 calories per day".

If you don't know the definition of processing and refining, you can't say I eat all natural, unprocessed and unrefined foods. Heck, cheese and milk are refined (cultured and pasteurized, respectively), as are vinegar and ketchup, and I wouldn't say they are excluded from someones diet who is a clean eater.

We probably do need to break down each of the components of clean eating, which, stepping backwards for a second, would consist of consuming whole foods. I like the definition Wikipedia provides for whole foods:

Whole foods are those that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed
and refined as little as possible before being consumed. They typically do not
contain added ingredients, such as sugar, salt, or fat. Often confused with
"organic food" (i.e., organically-grown food), whole foods are not necessarily
organic, nor are organic foods necessarily whole, although they do share a
number of traits, such as an avoidance of chemically-assisted agricultural
techniques. Because of the lack of basic processing, many whole foods have a
very short shelf life and are not easily sold outside of farmers' markets.
Examples of whole foods include unpolished grains; fruits and vegetables;
unprocessed meat, poultry, and fish; and non-homogenized milk.

For some, it is preferable to eat whole foods raw to obtain the maximum nutritional benefit, although this raises concerns of food poisoning. Whole foods are easily assimilated and absorbed readily by the body. Whole foods are nutrient rich and are thought to promote health because they are a natural source of vitamins and minerals. The term “Whole Food” has been known to describe any food that offers a complete balance in nutritional value while in its natural state. Whole foods typically include any raw fruits and vegetables, as well as nutrient-dense nuts, seeds and sprouts. Some contend that it is preferable to eat whole foods raw in order to obtain their maximum nutritional benefit.

Now, specifically speaking about each of the major components of our diet, let's take a look at what eating clean in each of these groups would entail.

LEAN PROTEIN
Specifically, lean protein in it's most natural state, meaning minimally processed, without chemical fillers, preservatives, etc. I say minimally processed versus processed here because most all animal proteins are processed to some extent. I suppose if you kill your own chicken, pluck it, skin it, wash it and then cook it - yes, chicken can reach your plate unprocessed - but how often are many of this doing it ourselves? Because it has to go from the farm to the factory where it's "processed" from it's live state into that which we consume, it is processed. What we strive to achieve is minimally processed here. Lacking preservatives and fillers, injected water and salt, and definitely without breading, coating, seasoning, etc. We want to do this part ourselves so we can control the components of the flavor, versus succumb to whatever stable chemicals the manufacturer uses to flavor it. When shopping, this would exclude pre-packaged deli meats, although there are a few, Boars Head for one, that claim no nitrates, sulfates, etc.

Let's prioritize within this category with this in mind: "the fewer the legs the better" - in other words, fish, shellfish, beans/legumes and eggs are tops (no legs). The healthy fats in the seafood, the added fiber and nutrients in the beans & legumes, the high quality protein in the egg white and the high quality protein and the vitamins & minerals in the egg yolk (just watch the quantity of yolks if you have high cholesterol) make these rank at the top of the list. Chicken and other two-legged protein rank in second place, with the leaner options being better choices. And, finally, our standard four-legged beef, pork, etc. are still in the mix, just try to plan for them less frequently than the others. Don't get me wrong, I love beef, and think it's an essential part of our diet - but I choose grass-fed, lean cuts, and / or go for bison or other free-roaming rumen.

And, now how do we prepare our lean protein? Like this: First, we cut the excess fat from it, because fat from meats, though it adds "some" flavor, is saturated. Period, end of story. You can criticize me for trimming every single piece of meat I buy and think "what a waste", but what I see landing on the cutting board is like a totally gross tub of Crisco or lard - greasy, white, thick saturated fat that never breaks down in your body and remains in that solid state forever...Lord only knows which branch of your arteries (legs, heart?) it's going to stick in today! Second, we choose natural, flavorful spices and herbs with which to season the mean to add flavor if we so desire. And third, we either bake it, broil it, pan sear it, roast it...whatever, but with healthy oils - no solid fats. Why in the world would you add back an unhealthy fat to something you just rid of it? And healthy oils are our friends! Olive oil, canola oil, safflower oil...all great ways to cook your lean protein and add healthy fats to your diet at the same time.

VEGETABLES
Again, in their most natural state. Frozen is great too, as the flash freezing process tends to preserve many of the vitamins and minerals. Just be sure to pay attention to the EWG's Pesticide List and choose organic when pesticide levels in standard grocer's chosen produce is high.

Also, use variety as a strategy in your planning. Variety will give you a more diversified blend of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients and all the other healthful benefits of vegetables. Try new things, even if you don't know what to do with them. If you're reading this, you have a computer. Google your new vegetable's name plus the word recipe and you'll be flush with options! Tonight, for the fourth time, I tried to add butternut squash to our dinner. I have wanted to add it for a while, but couldn't find a way to prepare it that rocked my world. But I found a recipe in First Magazine, of all things - grocery store checkout line pick up - and there was a little snippet recipe for butternut squash fries. Tried it tonight and without telling my husband what they were, he guessed sweet potato fries and loved them. Hooray, squash now has a new place in my vegetable drawer! And it only took four tries!

Vegetables are carbohydrates, but their counts are very low, and they are good sources of fiber. Fill up on them. Try two sides of veggies with dinner versus the standard starch. I know people who blindly, because that what they've always done and that's what their mother did, will base a dinner on protein, starch,...and starch. No non-starchy vegetables! Make non-starchy veggies a priority with the dinner meal as opposed to other, higher sources of carbohydrates, especially if you tend to be sedentary after dinner. My least active time of the day is after dinner, and I don't "use" much energy during that time, so I load my carbs up during they day when I know I'll need and use the energy - find that balance!

FRUITS
And again, in their most natural state. This means not from a can, definitely not from juice and not from applesauce (no skin). Like with vegetables, use the EWG's Pesticide List.

I'm working on some research about the strategic timing of eating fruit, but available time's been low so I haven't finished it, but it is intriguing how the body breaks down fructose as compared to the other "-0se's"!

Always incorporate fruit into your breakfast. It's a great way to start the day, it always "goes" with breakfast, and you need that energy when you first wake up. It's a great snacking option, especially the portable types like apples, plums, peaches, pears, bananas...those that you can eat without peeling or needing a knife and cutting board. And many fruits fit into a light-style or spa lunch such as into any salad, on many sandwiches (apples compliment avocados and many cheese in sandwiches, wraps and on salads; mangoes blend really nicely with both sweet and salty).

NUTS, SEEDS, BEANS & LEGUMES
Nuts are a snacker's heaven! It is easy to overindulge though, so for me, it's been good to learn how much 1 oz of walnuts looks like, or how many calories (average) in one almond (the answer is around 7) - this way, along with getting healthy fats, dietary fiber and seriously high quality nutrients, I control my calories. Just yesterday my husband and I were heading out to run some errands about 1/2 hour before I knew I was "due for food"...and I said, as I was grabbing a medium apple (not small- didn't have one- see "Fruits & Vegetables are Carbohydrates" on June 16, 2008 blog):

"Will you grab me seven almonds?".
"Seven?", he said? "Exactly seven?".
He smiled slyly, because he knew he'd done the very same thing at some point!

I chose seven almonds (@ 7 calories each = 49 (OK - about 50 calories)) because I knew the medium apple was around 120 calories, and I just needed about 200 calories as a snack to get me through till we could get home and I could make a good lunch. Why 200? Because I have spent (or "invested", is probably a better word) the time to understand calories - the calorie content of food and how many I need for meals and snacks. The great thing about this investment is that it's a one time investment. Once you know your main food choices, you don't have to re-invest, but rather, just use the information to make a lifetime of healthy, educated decisions! So, with my personal snack total at about 200 calories (2-3 snacks a day), my apple and almonds did the trick on the fly. Voila!

Beans and legumes are just simply smart, high quality food choices, and are so incredibly easy to add to your diet. And yes, you can use the canned kind for a time saver, but look for those with no salt added. Eden Organics has a great selection.

For breakfast, add them to scrambled eggs or omelets.
Lunch & Dinner, add to soups and salads, smash into paste and lather on sandwiches or in wraps, or create an entire side with beans or added beans.
Snacks - hummus! It's really catching on! And unlike Salsa, which some "profess too loudly" as being a "perfect food" for many reasons, you can eat hummus with crudites (raw veggies), whereas I don't see many people eating salsa with veggies as the dipper. What do they dip with? CHIPS! Ugh, don't get me started.

WHOLE GRAINS
Whole grains are just that: the whole grain, which includes the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Can't picture it? Think of a whole kernel of corn. With it's outer hard "shell" (bran), it's inner "body" (endosperm), and the tiny little "seed" (germ) in the lower center of the kernel. This is an all inclusive grain! Common whole grains that you can find in your supermarket or better yet, your local health food store, would be whole or steel cut oats, brown rice, barley, bulgur, kamut, quinoa (although this is technically a seed), millet, and so forth. Many of these may sound Greek to you, but trust me, search them out and use them just like rice. Some of the larger kernels like kamut and whole barley (not pearled - it's got the bran removed) can take a good bit to cook, but it's worth it for the nutrients and fiber. Just manage your time well, take advantage of overnight soaking and make a large batch for the week so you always have a grain available.

So far I've only found one brand of processed or refined breads/wraps/muffins that uses no flour, but rather sprouted grains. I don't know how they do it, but Food For Life brand has wraps and bread that have the most incredible ingredient list - I couldn't make it more natural or taste better myself! I just pulled out the bread from my freezer and take a look at this: INGREDIENTS: ORG SPROUTED WHEAT, ORG SPROUTED BARLEY, ORG SPROUTED MILLET, ORG MALTED BARLEY, ORG SPROUTED LENTILS, ORG SPROUTED SOYBEANS, ORG SPROUTED SPELT, FILTERED WATER, FRESH YEAST, SEA SALT. I love this!!! I can pronounce every ingredient and see no chemicals!! (can you tell healthy stuff gets me excited?)

OILS (GOOD, HEALTHY FATS)
Olive oil, canola oil, safflower oil, flaxseed oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, corn oil, sunflower oil...all great sources of mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Use them to cook with (pan saute), bake with (spray on meats to seal in juices), dress salads, add body to soups and salads. You don't need a lot, because at 9 calories per gram versus 4 calories per gram for protein and fat, a little goes a long way in controlling calories. But use them - don't deprive yourself of healthy fats, but do deprive yourself of unhealthy fats!

You can also get good fats from avocados, walnuts, peanuts, almonds, and many of the fatty fishes.

Well, I've covered all the components of what I consider "clean eating", but what I didn't mention is the opposite. I always prefer recommending what TO DO versus what NOT TO DO, but I have to make a few mentions...

In restaurants other than health food cafes, you can bet that if you order a wrap of any kind, it's a flour based wrap with little nutritional value - and may be worse than bread. I'm not saying bread is bad, either. When we dine out at a nice restaurant, I will occasionally dip a lovely piece of bread in some olive oil, but it's not Wonder Bread and it's not butter. But back to the wraps - even if it's green or red (spinach or tomato, respectively), avoid it.
Choosing restaurants - choose wisely. Most chain restaurants and middle of the road restaurants order their food in bulk or from the franchise, and it is not fresh, it's not made to order, and it is full of unhealthy fats, preservatives...you'll actually probably never know how bad it is for you. Rather, use eating out as an occasion versus something to do tonight because you don't know what to make for dinner. (Manage your time and plan, people!) Go to quality restaurants where everything is made to order, and where the restaurant gets is produce, meat and/or seafood locally. These tend to be the finer restaurants, but you can ask specifically how things are prepared and make requests that are honored, versus run through a cook line.
Boxed foods are typically over-processed, over-refined and contain way too many ingredients we can't pronounce! Mac & Cheese, cereal, pasta, crackers, cookies, most bread, most wraps, any meat that's pre-breaded or pre-marinated, packaged lunch and deli meats, and so on. Basically, when shopping at the grocery store, stick to the perimeter where you'll find milk, cheese, yogurt, kefir, eggs, lean protein sources (beef, chicken, pork), fruits, and vegetables. Then, hit your local health food store for bulk grains, seeds, and beans.
Chips: Pringles, Tostitos/Doritos, cheese puffs (although I do think the leopard on the Cheetos package is enticing!) - take them out of your vocabulary.

And by the way, the movie we saw that night when I was asked the question about clean eating was Traitor with Don Cheadle - really intense, but really good, and I think we had sushi and wine for dinner.

Onward we go with healthy choices!

The Side of the Box Holds More Value than the Front!!

2008-08-27T08:44:00.007-04:00

I was recently having a great conversation with my "little brother" - 22 months littler - about whole grains. We were chatting about all the crap that the food industry dishes out to us to confuse us or coax us into buying a product with the claim of better health via a known "good-for-you" nutrient, such as fiber. Recently even I was deceived by the "front of the box" because I wasn't fully educated as it related to the "side of the box", specifically fiber claims. There is a bevy of advertising out there claiming the health benefits of the fiber content of a food product: granola bars, cereal, yogurt, even ice cream! Ice cream and yogurt with fiber? Give me a break!

I subscribe to a great monthly newsletter called Nutrition Action Healthletter. I've received it for some time, but last year it gained further credibility with me when a seasoned and locally well-respected registered dietitian that I studied under recommended it as well. Also recently, Nutrition Action has done a few exposes on artificial sweeteners, food additives and most recently, "fake" fibers, as I will call them. And to my surprise, I had been had! Polydextrose, maltodextrin and inulin are a few of the chemically modified starches and substances that are being added to foods. They can be classified as fiber because the modifications made to them prevent our bodies from absorbing them. Interestingly, because they're not whole grain fibers or fibers from real foods, the research that proves fiber can aid in weight loss, lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of certain cancers, like colon cancer, doesn't apply to these additives. The manufacturers certainly want us to think their fake-fiber-containing-products carry all the health benefits of whole grains, however. I had purchased Thomas's English Muffins containing inulin as the added fiber, and one of the higher fiber cereals with the same claim, containing polydextrose and chicory root extract, I believe, as the additional fiber sources. Bummer!

Personally, for my husband and I, I want our nutrients to come from whole foods whenever possible, not fake-anything. And the only way to ensure this is to read the label. The front of the box and all of it's claims are where the "flash & glass" are. But it's the side of the box - not just the "Nutrient Facts" required of food manufacturers - but the ingredients list, where the truth lies. I look for products with the fewest ingredients, and those with which I'm familiar. And I don't subscribe to the adage I hear from so many: "it's so confusing" (waaaah!), "I don't understand or know what any of those ingredients/chemicals are" (waaaah, again!). Well, if you can drive a car, use your ATM at the checkout and operate a cell phone, I'm sure you can find a computer and Google the words, ingredients or terms you don't know. I carry a list with me a the grocery and pencil and check off my list as I go through. If I come across an ingredient I don't know, I write it down. Or if I bought the product, I have it with me, and I look it up when I get home. It's not that hard, it just requires a little diligence, but only once! You end up learning, and not becoming an excuse-laden victim.

So, kudos to both my brother and I, for being humble enough to admit we'd been had, but smart enough (even though he's smarter than I am) to continue to dig and learn about what's healthiest for our families. And his growing family has more at steak than my immediate two person and cat family, as his little one year son, Jack, needs to grow up a healthy little boy so he can take care of his aunt as she ages! (Check him out at his "Jack Attack" blog - he's adorable!)

BF's 13 Virtues, Good Nutrition, & the Masses

2008-08-21T03:36:00.011-04:00

Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues to live by. Ever heard of them? Most probably have not, and I for one, am not the type to be enamoured by this, specifically because they are steeped in history and a history buff I am not! However, they do pose a thorough but crisp list of adjectives that, being very self-critical, self-analytic and self-aware, are, in of themselves, a complete section within my personal goals. Here are the 13 Virtues by which Ben Franklin tried to live: (1-8 are Personal Virtues and 9-13 are Social Virtues)

Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.

Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.

Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates. (Socratic Humility (with help from Plato): What is most important in managing change is to know when (and what, if possible) you do not know and to keep an open mind. In effect, remain a bit humble and always examine your own revered truths. Conversely, a wise person also knows what she/he does know. As you can see, the two dicta are inter-related. If one is to continue the process of examination, then one must also be humble, in the Socratic sense. In other words, if you think that you know more than you do, then examination is not going to occur. Examination requires a certain level of Socratic humility, i.e., knowing when one does not know.))

I love studying human behavior. Why people do what they do, say what they say, think what they think and act the way they do intrigues me. What are the underlying feelings that cause these actions? - right, wrong or socially appropriate. And by socially appropriate, who determines this? The masses? Typically, because we live in a world of great mass - there are 6.7 billion people in the world -about 3 hundred million of them are in the United States! To live as a society, I supposed we have to conform to what is presented to represent the masses, and act in such a way that it doesn't separate or alienate us from the masses. Conformity. What is interesting to me is how all of this is connected to our health (or poor health, as a society), although I'd love to rant about how it's connected to our general social structure!

Let's talk health for the masses. Breaking it down into two basic categories: the good and the bad. There are things that contribute to good health and things that contribute to poor health. And I'm talking basic things like eating healthy and in moderate quantity, versus debating the efficacy of the Jenny Craig over Weight Watchers over Atkins, or the 10 Minute Trainer over the PX90 system (both exercise trends, only one of which is credible, in my humble opinion!). The basic components of the guidelines for good health "for the masses" (this term is starting to tick me off, by the way) would be:

Eat healthy & in moderation
Exercise - incorporate planned, structured physical activity into your daily life
Rest - get enough quality sleep

This is very basic, very simple and I don't know many who would argue that these three things are solid basic components of healthy living and are based in science. The problem lies in our individual definitions and interpretations of each of these items, specifically eating healthy and exercise. (And frankly, if we did that, then # 3 - Rest, might not be bastardized as well with prescription sleep aids! ) We all have our own definition of what healthy eating and what exercise are - and frankly, the "definition" held by the masses is so lackadaisical...ugh! Eating healthy to some is choosing Chick-fil-A over McDonalds, and planned physical activity may be accomplished by walking at a measly 2.0 mile per hour to the mailbox and back. Wala! I'm healthy, right. Good grief!! Science can't seem to wiggle it's way to the front of the line as a priority for decision making, let alone for basing packaged communication to the masses. Perhaps science-based information doesn't fit the mold for the masses, therefore "we" dumb it down, generalize it and bastardize it so it fits the masses and retains some glimpse of what used to be virginal, factual information. And this misrepresentation actually seems to hit us from two distinct sources:

Government. The government has good intentions and good information, but appears afraid to dictate or prescribe guidelines that are "too strict" for fear of non-compliance
Industry. Capitalism rules. We live in America, and that's one of the things we are known for. Industry's, specifically the food industry's, main mission is to profit; and the way to profit is with a "hook" - which molds and mushes basic science up into something that may include a smidgen of science, but is mostly hype - a quick fix, a pill, a miracle cure.

So, what do Ben Franklin's 13 Virtues, good health and conforming to the masses have to do with each other? A lot!

But first, let's talk about Ben. It amazes and inspires me that so long ago, humans were so smart - smarter in many ways than they are today, simply because ego & bureaucracy had not yet become the monsters that I perceive they are today. Of Ben's Virtues, there are a few that fit directly into our perfect personal health portfolio for nutrition (exercise to come later).

Temperance, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Moderation, Industry, Cleanliness and Humility can help us enhance how we eat and look at food in our lives.

(I continue to elude that when someone says "I eat healthy", I smirk on the inside. I can't help it! As I write this, I think specifically of those people - and actually feel sorry for them. )

Temperance-eat not to dullness, drink not to elevation. "Eat not to dullness" could translate as what we know of big heavy meals and the sedative effect. It could also refer to keeping some interest and joy in our meals, as they do tend to be social. By definition, temperance means moderation in action, though or feeling; a habitual moderation in the indulgence of appetites or passions; moderation in or abstinence from the use of alcoholic beverages. By George, I think we have it! Self-discipline is easier enunciated than executed, however. We have the idea, but it appears difficult to execute. I'll reference another blog here (check it out: The Art of Manliness) where the author does an excellent job of defining temperance and our societies out of control relationship with food and drink. I love how he uses fit chef's as an example of someone who relishes the quality of the food, and where the first few bites are savored with no need or desire to gorge themselves. Once again, quality over quantity might help us curb our insatiable appetite.

Order: let all things have their places; let each part of your business have its time. I apply this to the concept (and necessity) of planning. Especially with all of the excuses I've heard, specifically from busy moms, as to why they do the drive through. And for every excuse, I personally know someone who takes the time, or should I say makes the investment in their families health, and plans their week so they can pack the lunches, the cooler bags or the snack packs, so the infamous drive through is not in their weekly plan. Planning is order, order is success. Knowing what is coming up makes healthy eating possible and predictable. Frankly (and I think Ben meant it this way - I'm just applying it to a specific subject), this is the answer to most of life's overwhelming issues - an investment (time, thought) in planning produces predictable results, which reduces stress, disorganization and errors in just about any area. But then again, there are people who thrive in disorganization and chaos - and they're probably the one's in line at McDonalds or Chick-fil-a.

Resolution: resolve to perform what you ought, perform without fail what you resolve. Here's the one that needs support - commitment and staying power to a goal or intention seem difficult in our society. I admire people who say: "I'm going to avoid desserts over 200 calories for a month" and then do it. Unfortunately, there are those (like me) who have trouble sticking with it - and I can come up with every excuse in the book to break it. Human motivation is interesting. This is an area where 3rd party support has become a very profitable industry - Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, registered dietitians - all providing support at a cost - all helping to ensure we keep our resolutions. I don't have a quick answer for enhancing our resolution to eat right. My initial belief was the more people learn the basic science behind real, whole food and all the good it can do to benefit your body, as opposed to over-manufactured, processed or refined "food-like stuff" and all the bad it does to your body, resolution to clean up one's diet would come naturally. I'm not sure if this concept really doesn't work, or if the education is truly lacking. Those that just love Chick-fil-a (not that I'm discounting it) can rationalize that it's one of the healthier, lower calorie fast food options - not a sandwich over 500 calories! While that's one way of looking at it, I personally, immediately, think of that white bread bun, in what type of oil the chicken is grilled in, and that the fries may be cooked in a trans-fatty acid. Three strikes in my book and I'll stop at Publix and grab a yogurt and an apple if I'm that desperate. "Resolve to perform what you ought" - making the resolution is the easy part; "Perform without fail what you resolve"- this is the tough part. Labor on!

Frugality: make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; waste nothing. When related to nutrition, I immediately see how doing good to others or yourself is making solid nutritional choices SOAKED IN SCIENCE versus propaganda (such as snippets from minuscule studies out of Prevention Magazine, the latest infomercial, or what you blindly think is right because that's the way you or your family "always did it"). Frugality is buying a high quality olive oil because you KNOW it's high quality, not just because it's $3.00 a bottle more than the one next to it. Frugality is knowing that the expense of poor health down the road is much higher than the current cost of time for planning and preparing (or pre-preparing) meals, educating yourself on whole foods, learning to read the ingredient list versus the pretty pink bubble on the outside of package that says "low sugar" or "reduces cholesterol". My husband always says about the "dollar menu": "save that buck and bank it toward your emergency room copay when you have your first heart attack as a result of that greasy burger you thought was such a deal". Morbid, but probably true. From a financial sense, Order lends itself to fulfilling the frugality goal. Planning meals and creating a shopping list from that plan will save money. You'll be able to utilize coupons, plan left overs for future quick meals, etc. It's wonderful how two good personal goals can be so interrelated and productive! And I still battle on to prove that you can eat healthy on a budget. Quality ingredients may (and I mean MAY) cost more sometimes, but by reducing the quantity to correct portion sizes, the average American family will see no net increase in the cost of eating healthy, and perhaps a decrease, because all than junk and those $6.00 boxes of cereal are still costly.

Moderation: avoid extremes; forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve. More is better. Quantity over quality. This is the American Way! Translated, however, I think if we all dig in and really look at our insatiable appetite for everything, not just too much of the wrong kind of food, the revelation is that the more we take in, the greater our desire. Obtaining more doesn't appease the desire to have more, but rather, it actually increases the desire for more - a vicious cycle! Related to nutrition, society seems to come up with some darn good excuses for why we are unhealthy and obese/overweight - versus owning up that we eat too much of the wrong things - wow! - that sums it up! Seriously, though, this relates back to Temperance, where restraint is the goal. If we restrain ourselves from the urge to consume mass quantities and replace it with the goal of eating correct portions of high quality, the end result just may be a more satisfied feeling. I know that when my husband and I do go out for dinner, other than an occasional trip to trip Hooters for the novelty, we select high quality restaurants where we can predict the quality of the food. We typically split an entree because of the average portion size, and we relish in the preparation, variation of flavor and presentation - it's an event! It's most likely less expensive than that average trip to Chili's or Bennigans (which I maintain are fast food in a sit down box), more healthy and oh so much more pleasurable! Well, maybe without the wine it's equal to or less expensive than the trip to the chain restaurant - (here I go on Frugality again!) - those types of restaurant entice you to eat more...appetizer, salad, entree, dessert - once again, that insatiable appetite...more, more, more. Next time, go for quality over quantity. You'll be able to taste and eventually feel the difference in your health.

To close out this rather long thought, I have to give kudos to the years of past where the people were as smart, if not smarter than those today. Interesting...same problems, different century! (or decade?)

Oils - Good Fats & Bad Fats

2008-08-10T22:07:00.005-04:00

Oils: the last true food category within the Pyramid. I love (truly love, not sarcastically love) how we have FINALLY clarified this category by it's title.

Oils are fats that are liquid at room temperature, and most of which are good for you - good fats! Fruit (olive, avocado), nut (almond, walnut), and seed (sunflower) oils, plus those from fish sources are all types of fat that are good for you, and virtually all are liquid at room temperature. Good fats include monounsaturated (MUFAs) and polyunsatured fats (PUFAs). And just how good are MUFAs and PUFAs? Well, first, the beter of the two are MUFAs, although MUFAs and PUFAs typically reside together in most oils, along with some saturated fats. MUFAs, have all the hydrogen they can hold on their chemical chains, and can actually increase your HDLs and decrease your LDLs, which as we learned in my "Congratulations hubby" blog, is a good thing! We want our HDLs high (H - for "we want it High"), and our LDLs low (L- for "lousy"). PUFA's are fatty acids that are missing two or more hydrogen pairs on their chemical chains. They can lower total cholesterol and LDLs, which is good, but they can also lower HDLs, and we want them to be higher. Types of oils that you can use that have a low percentage of saturated fat and a higher percentage of MUFAs to PUFAs are Canola Oil, Safflower Oil and Olive Oil.

The bad fats would be those that are solid at room temperature, such as Crisco or lard, and can come from animal sources as well as vegetable sources. Full fat and even low fat dairy, including cheese, are also sources of saturated fats.

Vegetable Oil that has hydrogen added under chemical preparation becomes a trans fat, which is solid at room temperature and considered a very bad saturated fat - worse than a naturally occurring saturated fat, such as those from animal sources*. And now that consumers are getting savvy about looking for trans fats on label by searching for those infamous words: "partially hydrogenated _____ oil", the food industry has "elevated" their game, and now has a new weapon in shelf preservation that doesn't carry the "partially-hydrogenated" label; rather, they are now using full hydrogenation of oils which is more like a saturated fat and is not a trans fat. Therefore, you should still avoid it, but trans fats (partially hydrogenated) remain the worst choice.

Science-based evidence proves that a diet high in saturated and trans fats (more than 35% of calories from these types of fat) increases risks for unhealthy levels of blood cholesterol, and therefore cardiovascular disease.

So, depending on your calorie intake, the government recommends between 20-35% of calories from fat/oil, which is 5-6 teaspoons, daily, with less than 10% of total calories from saturated fats. I just seriously wonder how many of us get most of our oil from good fat sources versus bad?

In my home, I actually have to add nut, seed, etc. oils to our diet to get us up to our average of 20-30% of our calories from oils. When you eat healthy, you "get to choose" where the sources come from, versus having to limit them from and within your diet - how fun!...how fun to get to choose! And honestly, we simply don't miss saturated fat. I use a good EVOO where many might use butter. The quality of the flavor of a good EVOO is unsurpassed - almost like a good wine. In salads, on wilted spinach and on some cruciferous vegetables, I'll drizzle a more potent nut or seed oil like Walnut, Avocado or Truffle Oil, respectively. I LOVE the flavor of Truffle Oils (specifically from O & Co. in San Francisco) on broccoli, brussel sprouts & cauliflower. It's 4 am as I write this - but it makes me salivate to think of that caramelized flavor of the vegetable and the smokey Truffle Oil! The one or two (maybe two) times per week that we include red meat in our diet, I select the leanest cut of fillet I can find, and in the correct portion size, and if at all possible, grass-fed and pasture raised. That's about as bad as it gets. We don't use mayonnaise (my husband hates that "white creamy stuff"), margarine, or eat fatty meats - and no, we don't miss it. It may have taken some period of adjustment, because we didn't always think this way and our taste buds didn't always have this preference, but we do think this way now - and actually get crinkly foreheads when we have to think of eating mayo, butter or anything that looks or sounds like lard. I remember hearing once that you can set a can of Crisco or lard out on a shelf in your garage and it can stay there for 100 years - it won't change, and not even the cockroaches will touch it. Ugh! Then, recently I learned a little mental trick or visual aid to further gross me out against saturated fats. This came from one of the instructors I work with from my local county extension office. One of the educators describes "fat", specifically how much saturated fat you take in, this way: "For each 4 grams of saturated fat, think about taking a teaspoon and scooping it out of a can of Crisco and eating it." Excuse me while I barf! Think about it - look at the saturated fat content in that bag of potato chips or jar of mayo, or the package of butter cookies - some may have 12+ grams of saturated fat in one serving - trade that teaspoon of lard for tablespoon and get ready! See, it doesn't take much more than a visual to turn you off of what's bad for you and onto what's good for you!

*There is a trend that has been emerging for several years now that is as refreshing as a meadow breeze - particularly a meadow that has cows grazing in it for the duration of their flesh-building lives. Grass-fed cows have lower levels of bad, saturated fats and higher levels of a good fat called conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA. Grass-fed beef used to be the only way cattle were raised and fed, much like how free-roaming western buffalo are still today. Now, however, cows may see grassy pasture for a tiny spec of their lives before they're herded into factory farms and grain fed the rest of their lives. I highly recommend Michael Pollan's book: The Omnivore's Dilemma - very good reading.

Addendum to my June 16, '08 blog "Why Does Alcohol Make You Hungry"

2008-07-26T21:29:00.005-04:00

I love to learn! I wish I had had this insane craving to make sense of what I hear or to understand things down to their most basic elements as a child and young adult- I'd probably have been an engineer or a scientist of some sort if I was more focused . At any rate, I was with my husband at a seminar recently when I learned about the liver's role in glucose production, and immediately I realized that my June 16th blog was incomplete.

In addition to that information, there is another character in the mix, which totally completes the story. So here's the scenario: It's 3pm and you're on a virtually empty stomach - 3+ hours since you last ate. You either have "one of those days", or you're like me, with such an appreciation for the smooth tannic taste of a big, bold, chewy Cabernet blend or the refreshingly crisp-dry tingle of a Pinot Gris in the summer - a glass of vino sounds ever so appealing at this point because you've learned to make an experience out of a glass of wine and view of the Gulf of Mexico! At any rate, wine, specifically dry wine, is very low in carbohydrate. Why didn't I pick this up in my June 16 blog? Shoot, we might as well debate why carrots or radishes make us hungry when we eat them, versus a low carb wine!

Well, there is a science-based reason for this "phenomenon", and it's because of the liver's role in glucose production. Who knew? (I sure didn't, and I'm certainly not afraid to admit it!)

So, let's recount a bit: What I had known to date is that the pancreas (a small organ situated near the stomach & liver) secretes a hormone called insulin. Insulin is released based on the amount of glucose (converted from the foods we eat) in our bloodstream. The insulin hormone is the key that opens the muscle and fat cells to allow glucose to enter to be used for energy and/or stored (as glycogen) for later use. Insulin basically ushers glucose out of the bloodstream and into our bodies cells, both for energy, and to ensure there isn't too much glucose circulating in our blood, which in of itself causes bad things like kidney dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, arteriosclerosis and premature aging, to name a few. Got it? Me too!

The liver also produces and stores glucose, and releases glucose when you are not eating, or between meals when blood glucose levels may drop below what is normal for your body. The human body cannot go 8 hours without glucose. We (humans) were created with a bit of a compensation mechanism where the liver is able to produce small amounts of sustaining glucose throughout the day and night to keep enough glucose (energy) for survival in our bloodstream. Our brains need glucose to function, as well. When we start eating, the liver "gets the message" and stops producing insulin. It resumes when blood glucose levels are low.

If, however, we drink alcohol on an empty stomach when the liver is active producing glucose (among it's many other talents), the liver must stop its task of producing glucose to process the alcohol, as it is the only organ in the body that can break down the alcohol circulating in your blood and process it. Detoxification is one of the functions the liver performs for the body - and apparently it can't do two things at once!

So, we're on an empty stomach and our body is void of food and the liver is providing us with the glucose we need in our blood stream, which is preventing the dreaded low blood sugar symptoms - and all without our thinking twice about this process! I must digress:

It is amazing to me - all the things our bodies naturally do to try do to keep us healthy and functioning at an optimum level (like maternal instincts)! Yet a big part of our society disrespects the body and feeds it crap - overprocessed, unnatural crap - that makes it so difficult for our bodies to do their jobs. Imagine if we thought this way: the systems in our bodies are what keep us alive! These intricate systems help us feel good so we can go to school, perform our jobs well to make money to support our families, play softball with the buds, care for, play with and nurture our kids. Because of all our bodies do for us, in turn, we treat our bodies well. We consume whole foods from naturally occurring, earth made sources - without chemical or pesticides to reduce the natural vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids that we get from food; we give our bodies enough rest, and exercise our bodies to keep our bones and muscles strong and our joints fluid. What would happen if we all thought and acted this way? American might not be one of the fattest and self-inflicted disease ridden countries in the world - and I did say "one of the", as I know we're not the only one. End digression.

Our amazing bodies are just doing their jobs - keeping us feeling healthy and good...which is why we probably want that glass of wine: we feel good - ahhhhh, more pleasure! So, we have our wine. The liver stops producing glucose to process the alcohol, and since the wine is seriously low (1-2 grams) in carbohydrate, there is no longer a source for glucose in our bodies (no food, no liver-produced glucose), and we finally DO suffer those low blood sugar symptoms - particularly HUNGER! Wala! I'm sure it's oh so much more technical than that, but in a layman nutshell, there it is. Nuts and low fat cheese...great pairings for our glass of wine, and a much needed preventative snack for alcohol-related hunger!

Protein: Meat & Beans

2008-07-26T20:28:00.002-04:00

Well, after a much needed study hiatus, I need to focus back on the Pyramid. I want to get through this, because since I started this summary of the guidelines, so many things have happened that just erk me to the ends of the earth -and they all apply to the way we eat: kids on statins, hypertension, insulin & acid reflux meds, an unfortunate exposure to the American Diabetes Association pre-diabetes education class where diabetics and pre-diabetics were almost led to believe that a carb is a carb...whether whole grain toast or a freakin' chocolate chip cookie!!! My forehead is forever creased after that class!

At any rate, Meat & Beans are the protein category of the Food Pyramid, and in my unqualified opinion, it's underrated! But then again, I tend to be more physically active than the average American, so perhaps that's where my discontent comes from. Plus, I think that Americans are generally sedentary today, as compared to the days of our parents or their parents, which should direct the macronutrient profile - versus a generic model that is similar to that of 20 to 40 years ago when we were more active, and used up ALL THOSE CARBS!! Sorry to digress again...so, meat & beans - just like they sound. Meat encompasses all animal flesh: beef, poultry (including eggs) , pork, seafood, and the less common meats such as buffalo, venison, lamb, etc. Obviously our choices should be as lean as obtainable. Beans are beans, including tofu, & peas (and these guys serve double duty in the Vegetable Group)! Nuts & seeds also fall into this category because of their protein and healthy fat content, which is good for vegetarians or those who try to go meatless for a day or two during the week.

The Pyramid recommends an average of 5 to 6 ounces per day for women and men, respectively. Studies tell us that protein is satiating. Studies also tell that when we snack or even have a meal, if we include lean protein with a carbohydrate it curbs the general hunger that follows an all carbohydrate meal or snack. Fat and protein are more satiating than carbohydrate alone.

For most, protein seems to be the easiest component of the Pyramid to figure out. The problems come about when we don't make lean selections and when we do make selections, we select too much according the Pyramid. The American Dietetic Association recommends between 10 and 35% of total calories to come from protein. But how many people can mentally break statement down and apply it. Here are two examples:

First, for a 1500 calorie per day diet (which is about what I take in @ 120# and with an activity level classified as very active). 10% of 1500 calories is 150 calories from protein, or 38 grams. How much is that in ounces? One ounce is approximately 28 grams. Holy cow! That's a little over an ounce. Can someone please make the "wrong answer" buzzer noise!!!
35% of 1500 calories is 131 grams, or 5 ounces. This is more like it - at least for an active person. Actually, it's about what I take in - only I estimate it a bit differently: I try to get 1 gram per pound of body weight - specifically for the type of training I do. And truly, in my weight loss efforts over the past few years, this is one of the key components to my success, with the others being to increase exercise intensity, ensrue that most of my other nutritional choices wholesome and to cheat once a week (on purpose).
So, let's do a 2000 calorie diet, which is where my husband falls (or a bit more). 10% of 2000 is 200 calories from protein, which is 50 grams or 2 ounces (ugh!). Imagine where all the other calories are coming from...and imagine worse if a person is sedentary!
35% of 2000 is 700 calories, or 175 grams of protein, which is 6 ounces. Again, more like it!

The ADA goes on to recommend that for recreational exercisers, 0.5 to 0.75 grams per pound of body weight is enough (I'd error on the high side). Endurance athletes are recommended to take in 0.6 to 0.7 grams per pound of body weight, and body builders or those trying to gain muscle mass and who train intensely are recommended to take in 0.7 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight.

Don't forget that there are other sources of protein that you may be getting from your diet that fall outside the Meat and Beans Group. Milk, yogurt, kefir and cottage cheese supplies about 6-10 grams of protein per 8 ounce serving. Whole grains, specifically quinoa, brown rice, bulgur, kamut, whole wheat, millet and barley provide a good, quality source of up to 7 grams of protein per serving. So, it is easy to get protein in your diet. I think that each person has an individual threshold of the amount that works best for their body chemistry and makes them feel at their best. My husband knows within 5% if he's low or high on protein each day - he just feels it. The more in tune with your body, especially if your diet is clean and free of processed, refined junk, the easier it is to tell what it needs to function at its optimum level.

I do love this category! It's what we as Americans have been taught to base our meal planning around. Just make sure your sources are lean and of a quality nature!

Dairy & all its splendors

2008-07-10T04:44:00.002-04:00

Dairy products are such marvels - coming from animals that also provide us with quality protein from their meats, we also get milk to nourish our bodies, bones and overall health. Once again, without going into the modern century contamination and dangers of industrial farming that cause concern for the quality of the products we ingest, overall, dairy products are a great source of natural calcium, vitamin D, potassium and complete protein, just to name a few.

Per the Food Pyramid website, "All fluid milk products and many foods made from milk are considered part of this food group. Foods made from milk that retain their calcium content are part of the group, while foods made from milk that have little to no calcium, such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not." Good sources of milk are low fat and fat free milk, yogurt, cheese, and milk-based puddings, ice creams and frozen yogurts. All of which are highly satiating and full of high quality nutrients.

As adults we need approximately 3 cups of milk products per day to obtain the milk-based nutrients our body requires* (more on Food Pyramid requirements versus calories needed at a later time). The RDA for the milk group is easy to meet - milk with your cereal, oatmeal or somehow with your breakfast, yogurt, cottage cheese or string cheese as a snack option, and using milks in either sauces or sides for dinner, or including milk-based products for dessert complete our needs. Flavored milk products such as flavored milks, puddings, ice creams and yogurts are also tasty options, as long as any added fats and sugars fit into your discretionary calorie allowance.

Congratulations, Hubby!

2008-06-22T05:46:00.002-04:00

Today I must honor my ever-dedicated, ever-motivated husband. My husband has a double history (mom's and dad's side of the family) of high cholesterol. Mom's had open heart surgery and dad's on statins. Family history is beating him up with metal baseball bat! (he loves baseball!)

We've known each other for a long time, and have been married for four years. Since just before we were married, specifically in 2002, we've known about his "familial cholesterolemia", or hereditary/genetic high cholesterol. From 2002 to 2005 his total cholesterol bounced between 220 and 260 (goal: under 200), with his HDL's between 45 and 70 (goal: 40-72, higher is better), his LDL's between 160 and 200 (goal: 0-99, lower is better, so ouch!), and his triglycerides between 70 and 120 (goal: 20-149, lower is better). It wasn't until late 2005 that he really got serious about exercise, and that I started to dive into understanding food and nutrition to the level we practice now. Without going through all the stages of his evolution in detail, the summary would be when the doc finally recommended a statin in 2005, he asked for an additional 3 months. He decided to train for a marathon. He changed his diet to reduce empty calories, eat only as much high carb/starchy calories as he'd use, and ensure he got enough protein. His next bloodwork showed normal total cholesterol, seriously improved LDL's and triglycerides! That was in 2006 - he skipped having bloodwork and a physical in 2007, as he was in the middle of a total body and nutritional overhaul - adding more weight training, reducing the duration but increasing the intensity of his cardiovascular training, and immaculately cleaning up his diet. With the June 2008 bloodwork, we're proud to announce even better scores! (Like the Cheerios guy: I lowered my cholesterol...!!) Total Cholesterol is 195. HDL's are 63. LDL's are the lowest they've been at 119 - still a touch above normal, but so much improved from a high of 198! Triglycerides are down by almost half to 67. And his total cholesterol to HDL ratio and his LDL to HDL ratios are WELL UNDER their limits!!

Congratulations, babe! You are a walking specimen - a billboard - for great nutrition, great planning and execution of a fitness program - all within a powerful, intelligent and charismatic "renaissance man" package that I'm so proud to call my husband. (Oh, and did I mention soooooooooo handsome? That stylish, Italian/Cuban look - with brains and body to go along with it! Sorry, I got carried away.) Back to the numbers. In addition to the basic metabolic panel of successes that his bloodwork showed, I have to mention that this 46 year also has the bodyfat of a teenager - again, kudos to his dedication, commitment and drive (or should I say over-drive!). I think if we could study what it is in his brain that drives him to succeed once he sets his mind to it, we'd solve the world's obesity problem! He carries about 10% body fat right now, down from 16% in 2007 - that improvement is in a matter of one year!! Incredible! Ah, if only we could package his commitment.

Congratulations, Hubby. I love you. And I admire all the characteristics in you that make you who you are!

Why does alcohol make you hungry?

2008-06-16T21:51:00.004-04:00

I must digress from the Food Pyramid for bit, as a dear friend brought a nagging issue into the front of my mind, and once again I had to know "why" (or at least remind myself of why).

One thing I know about myself is that I don't think well "on my feet". On the spot, I don't always have the answer or the right response. After a few minutes or days of mulling over an issue, I have that "ah ha" or "wish I'd said that" moment where the answer or solution becomes so clear. What the heck is that delay, anyway? It's like you are presented with the question or information, and it registers, but, like in the waiting room versus in an office or exam room - it never reaches the place where the answer lies. It IS like the waiting room (nothing but waiting happens there!); or starting a plant from a seed versus a seedling! Again, nothing apparent happens for quite a while after you plant a seed to grow something, but if you plant a seedling to grow the same thing - aha! - it's a plant, right there in front of you, and so obvious!!

Anyway, the question posed was this: "why am I always hungry after I have a drink [of alcohol]?". Or why is it that when I drink, I tend to want to eat more. While I pondered this, and while my friend and I discussed wine and vodka versus aperitifs like Campari or bitters, we wondered: "Is it the alcohol in general that makes you hungry, or is it something else?" Perhaps it's something common in all the aforementioned drinks, but that may be concentrated in aperitifs, since their purpose is to stimulate or open up the appetite prior to a meal. Regardless of the reason, I feel it would be beneficial to know so that I could use that knowledge against that dreaded hunger in some way. Ironically, it is this particular friend, with whom, about a year ago, I had one of most confounding conversations related to personal choice and good health - a conversation that gnaws at my inner core daily whether I'm reading the newspaper, a magazine or watching the news. (I digress again, although truly related to this topic.) My friend was entertaining my ever present ramblings about RebelHealth, my impending company, and my vision of educating Joe public that there truly is no secret to good, robust health; that it's all about making the right choices, backed by science or evidence-based information - information that's "out there" and readily available. I wanted to teach (or re-teach) people what a calorie is, how to eat whole versus refined foods, how to balance energy IN and energy OUT to maintain a healthy weight, how and why to incorporate physical activity into their lives, etc. Her response was this: "Knowledge does not always equate to behavior change. How many nurses do you know that smoke, or physicians who are overweight?" She busted my theory so far out of the water - like a tarpon in season - holy cow! Wouldn't it obvious that once people KNOW the truth they would immediately make the lifestyle change to improve their health? But my friend was/is so right! So why wouldn't they want to improve their health? Why would someone intentionally continue a habit or lifestyle that is detrimental to living the fullest life they could - for their kids, their spouse, their purpose in life, and/or for themselves? Who in the world would value LIFE so little that they wouldn't change? Well, the answer is obvious (based on what I see in all those newspapers, magazines and news shows): a lot of people. A lot of people don't make that connection. Whether it be:

killer habits and addictions like smoking,
obsessions (and addictions) like overeating,
simple or unlearned habits like poor food selection,
chronic, lazy habits like television and video games (couch love!) that contribute to a lack of physical activity, and/or
the ever-present and ever-accepted habit of ignoring stress loads in our lives,

knowledge that a choice, decision or lifestyle habit is wrong, or that there's a better option out there, does not lead to behavior change. That simply confounds me!

OK, so to get back to that cocktail and the imminent post-cocktail hunger, what's up with this? Well, the "aha" or "duh" moment came when I remembered that alcohol is a carbohydrate, and what we know about consuming carbohydrate alone or outside the presence of protein and/or fat is that carbohydrate (some types more than others) causes a rise in blood sugar, which causes the pancreas to secrete a hormone called insulin. Insulin "opens up" cells in the body which absorb or take up this blood sugar, lowering it to a more normal level, but sometimes lowering it too much. If we take in too much carbohydrate, a lot of insulin is produced which causes too much of that blood sugar to be absorbed, leaving us with too little blood sugar, versus too high. And low blood sugar causes hunger. There is a huge and very complicated metabolic process within those simple statements, but for those of us who are not physicians and chemists, but rather self-proclaimed experts (ha!), let's leave it at that.

On the topic of simply cocktails and drinks versus the aforementioned aperitifs, here is some interesting information that hopefully can be used to make informed cocktail selections based on our setting:

12 oz beer averages 5% alcohol and 5-14 grams of carbs
4 oz wine averages 10-15% alcohol and 2-5 grams of carbs*
1 oz distilled spirits (gin, vodka, brandy) averages 40% alcohol and 0 grams of carbs**
2 oz sherry or port averages 17% alcohol and 6-14 grams of carbs
2.5 oz aperitif averages 24% alcohol and 20-30 grams of carbs
2.5 oz Campari averages 24% alcohol and 20 grams of carbs
2.5 oz Ouzo averages 24% alcohol and 27 grams of carbs
2.5 oz Coffee Liquor averages 24% alcohol and 40 grams of carbs***

*The drier the wine, the lower the carbohydrate content

**All distilled spirits contain 0 carbohydrates, just watch out for what it may be mixed with!

***The more refined with flavor/sweetener an aperitif is, the higher the carbohydrate. Bitters will contain less sugar or carbohydrate than a sweeter tasting aperitif such as Coffee Liquor, though perhaps not considered a "traditional" aperitif.

We can see that an aperitif's higher carbohydrate content might be the reason for it's selection or creation as an appetite stimulant or a drink to "prepare" us for a meal. The higher carbohydrate content should stimulate our appetite and make us yearn for dinner - which would be the purpose of the aperitif! I love it when stuff makes sense!!

So, now that we know our cocktail may make us hungry or cause excessive munchies, how do we deal with it. Well, we certainly could go into the situation with open eyes now and commit that in the event of unexpected or unplanned munchies, we will either:

A) refuse said munchies and resist the urge to nosh, or

B) give in to said munchies with controlled and limited quantities in mind, while opting for munchies lower in carbohydrate so that we don't fuel the fire (translation: avoid the bread basked and choose nuts, crudites, cheese, carpaccio or tartare of some type).

The only other option, which we must not chose, and which is why I didn't make it option C, is to give into said munchies without any conscious thought as to the type of munchie and therefore no interest in preserving the pleasure of drink.

Whether you are drinking wine, spirits, beer or aperitifs (and hopefully not some simple syrup-laden, mass-produced-concoction that serves the sole purpose of conceiving a drunk), enjoy that cocktail and with purpose! Create an environment within your body that allows you to savor and appreciate the flavor and aroma of your drink - perhaps it's terroir & grape if it's wine, it's delicacy & balance if it's a mixed drink or even the depth of it's grain if its beer. Drinking should be savored or social and savored. And now that we know of the impending hunger that may accompany our savored cocktail, we can do what's right and approach our cocktail with a plan for combating that hunger - even if it means stashing a few almonds in your bag! Be prepared!

Fruits & Vegetables are Carbohydrates!!!

2008-06-16T21:46:00.005-04:00

That title will get you, won't it? In this carb-o-phobic society, we don't stop to think that when we say "I'm cutting carbs", I really mean that I'm cutting back on the nutrient-deficient, white, starchy, refined stuff that once resembled a vegetable or grain (a.k.a. potatoes and white flour)."

Vegetables are the second "stripe" in the Pyramid - and that stripe is green, for anyone who cares. And fruits are their own category within the Pyramid - with their stripe being red. Though collectively referred to by most as "fruits and vegetables", they are separate in the Pyramid. And interestingly enough, collectively, their recommended consumption per day is the largest "group" in the pyramid, followed by grains.

The recommended number of servings of vegetables for the "average American" on a whopping 2000 calorie diet (with which I totally cannot concur!) is 2-3 cups per day, and 1-1/2 to 2 cups of fruit per day.

A serving of vegetables is estimated to be 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables, or 2 cups of leafy greens - pretty easy to figure out, huh? Dried beans and peas fall into the vegetable category, as well as the Meat & Beans category, and they follow the same rule for quantity- about one cup equals a serving. Starchy vegetables like corn and diced or mashed potatoes also follow the "one cup" rule, although a serving of baked-like potato is estimated at 2-1/4 inch in diameter - that's tiny compared to what most probably constitute as a serving of potato. So get that ruler out!

Fruit on the other hand is another story. We need to differentiate between fresh fruit and dried fruit. One serving of fresh fruit tends to be estimated based on that of the following: a medium pear, a large peach or small apple equals about 1 cup or one serving. But have you noticed the average size of apples these days?...like Lou Ferrigno - they're huge! (And he's still huge! Just saw The Incredible Hulk yesterday and he has a cameo - kudos to looking so buff at 53 years young - and still, obviously - living a very healthy lifestyle (natural or not, he looks great!)) Anyway, a small apple is estimated to be 2-1/2 inches in diameter. I swear, I bought 4 to 5 inch apples the other day, and the whole bin was that size! And, I can usually find smaller apples in the Fuji bin, which are my favorites, but not this time! What a gross misconception for those who may be counting calories and think by grabbing an apple they're being healthy! Well, it is healthy, in the right proportion! Rather, grab an apple, a knife, a ruler and zip lock bag, because 1/2 to 1/4 of that monster may be one serving! Dried fruit, being dehydrated (shrunk) and having a higher concentration of natural sugars due to the dehydration, can be estimated by using a 1/2 cup as a 1 cup serving. Fruit juice can be estimated at a 1:1 ratio: 1 cup of juice (100% fruit juice) equals 1 cup of fruit.

From what I read, the average American is well under these recommendations for fruits and vegetables, and is most likely getting most of their vegetables from the high starch group such as potatoes and corn. I had a friend who once told me, fairly arrogantly and without the a hint of humility, that she puts veggies on the table in the evening the same way her mom did: a "vegetable" and a starch. The problem is that her version a a "vegetable", was often another starchy vegetable like corn or peas, and even worse, at times I think she would put rice and a potato on the table as sides (considering the rice a vegetable?) with a fatty meat. This is what she considered a healthy dinner...because that's how she was raised. And the arrogant ignorance in the way it was articulated, especially to someone like me who is constantly asking why and sourcing out scientific, evidence-based information, Ugh! She just went down two (more) points on my respect scale. Within this scenario, I must mention that often people use the model of one meat, one grain and one starchy vegetable for dinner, which ends up looking like the typical obese Americans diet: Non-lean red meat (and I have nothing against quality red meat as I'm a carnivore, myself), white rice and white potato with butter and cream, mashed. That's it. And to seriously digress, let's take that scenario a little further. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m. The estimated caloric and macronutrient content of that dinner for an adult is approximately:

6-8 OUNCE STEAK: Calories: 420, Protein: 54gr, Carbs: 0gr, Fat: 28gr
LARGE BAKED POTATO: Calories: 278, Protein: 7gr, Carbs: 63gr, Fat: 0gr
2 TBSP BUTTER Calories: 101, Protein: 0gr, Carbs: 0gr, Fat: 11gr
1.5 CUPS WHITE RICE Calories: 276, Protein: 7.5gr,Carbs: 62gr, Fat: 1.5gr
TOTAL Calories: 1075, Protein: 69gr Carbs: 125gr, Fat: 40gr

Two (OK, more than two, but let's talk about two) problems with this:

The number of calories here is over half of what many Americans truly need to maintain their current weight or lose weight, with the weight I quote for a woman to be under 130 pounds. The amount of protein is double, triple, and maybe even quadruple what should be taken in in one sitting. The amount of carbohydrates is almost a total days worth, if that goal was around 150 grams. And all in one sitting? It's pre-diabetes on a plate at 6:30 - you just sent your pancreas into overdrive!! And 40 grams of fat (quite of bit if not all of this is satured fat, the bad kind) is over 3/4 of what should be consumed in a day. Can you feel the arteries hardening?
Dinner is at 6:30 p.m. I wonder what the average person does after finishing this dinner? It's now about 7:15 p.m. and they are stuffed, so they sit down on the couch to catch the last 15 minutes of World News, and now it's 7:30 p.m. Only a half hour until the prime time brain drain hits the tube, so what the heck, let's watch some repeats of Friends or King of Queens, or better yet, let's catch up on Britney Spears and Brangelina. Then it's 8:00 p.m. - time for reality TV until bed. 1000 calories is sitting on the couch for a few hours and then going to bed.

To my arrogant friend: that may be the way "Mom" used to do it, but "Mom" and "Dad" may have been slopping the pigs or mowing the yard after dinner "back in the day". Our lives are much different - sedentary and over-portioned. Think about it.

Back to veggies and fruits. Children tend to be less likely to get the RDA of vegetables. There is such a huge world of fruits and vegetables out there - probably the area within the pyramid with the greatest opportunity for variety. Fruits and vegetables can be incorporated into every meal. There are some really interesting strategies within the book world out there right now to help incorporate healthy veggies into family favorites - take a trip to Borders or Barnes & Noble tomorrow night after dinner (hint hint!) and check it out. One of my faves is to puree broccoli, peas, fresh spinach or a combination and mix them into marinara sauce. While I don't advocate "sneaking" food in on your kids and then bragging about it - just don't tell them (translation: memories of a mushroom hating kid & a mom who liked to brag about hiding them in our meatloaf- not good motivation to want to like them!!!). Your intent is to add nutrients to their meals. If they do ask what the green stuff is in the sauce, tell them you pureed a few veggies into the mix to make the family healthier - worth a try!

Collectively, we need about 4 cups of fruits and vegetables per day. If, for breakfast we have a serving of fruit, as well as for one of our two snacks per day (as we all strive to eat 5-6 times per day, correct? - keep our blood sugar stable and our metabolism stoked, right?) - our fruit requirements are met. Then, if we have 1-1/2 cups of veggies for lunch and another 1-1/2 cups for dinner (preferably the non-starchy type for dinner, unless you're really active afterwards) - walla! You've achieved your goals. Breaking things down this way makes that big mess of details a lot simpler. The toughest thing to do is to decide what types of fruits and veggies you and your family want so that you keep some variety in your diet, with convenience also being a consideration. And once again, the variety is actually fun to play with - finding things you dislike but that you've never tried is also fun! I love to fail! Failure usually means pizza from across the street as the alternative! :)

I love the infinite variations for fruits and vegetables, and they're so pretty! So many colors...you just feel healthier when you eat such a rainbow of colors! And if you don't know what to do...buy a bargain cookbook on veggies or sides, Google the veggie you want to cook and a ton of recipe options will come up - just try. No excuses - bust the excuses! Take control and figure this out, it's not hard. And by figuring it out yourself versus waiting for someone to hand you the "secret" (here we go again!), you'll "get it", and be a smarter, healthier person for it.

Back to Basics - Grains

2008-06-14T22:11:00.003-04:00

In my last post, I rambled on about the fact that there's really no secret to health, just basic science - just science that we've either forgotten, don't know about or is no longer taught as a basic fact. Whether it be our parents, grandparents or those of the generation that truly ate from the land (can you say "whole foods"), worked the land (can you say "exercise"), and watched far less television, generations before us knew "the secret" and were generally healthier. They were more active and ate more nutritious foods. Their "secret" was merely a way of life. And had they had our society's current drug profile available for treating diseases that were previously untreatable, they would have most likely lived far longer than our generation is currently expected to (and I'm referring to those born between 1960 and 1980 when I say "our generation").

I continue to refer to the government's MyPyramid tool (http://www.mypyramid.gov/) as a good starting point for anyone searching for "the secret" or information on eating right and being active. I thought I'd summarize each of the Pyramid's "color bands" in efforts to show just how easy it really is! Let's start with Grains, the orange band, and the largest of all the bands.

Grains are the seeds of food plants (by definition) - they are truly the seeds from which other plants grow. Just imagine the powerhouse of nutrients in grains! They must pack enough vitamins, minerals and nutrients to grow another whole plant from each seed! Wheat, rice, oats, corn, barley and millet are common grains. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are also examples of grain "products", meaning that the whole grain is typically processed and / or refined to create the product. The less processed or refined a grain is, the better it is for you. Why? Because the whole grain, which includes the bran, the germ and the endosperm, contains more nutrients than a grain that has been processed or refined - which typically entails stripping some or most of the basic nutrients from the grain, specifically stripping the germ and bran.

The bran is the outer layers of the grain and contains fiber, B vitamins and trace minerals (which are minerals needed by the body in small amounts).
The germ is the part of the grain that provides nutrients to the grain itself. It provides us with antioxidants, B vitamins, trace minerals, essential fats and vitamin E. This is the part of the grain that really packs a whollop! The germ is the part of the grain that sprouts, germinating a new plant. Can you see why it's so rich in all the good stuff? It's like an egg - developing life from it's core!
The endosperm is the inner part, or "body", of the grain and provides us with carbohydrates (energy), protein, and small amounts of vitamins and minerals. White flour is ground from the endosperm of grains after the bran and germ are stripped away.

Most of us need between five (5) and eight (8) ounces of grains per day, depending on our age, gender and how many calories we require (find this information on the MyPyramid site). How much is that? One ounce equivalent of a grain/grain product is:

one (1) ounce is about one regular slice of bread, OR
three-quarters to one cup of breakfast cereal, OR
one-half cup of cooked rice, grain or pasta

Adding whole grains to your diet might be something totally new if you're currently living on packaged and boxed foods, but it's really not that hard. Get used to looking at the ingredients list. When someone tells me about a favorite "health" food, I always ask: "What's in it?" And I don't mean "less fat", or "high protein". I mean what are the actual ingredients, beginning with the first ingredient, which is the one that the product contains the most of by weight. The second ingredient is the most plentiful, and so on. The first ingredient should be the name of the whole grain, such as: brown rice, bulgur wheat, whole oats or oatmeal, whole-grain corn or wild rice. Non-specific terms such as multi-grain, stone-ground, seven-grain and 100% wheat (missing the "whole") are usually not whole-grain products. Try to imagine a "multi-grain" or a "seven-grain" plant growing in a field...versus a corn field, a wheat field or a rice bog. Get it? And when in doubt: ask, Google, search!!! When you take the initiative to find the answer and understand it, you'll be that much smarter next time!

Also, just to note, one of the best and most economical places to search for and learn about whole grains is your local health food store. They sell grains in bulk as well as pre-packaged, but when you buy in bulk, you save some serious money! If you've followed my blogs, you'll remember the day I realized I could get the same 12-16 ounces of steel cut oats from the health food store for under a dollar that I pay almost six dollars for at my regular grocery store! And it's fun! I love trying new things, and the folks at most of the health food stores are eager to recommend how to cook with their products.

So, let's talk real examples of how to incorporate whole grains into your everyday diet:

Breakfast. Breakfast is a great time to incorporate whole grains into your diet. Steel cut oats, oatmeal or whole wheat toast are great traditional breakfast grains, and an excellent part of a complete breakfast. Other, more non-traditional, options may be rice, quinoa, kasha and barley. Don't forget, however, that grains are only a PART of a good breakfast. Breakfast is a great opportunity to incorporate fruits, lean proteins and the dairy group as well.

Lunch. Lunch screams "GRAINS!" in traditional sandwiches (whole wheat bread/buns) and non-traditional wraps (whole grain tortillas and wraps). Grains such as rice, quinoa, bulgur and barley are great additions to salads to soups as well.

Dinner. I personally prefer to stack my grains in the early and middle part of the day, as those are my most active times (and hence I use more energy or carbohydrate earlier in the day), but all the grains listed above are excellent additions to dinner as well.

Snacks. Grains can also play a good role in snacking. Popcorn and some whole grain cereals are great finger foods. I can't recall the brand, but there is one shredded wheat (squares) breakfast cereal on the market that has one ingredient: whole wheat. Also, I believe that Back to Nature produces a Harvest Wheat Cracker that has two ingredients: whole wheat and salt. Excellent!!!

Talking about grains is sometimes hard for me, because I can be a closet carb-o-phobe. Though reducing carbohydrates in my diet, personally, reduces water retention and makes me "feel" a bit slimmer, I physically "feel" better and perform better mentally when I get good sources of natural whole grains in my diet. Go to MyPyramid and read the health benefits of whole grains. Eat to live better, don't live to eat just "whatever". Feed your body quality fuel and your body will return the favor via enhanced performance. It's science...not a secret.

Secrets versus Science

2008-06-12T10:10:00.003-04:00

How many times have you heard "What's your secret?" as it applies to weight loss, toning up or becoming a healthier, more vibrant person? It has either been asked of you, you have asked it of someone, or you have seen this exchange between two people as an onlooker. What is interesting about this question as it relates to weight loss or improving fitness levels is that the "secret" is probably science! Typically, what we don't know, even if it's evidence-based and scientifically proven, strikes us as a secret...just because we don't know it!

I love it when I'm asked "What's your secret? You look so trim. You must be working out like a fiend!" It is almost hard for me to admit that I work out less (just smarter), but that I eat better - cleaner and leaner. Basic clean eating from whole foods is truly the ticket. I hate to admit that too many people don't know the government's Food Pyramid (www.mypyramid.gov) - they know "of" it, but don't know it. I'm one of those Americans who takes full liberty with our freedom of speech to bludgeon our government regarding it's over-regulation or lack of regulation with our health, health care, food and agriculture industries, etc., however, as it relates to the release of information for the benefit of our health, the slow speed of the government is directly related to the amount of evidence-based research required to publish the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/), which is consolidated into an easily understood plan within MyPyramid.

I predict that most people looking for that "secret" diet or exercise plan, are not currently incorporating what are the very basic recommendations for Americans that exist within MyPyramid. First, how many calories are you eating? Most people really don't know. To know that information, you first must know exactly what you eat each day and be able to log and detail that. Then, to find the information on the calories and nutritional content of the food becomes even more difficult for most (or, rather, time consuming versus difficult). Next, do you know how many calories you should be eating per day based on your age, current weight, current weight goal, and activity level? This information is also located within the MyPyramid website.
Now, how active are you? Do you know how active you should be? Once again, this basic information is all there within MyPyramid. And this is no rocket science. It is very basic information regarding energy in and energy out - how many calories (energy) you eat compared to how many calories (energy) you expend via normal daily activity plus planned exercise activity. It all sounds complicated - but maybe that's because it's not packaged as a "secret" - it's just science - it's fact - and it's all right there for us. Maybe it's not as fun if it's not some great secret that no one else knows or that's packaged in a flashy hard cover book on the New York Times Best Seller List.

Trust me, take it back to basics. Use the tried and true information and create a clean and healthy lifestyle using solid science to build your plan. You won't regret it! And then, when someone asks you "What's your secret" - you can decide if you want to tell them the boring truth that it's basic science...or make up your own version of science...maybe it'll be the next best seller!!!

Commitment & Motivation are linked to Investment

2008-06-04T05:52:00.004-04:00

As I've laid in bed awake this morning listening to some wicked thunderstorms, I've been thinking if I REALLY want to make it up and out to the gym (we're visiting family up north for the week). We've been up since 3:00 a.m. and there's no coffee to be seen. My husband is already shaving and preparing to go sweat hard...me, on the other hand (or side of the bed), I'm not so sure. What is it in him that drags him out of bed and invigorates him to do what's right (work out, in this case), versus just say "I think I'll take the day off - again" like I do so many times? He is very self-motivated, naturally. I am more...well, NOT! If, however, I had a personal trainer with whom I had an appointment and was paying, I, too, may be brushing my teeth and preparing to go be healthy with the same vigor.

I have found, from my personal experience and perspective, that for those of us who are not innately self-motivated (to be physically active, make healthy food choices, lose weight or train for an event) our investment in the cause is directly related to the level of investment. That investment is most powerful when it comes at a tangible cost: money, trade for services or a time cost for more than one party (specifically an appointment between the trainer or nutritionist/dietician and the client). I have seen people (friends, relatives) earnestly seek advice from others, and for others to offer that advice with the greatest intent - but without a tangible investment on the part of the seeker, there's no obligation for the seeker to act on any of that information. If, however, the seeker has to pay cash money for said advice, or has to follow up, report in or show improvement to an outside source, the motivation is greatly improved.

I remember a few years back when I finally got fed up with my own failed weight loss efforts and asked my husband if he would support my participation in a medical weight loss clinic, my motivation and adherence to a healthy plan was stimulated by having to pay out cash and appear in front of someone three times a week for a weigh in and check of my diet log. It was embarrassing to make no progress or have someone criticize my log. The same holds true with exercise. Paying for sessions of motivation and expertise increases compliance.

Sometimes an investment of some tangible type is worth your time - improve your health, longevity and quality of life with that type of investment and you'll never regret it.

The Dirty Dozen

2008-06-02T21:25:00.004-04:00

Last year a friend asked me if I knew any good organic recipes because she wanted to start cooking organically. I said "sure, let me work on that for you". A year later, I've done nothing. I believe it was a bit of a trick question, and I was afraid I'd make said friend feel silly if I finally replied: "just use organic ingredients in your current recipes". I fear that it may just be that simple. The question is, what should you buy organic and what can you buy and just wash well, thereby saving money? My theory used to be if the skin's hard or thick (e.g. apples, celery) then I'm sure I could wash the pesticides off. If, however, the skin is think or delicate (e.g. blueberries, tomatoes) I would have thought the pesticides could penetrate the skin and therefore I couldn't wash it clean. Well, my theory was blown completely out of the water when I found the EWG's list.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a not-for-profit research organization devoted to: 1) protecting consumers from health problems attributed to a wide array of toxic contaminants and 2) lobbying for federal policies that invest in conservation and sustainable development. (http://www.ewg.org/). The EWG produced the famous "Dirty Dozen" list, which is an abbreviated version of the full list of 43 fruits and vegetables rated from high to low based on their pesticide load. Finding the list is one thing, but managing or using the list is another! From my point of view, the Dirty Dozen (12 fruits & veggies with the highest pesticide load), and then the 12 at the bottom of the list (representing those fruits & veggies with the lowest pesticide load) are easily printed (or copied and pasted into a word processing document or spreadsheet) and either shrunk and laminated or folded up in your wallet so that each time you're at the grocery, market or fruit stand, you have it readily accessible. There is so much information available to us today on nutrition and food safety that sometimes I can't remember from one day to the next what's what! I use a lot of cheat sheets - and the EWG's list is a good one to utilize!

So, in summary, one key to eating safe & healthy (organic when you need to, and non-organic when you don't) is organization. I say that's the key to all things worth anything! Take 5 minutes and figure out how to get the EWG's list in a format and place where you'll always have it available when grocery shopping. This 5 minute investment that helps you actually "use" the list (versus "have" the list) will protect you and your family by limiting your exposure to toxic chemicals in our food - and I didn't say "eliminate", I said "limit". Baby steps!

The High Cost of Eggs Really Isn't THAT High

2008-05-31T20:30:00.003-04:00

I was chatting with my 82 year old grandmother today, discussing how she feels she eats "a lot", and specifically discussing her french toast for dinner, of which she felt I'd disapprove. But I love french toast! What a potentially healthy meal: whole grain bread, high protein eggs, a little milk, cinnamon, vanilla & spray oil - topped off with fruit and sugar free syrup (if any syrup at all) - sounds awesome and so beautifully balanced! Of course, her version may have been cooked in butter, and topped with butter and high-test syrup, but still, a good base of nutrients! Within that discussion, I told her of a conversation with my mother the day prior, where I admitted that we (my husband and I) can easily go through 4 dozen eggs a week. It seemed excessive when I said it out loud, and even more so as we were discussing the rise in prices of eggs, milk, etc. But in my conversation with my grandmother, I tried to rationalize it and break it down: my husband has a family history of heart disease and high cholesterol, and a past personal history, currently normalized, of high cholesterol. Therefore, I don't offer more than one whole egg at a time, and not more than 2-3 times per week, especially if we have red meat on the docket for that week. We do egg whites on the days between whole egg days (all accompanied by some type of carbohydrate - grain, fruit, etc.- of course). Each of us may start with an 4 to 6 egg white omelet - 3 to 4 times a week, plus a whole egg in between here and there - and walla! 4 dozen eggs a week! Where we live, I pay about $2.50 per dozen, which breaks down to $1.25 per breakfast of 6 egg whites. When I look at it that way, it doesn't seem too bad for about 100 calories and 18 grams of high quality protein with which to start the day off. And as I mentioned earlier, my bulk steel-cut oats come in ridiculously cheap, so in essence, even wasting all those yolks (essentially half the egg), eggs are still a relatively low cost source of high quality whole food, whether for breakfast, boiled up and cut in a salad for lunch, or made into a meaty omelet or frittata for dinner. No longer will I complain about the price of eggs - I'll focus on gas for a while!

It is NOT too expensive to eat healthy

2008-05-30T10:34:00.003-04:00

I love early morning jogs and walks. It's the perfect time and setting to review things and then put them in "buckets" for future use or storage!

A common excuse I hear from people is that it's too expensive to eat healthy. And I will admit, when a box of 10 Little Debbie Ding-Dong-like snack cakes can be purchased for $1.39, that's sometimes tough to argue with...unless you give a hoot about what kind of food you're eating...or feeding to your kids! Sure, you get a good value for your money with that type of purchase, but WHAT you just purchased is total crap. I'm not sure it can even be classified as food, can it? Let's see, where would that fall in the Food Pyramid? (http://www.mypyramid.gov/) It doesn't fit into the larger categories of Milk, Fruit, Vegetables or Meat & Beans. Maybe a portion of it fits into the Grains group - maybe there's some refined, stripped and otherwise-devoid-of-any-nutrient-content white flour in there! Woo hoo! Oh, and of course, there is sugar! And that fits where? In the "Oil & Discretionary Calories" sliver of an allowance. I don't think this type of food should even qualify as a food, but it's cheap, right?

I suppose it really all boils down to what's important to you. If you don't know the answer, maybe it's easier to choose a poor option or solution, than to spend a little extra time up front to find the right answer or a better option, and make a change. Take oatmeal, for instance. Steel Cut or "not rolled" oats, specifically. I was once told by a friend that they are too expensive - upwards of $4.00 - $6.00 for a box at the grocery store. I checked, and this is true. Rolled oats are cheaper. This is true, too. Rolled oats also have a bit less nutritional value than steel cut, which is why I prefer the latter. Steel cut have a higher fiber and protein content because more of the grain is left in tact - they are less refined. I recently went to the local health food store, and found steel cut oats in bulk. I weighed the same amount as was in the box at the grocery store, and paid $0.81. Interesting, huh? I didn't come across this information because I knew more than the average Joe - I actually stumbled across it. I just had an interest in eating healthy for less. I, too, had paid too much for regular grocery store boxed oats for over three years - and now I pay less. Just takes a bit of research - if living a healthy lifestyle is worth it to you. This type of thinking outside the box works for most everything that might be in your culinary repertoire - it just takes a little more work or research up front. On the back side, it's less costly, and easier.

Oh, and just a snotty comment for those who may think they don't need to worry about paying less ( I used to have one of these people in my life) - you may not think you need to take advantage of savings like this because you're in a financial position where "it doesn't matter". Well, how about taking that extra you do save and upping your donations to causes that are meaningful for you - or start donating to causes that are meaningful to you. Do some good with that extra dough, versus brag about not having to worry to about.

A Long Time Coming....

2008-05-27T20:24:00.008-04:00

Only a little over 250 days (or marbles - more on that later) until my 40th birthday when everything changes. All of the unrealized ambitions I've set for myself and my life culminate on that day into the an ominous black cloak-like cloud that perpetually nags at my self-worth and keeps my sense of accomplishment just below the acceptable line. As my husband says: "Show me a satisfied [man] & I'll show you a failure". I constantly strive to improve and be a better person. Oh, I digress...back to the birthday...it will be on that day that I MUST have completed an educational goal that will allow me, finally, to help other former "fat kids" who may still be holding onto either poor health habits from their past or those new to carrying around some extra pounds in their adulthood, change their lives so that they not only normalize their weight (body mass, body fat...whatever term is acceptable and not offensive) and make truly healthy lifestyle choices from today forward.

As a former fat kid and chubby (overweight by scientific terms) adult, there aren't many days that go by that I don't think of some terrible name I was called as a child or how self conscious I was about my clothes...and how frankly clueless I was about the true definition of a healthy life and healthy lifestyle until I was 39 years old! Although, I do maintain that I've only been an adult for approximately 9 years, as I was 30 before I truly "felt" like an adult. So, I've had 9 years to figure it out, and what...at least 25 to 30 to live that life...actively? I like those numbers!
America and most of the developed and industrialized countries on this planet are in the midst of a health care crisis, perpetuated by...so many things: the (fast & refined) food industry, a gluttonous society, urbanization, technology (TVs, computers, video games, remote controls, automobiles), furniture (the couch), educational negligence...I could go on forever!

I have been given a phenomenal gift by my husband: four years ago we collectively decided that I would resign my corporate "dream job" position so that I could find my calling in life. I searched and searched...created a list of possibilities that included sommelier, chef, dietician, farmer...all the while working out like a fiend to lose those last 5 (OK, really 25) pounds! All the effort and research culminated with the realization that I have, and have had all my life, a passion for health: fitness, nutrition and a generally healthy and balanced lifestyle. And there you have it. Step one: ACSM certification as a personal trainer - and it only grows from there.

So here we are. My thoughts will continue to grow and evolve. I will help fight the war against poor health caused by lifestyle related choices - one life at a time - and it started with my husband and me.