We've Been Super Sized!

Bear with me here.  Quite some time ago the FDA did a survey to understand what was the customary amount of food people 4 years of age and older consumed per eating.  From that they established the RACC or "reference amount customarily consumed." Those established amounts are still used on packages. For example, one serving of oreo cookies is "x" number of calories - based on one serving being 2 COOKIES.  So that stat probably doesn't look bad when you're checking labels, but who eats two oreo cookies?

Problem is we've been super sized and there is a huge distortion between the recommended serving size and the actual serving size.  Pair that with generations of kids who were told to "clean your plate" and processed foods sweeping the Nation in the (was it the 50's or 60's?), it's no wonder obesity is a problem.

So let's think "Super Shrink." (and I'm not talking about my therapist)

As you can see, without us really noticing, our expected portion sizes have ballooned (and so have we.)

Think about filling your gas tank. You wouldn't consider continuing putting gas in your tank once it's full.  Our bodies are no different.

We can thank food establishments (mostly fast foods) for this over sizing of our portions but the key is to not be fooled by "portion distortion." The best way to avoid this is to avoid establishments that super size our portions and prepare fresh, whole foods at home.  Or frequent establishments that promote sustainable, whole, locally grown food. There are plenty out there and it's so refreshing to read about chef's that are totally into serving us healthy, unadulterated, good food.

A little tid bit about "Home Remedies"

In my August 31st, "Invasion of the Body Toxins" post,  I listed some natural cleaning alternatives to the traditional VOC (volatile organic compounds) ones that you find in your grocery store.  When you need to protect your self in the home with rubber gloves and open windows it's as if you're handling bio hazardous material.  And the truth is you are! I also mentioned in one of my recent posts that my son Andy is coming home for a visit so naturally it's time to deep clean my house. Thank goodness for company! Fortunately I only had one or two toxic sprays of Scott's Liquid Gold left  to use on my wood floors and furniture.  Knowing there had to be an au naturale alternative I went on a search. And there it was - so simple and trust me it works great!

1 Cup olive oil mixed with 1/2 Cup lemon juice (put lemon juice through strainer so your sprayer doesn't get clogged with bits of the pulp.)   Put in a spray bottle, shake before spraying and don't even think about suiting up with the rubber gloves, your hands will enjoy any olive oil or for that matter lemon juice they come in contact with. Now when you breathe in that lemony smell it will be from real lemons not chemicals.  Love it!

What has 150% more antioxidants than blueberries?

An Imo Baby!


I am was so excited to find this root vegetable.    Dr. Oz.   spotlighted "the" healthiest foods on one of his shows and one was a sweet potato variety called Imo.  I looked everywhere and no where could I find an Imo.  Well, that's because it is commonly called a "Japanese Sweet Potato."  I find Imo's or Japanese Sweet Potatoes at the Dekalb Farmer's Market and sometimes at Whole Foods.  It's a staple at my house now and here's why!



The women of Okinawa, Japan (who also happen to be the world's longest living ladies) have an "Imo" every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Here are the the benefits of enjoying these delicious potatoes.


One-third the antioxidant activity of glutathione (one of the bodies most powerful internally produced antioxidants)


An antioxidant-rich and anti-inflammatory food: It rates as one of the world's healthiest foods because of it's 13,107 IU of vitamin A. A word about vitamin A for any smokers out there.  An element in cigarette smoke causes a vitamin A deficiency, but a diet rich in vitamin A will counter this effect, thus greatly reducing emphysema. In addition it is rated a very good  source of vitamin C, delivering 28% of your daily allowance.  

Try baking an Imo until almost done. Let cool and throw in the fridge. When you're ready for a side dish of "steak fries", slice these in thick wedges and broil for 10 or so minutes.  After that you can season with salt, cumin, eat with catsup - whatever.  

Also, make your sweet potato pie with an Imo this year.   These are just too good and too good for  you not to indulge.  

I'm a Fan of Simple. . . .

You know, "keep it simple stupid"

. . . . there are a million sayings like that which make me think I'm not alone in liking simple. So I went on a search to find a simple list of functional foods that are beneficial to asthma.   My 27 year old son suffered from childhood asthma from age 3 to 6. Miraculously (and thankfully)  he stopped having asthma attacks at six and has not had one since.  However, asthma is a chronic disease and just because the attacks stop, the lungs and airways are still those of an asthmatic.  Andy is coming home for a visit next week and as I am planning menus I wanted to include lot's of functional foods good for asthma. Hence the search for a simple list.  Couldn't find one.  Apples seemed to be the only food item that popped out as beneficial for asthma.  Disappointed, but then I struck on something that made such perfect sense.  ". . . . . nearly every chronic health problem has inflammation  at its root." Chronic health problems include asthma, arthritis, cancer, heart disease, tendonitis, and on and on.  And guess what? Anti-inflammatory foods are the same , free radical fighting SUPER FOODS that we've talked about many times!  All I really need to do is make sure there are plenty of Super Foods in the pantry and include them in as many meals as we have at home.  It's that simple.  


In the decades since processed foods took over the market place, people have strayed further and further away from fresh whole foods. I don't think the rise in chronic disease is very surprising in light of what people put in their bodies these days.  So my Rx is to eat 5 handfuls of any combination of the following foods each day and call me in the morning (make that Monday morning.)

Beans

Watercress

Spinach

Onions

Carrots

Broccoli

Beans

Garlic

Salmon

Kiwi

Blueberries

Cherries

Cranberries

Walnuts

Apples

Olive Oil

Avocado

Green Tea 

Raw, Organic Honey**

** (and don't worry about botulinum, if you're over 1 year of age you are WAY immune to the minuscule amount that may or may not be in raw honey)

"Sustainable Food" - what's that all about?

I realize there may be some of you who read my blog that think 'I hardly have time to do much more than run through the grocery store isle so paying attention to organic, dirty dozen, nutrient dense, super foods and now sustainable foods is just over the top.'  But what the heck, knowledge is power and a trip to your local farmer's market might be a fun Saturday morning adventure.

Remember when grandma talked about canning seasonal foods so they could be enjoyed all year (or better so they could have food to eat all year.) Or maybe an episode of the Waltons?  A Martha Stewart cookbook? The point is we haven't always had food shipped to us from 3000 miles away. There's always a season for something somewhere in our global marketplace.  This global marketplace I speak of keeps me supplied with blueberries year round so I can't complain.  HOWEVER, this convenience is not the most sustainable or the most healthy.

By purchasing local foods in-season, you eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping foods thousands of miles, environment hazard of disposing the packaging required to ship,  your food dollar goes directly to the farmer and your family will be able to enjoy the health benefits of eating fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables. Local fruits and vegetables require less pesticides and chemicals because they don't have to survive the time it takes to package and ship long distances.  You can ask the local farmer questions about his processes,  like is it organic, do you use pesticides?  Here are a few links to local farmer's markets in and around Atlanta.

Chamblee Farmer's Market, Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta State Farmer's Market

Now, of course, you'll find "seasonal"foods at these farmer's markets because well, they can't grow it out of season.  There's a whole train of thought in a macrobiotic diet that advocates eating only seasonal, local foods as it's what is best for our bodies.  While I might not want to limit myself to seasonal I absolutely want to know what's seasonal and add to my weekly shopping list! So here is a list of what's in season in Georgia now.

Apples
Corn
Cucumbers
Grapes
Pecans
Sweet Potatoes
Zucchini
Cabbage
Tomatoes

Any seasonal recipes out there you'd like to share?

The Perfect Recipe for Exercise.

I have a new favorite salad recipe.  It's very simple with only four ingredients yet packs a wallop as far as taste and nutrients.  It's arugula, toasted walnuts, beets and goat cheese (can't take credit - got it off of preparedbypaige of course!)


Now I could probably leave out the walnuts and it would still taste good and deliver great nutrients. Right? But why would I when each of the four specified ingredients combines together to equal total deliciousness.  I'm going for the gold on this one and not leaving anything out. It's that good!

Same is true for exercise.  There are four primary principles of exercise.  Any one of them is good but together these principals get you the absolute best results. Here they are:

Aerobic: Jogging, walking fast, elliptical machine are all examples of aerobic exercise. Benefits include improved amount of oxygen in your blood, endorphins which act as natural painkillers increase, your immune system gets activated, releases toxins from your body, strengthens your lungs, heart and arteries.

Interval (considered anaerobic) Training: Research is showing that the BEST way to condition your heart and burn fat is to alternate short bursts of high-intensity exercise with gentle recovery periods.  I posted on this a few days ago. If you're doing daily cardio switch out 3 days by doing interval training.  This high intensity training will help you reach your optimal weight and level of fitness in a shorter amount of time.

Strength Training: Here is where you will optimize your exercise program and change your body.  So many benefits as far as building bone density, increasing strength and flexibility, burning fat long after you've stopped. This is a topic I've posted about many times and as a personal trainer and lifelong exerciser I have seen the most improvement in my body by regular strength training.

Core Exercises: Your body has 29 core muscles located mostly in your back, abdomen and pelvis. This group of muscles provides the foundation for movement throughout your entire body. Strengthening them helps protect and support your back, makes your spine and body less prone to injury and helps you gain greater balance and stability.  Pilates and Yoga are great for strengthening your core muscles, as are specified exercises you can learn from a personal trainer.  I incorporate core exercises into all of my workouts. In addition, I personally attend at least one yoga class a week. My body just needs it.

Are you physically active or exercising?

There is a difference.  Being physically active is good don't get me wrong. But there is a difference in the two.  If you want improvement in cardiovascular fitness it requires more strenuous physical activity. For example, jogging or running provides greater cardiovascular benefit than walking at a leisurely pace. So if you want enhanced fitness it will not only depend on what physical activity you do but on how vigorously and for how long you continue the activity. That's why it's important to exercise within your target heart rate range. The range will change as you become more physically fit so it's important to keep challenging yourself so that you break through plateaus by kicking up your program.

Here are components of exercise with elements designed to improve each:

Cardio-respiratory endurance: Enhance your ability to engage in aerobic exercise through activities such as brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, jumping rope,  or rowing. As you reach distance or intensity goals, reset them higher or switch to a different activity to keep challenging yourself.

Muscular strength: You can increase muscular strength most effectively by lifting weights, using either free weights, weight machines, kettle bells or resistance bands. Resistance bands will typically have examples of exercises within the package.

Muscular endurance: Improve your endurance through conditioning exercises, weight training, and activities such as running and swimming.

Flexibility: Work to increase your level of flexibility through stretching exercises that you incorporate into your workout or through yoga or pilates.  This not only improves your flexibility but helps with balance and coordination.

So keep increasing the amount of physical activity - like parking further from your destination, taking stairs instead of elevators - all good. But to really achieve fitness goals, you'll want to incorporate structured, vigorous activities into your schedule to help attain even more of your fitness and health goals.

I leave you with this "It is easier to maintain good health through proper exercise, diet, and emotional balance than to regain once it is lost."  Enjoy your weekend and maintain, maintain, maintain!

Sleep Like a Baby

Easier said than done for some folks.  I'm an occasional insomniac and I find it quite stressful when for no explainable reason I'm lying awake when I should be sleeping.  I know that sleep is as important to health as a healthy diet or regular exercise so I decided to revisit this topic and try and understand how I can identify some simple lifestyle habits that I can change.  But first let's look at what we're missing out on by not getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep.

1. Attentiveness. It's a fact that coherent thought is impossible after three days of sleeplessness.  While missing out on a night's sleep gives off a lesser version of this, the body will become sluggish and easily tired during the day.
2. Lessened ability for learning and memory. While we sleep the brain undergoes a process called "memory consolidation." This is when the brain commits new information to memory, this is pretty important!
3. Proper metabolism. Sleep deprivation may affect how the body processes and stores carbohydrates, and messes up hormones that affect our appetite.
4. Repair work. The body repairs itself during sleep. The immune system releases some antibodies only during sleep, so keeping up with sleep helps the immune system work a lot more efficient.
5. Dreams! I love dreams! Dreams allow you to be anyone or anything and I strongly believe they guide us to what is happening in our lives and throw up significant flags about how to prepare yourself or how to handle a situation.

Ok, all good points to make us want to get our 8 hours (not to mention the sheer frustration at lying awake at night!) There are a few definitions of insomnia, including trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up feeling groggy. Insomnia is very prevalent in our society and there are many misconceptions about it.  The biggest probably is that people don't realize it's a medical problem, and they don't seek help.  Number one on the "do" list below is, you guessed it - get evaluated:

Do:

Get evaluated. Insomnia may result from conditions such as hyperthyroidism, heart rhythm disturbances, indigestion, etc. Seeing a health care professional can identify and treat these underlying conditions.  Before allowing him to write you a prescription for sleep however ask him for recommendations on someone that specializes in behavioral techniques such as relaxation therapy, restricted sleep (sounds weird I know but a means to an end) and reconditioning technique.  Here's a link that goes into more detail about the three "R's"

Follow a schedule. Think about how you would sleep train a toddler. Establish and adhere to consistenties for waking up, eating, exercising, winding down, and sleeping.

Maintain bedroom rules: Reserve your bedroom for sleep and sex.

Create your own cave: Your sleep can suffer if the room is too warm or noise and light surround you. Create a cave-like room that's cool, dark, and quiet. A fan or a white-noise machine can neutralize ambient sounds.

Work out. Exercise regularly, but no later than three to five hours before bedtime. A nighttime workout can leave you too wired to fall asleep easily. A work-out is just that, a "work-out." In other words you should feel like you have challenged yourself and "worked" hard.

Relax.  Wind down with relaxation methods such as yoga, meditation, a warm bath, or calming music.

Don't:


Keep a television in the bedroom: The bright glow of a television doesn't help create a dark, quiet place to lay your head.

Use alcohol as a sleeping aid: Alcohol makes you more likely to fall asleep, but less likely to stay asleep.

Underestimate your caffeine intake. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others. If  you're enjoying caffeine products after 11am think about the possibility that you may be more sensitive than someone who can enjoy caffeine after dinner and still sleep like a baby.

Eat a large meal right before bed. While you don't want to load up on heavy foods around bedtime a light protein-rich snack such as a slice of turkey or cereal and milk may help because they contain tryptophan, an amino acid that promotes sleep. Think Thanksgiving dinner.

Stay in bed if you can't fall asleep.  Get up and read or pursue another relaxing activity until you feel sleepy again, then return to bed.

This is a good list to keep handy so that on the nights you can't sleep you can check these do's and don'ts  to see if there was anything you did or didn't do that inhibits a good night's sleep.

Burn Fat Faster with Interval Training

If you' re struggling with shedding unwanted fat try kicking up your cardio with interval training.  What is interval training and how does it work you ask? It's all about lactic acid, oxygen debt and recovery.  Now, to go into too much detail about all that would be more about eyes glazing over, zoning out , mind numbing blog reading. So as not to have this blog read like a biology text-book I'm going to give an overview and a link if you're interested in the mind numbing, glazed over experience.

When you break into an all out sprint your body can't supply oxygen at a rate fast enough to fuel the muscle.  Think about it. When you're in a full on sprint there's no steady breathing in and out like when you're doing your walk/run/jog.  But the body is amazing and during this sprint it calls on another system (anaerobic) to assist with providing energy to the muscle.

Anaerobic exercise such as this not only burns more calories but continues to burn calories after you stop.  When you do aerobic exercise (walk/run/jog)  you stop burning calories when you stop the activity.  Weight lifting is considered anaerobic exercise vs aerobic or cardiovascular exercise.

So, obviously, we can't go for an all out sprint for 30 minutes or even 15 minutes but you can for 15 seconds. Hence "interval." It goes like this:

Warm up with a power walk for 10 minutes. Think about straight posture, long strides and heels to the ground first. Start at a slow pace and increase the pace every 1 minute.  After ten minutes slow your pace back to start and keep this pace for 60 seconds. Next a full on jog for 30 seconds and then a sprint for 15 seconds.  Walk to recover until you totally have your breath back.  Repeat this interval training 4 times with the subsequent sets starting with the 60 second  slow paced power walk, to 30 second jog, to 15 second sprint to walking for full recovery.

Summary:
1. Ten minute power walk starting slow and increasing speed every 1 minute as a warm up
2. 60 seconds of power walk at the slow/start speed
3. 30 second jog
4. 15 second sprint
5. Walk for full recovery until you have your breath back
6. Repeat 4 times starting with step 2

The Eggcellent Egg

If you think you need to avoid eggs. Think again.  They are a whole food with eggsquisite nutritional value.  After all, an egg contains everything needed for the nourishment of a developing chick.  I know, but what about the cholesterol??

Yes, one egg contains 213 mg cholesterol and the limit for dietary cholesterol as set by the AHA in 1970 is 300 mg. YIKES!  But wait there's more, it's 2010, so please read on before you write off this eggstraordinary food.

Early studies looked at cholesterol in food, instead of saturated or trans fats. Most high cholesterol foods are also high in saturated fats. Not so with eggs.  For eggsample, one egg has 75 calories and 1.5 grams saturated fat vs. a 3.5 ounce lean hamburger with 268 calories and 7 grams of saturated fat.

More recent studies have determined that people whose diet is low in fat can eat one or two eggs a day; without measurable changes in their blood cholesterol levels.  However, if your egg is accompanied with a pile of greasy bacon and sausage and buttered toast, well, it doesn't take an egghead to identify the culprit.

Here's the take away that new science is telling us. It is the saturated fat in the diet, not dietary cholesterol that influences blood cholesterol levels the most. Apparently, the biggest egg eaters are the Japanese, and they don't have high rates of heart disease.  Have you ever eaten a Japanese breakfast? I have, and no yolk,  it's pressed fish, miso, a boiled egg, and no, no, no sugary breads, cereals, or  fatty meats.  So let us eat eggs!

Benefits of the Eggceptional Egg follows:

6 grams of perfect protein (eggs have all 8 eggssential amino acids)

Rich source of Vitamins A, E, K, B2, B12, B5; selenium

Vitamin D (one of the few foods that provide this important vitamin!)

Down and dirty. . . .

You enjoyed the holiday and now you seriously want to take back control of your indulgent side.  I couldn't get to the gym fast enough this morning to work up a major sweat and burn some calories.  My last two blogs have discussed preparing for being fit and a road map to ramp up your metabolism.  So the next thing is,  what do I eat? Let's go with the big picture -  a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, lean meats, poultry and seafood.  This variety of food all have one thing in common -they are "nutrient dense" foods with few calories. No empty calories, no liquid sugars (soft drinks, etc), no refined carbs (white bread, french fries, etc.), no packaged or processed foods (pretzels, chips, etc).

So here's my down and dirty list of nutrient dense foods:

Avocados
Chard, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach
Organic peppers
Brussel sprouts
Mushrooms (crimini and shiitake)
Sweet Potatoes
Cantaloupe, papaya, raspberries, strawberries( organic), blueberries, kiwi
Yogurt
Eggs
Seeds (flax, pumpkin,sesame, sunflower)
Beans (garbanzo, kidney, navy, pinto)
Lentils, peas
Almonds, cashews, peanuts
Barley, oats, quinoa, brown rice
Salmon, halibut, cod, scallops, shrimp, tuna
Lean beef, lamb venison
Chicken, turkey

Think about what protein you will have at each meal, each day. Think about the readiness of healthy snacks to keep your metabolism stoked between meals. Think about choosing healthy foods and enjoy!

Increase your metabolism and shed unwanted LBS

I'm sure we've all heard some version of the following. When people "diet" and allow their calorie levels to drop too low it triggers the body's survival mechanism to kick in. It kicks in by lowering their metabolic set point (or basal metabolic rate). When they go off the "diet" and begin to eat normally again, they gain back any weight lost and then some.  So before too long they are back on another diet.  A vicious cycle that can be reversed with a little patience and consistency.

In my August 5th post, "Calories Consumed vs. Calories Burned", I gave a formula to calculate how many calories you burn each day so that you can then determine how many calories you should consume from fat, how many from protein, and how many from carbs.  Someone smarter than me said that was just too confusing to figure out so I'm thinking she's not the only one.  So here's a much simpler game plan to kick start your metabolism and get it to a stable set point!

Set your daily caloric intake at 12 calories per pound of body weight. (I weigh 125 lbs. so 125 X 12 or 1500 is how many calories I should consume each day). Keep in mind however that this calculation does not take into consideration your activity level.  So, since I do pretty intense cardio and strength training 6 days a week and burn 300 to 400 calories daily, I'm going to take in more than 1500 calories - more like 1900 to keep my metabolism from dropping.  And of course if you read my blog you know I advocate a  balance of healthy fats, protein and carbs obtained from whole foods.  So here's the recommended proportions:

1/6 of your total daily caloric intake should come from fat. For me that would be  250 calories from fat (1/6 of 1500 calories)
1/3 of your total daily caloric intake should come from protein or for me 500 calories (1/3 of 1500 calories)
1/2 of your total daily caloric intake should come from carbs or for me 750 (1/2 of 1500 calories)

If you want to convert the above daily calories to grams divide fat calories by 9;  and protein and carb calories by 4. Example, for me I would shoot for 28 grams of fat each day (250 calories from fat divided by 9); 125 grams of protein (500 calories divided by 4) and 188 grams of carbs (750 calories divided by 4). Is everybody with me so far?

Now, one last very important component. The absolute best way to pump up your metabolism is to EXERCISE. You'll be burning calories not only during your workout but also up to 48 hours after - all the while increasing lean muscle tissue, which speeds the metabolism over the long term. Aim for 5 hours of exercise a week and no fewer than 3 hours per week.

Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity.

That quote applies to so many areas of our life - work,  raising children,  diet, exercise  - you name it!  Here's another quote that underscores the reward of planning. . .. "for every minute spent organizing an hour is earned." Or how about this one, "if you keep doing what you're doing, you'll keep getting what you're getting." Without a plan it is difficult to make the kind of changes in our lives that lead us down the path to better health. If your goal is to lose weight, develop muscle tone or you just want to feel better,  you need a plan.  Once you have a plan you implement it, once you implement your plan you are on the road to success and victory.  One last quote before I offer some suggestions -  SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS.

Daily Routines: You may need to get up earlier to prepare your lunch or squeeze in a workout. You may need to give up watching TV after work and go for a walk instead. Are you willing to do this?

Your Pantry:  If you want to be healthy, you may need to get rid of those foods you just can't resist.  Replace any sugary and salty snacks with foods like nuts, fruits, vegetables.   Keeping your pantry stocked with healthy snacks will help you resist high fat foods when you are ready for a snack.

Your Schedule: If you're not willing to sit down and plan the way you live each day to include exercise, time to plan, prepare and consume healthy meals, and time to nurture yourself with sleep, it's hard to lose weight.

More Tips: Spend more time in the grocery store reading foods labels; spend more time planning and preparing meals, learn to replace high fat foods with low fat such as plain greek yogurt for mayonnaise, or greek yogurt with honey and fruit and nuts for ice cream, say no to extra portions, make conscious choices about what you put in your mouth. No skipping meals or delaying lunch until you're ravenous.  Keep your metabolism stoked with  healthy snacks. Keep a bag packed and ready to hit the gym. Read my blog :-))