7 Rules for Eating

This came from today WebMD newsletter - I only formatted it to fit this space. I particularly like #7.


Choose Food Over Food-Like Substances, Food Writer Michael Pollan Tells CDC
By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

March 23, 2009 -- We Americans suffer a national eating disorder: our unhealthy obsession with healthy eating.

That's the diagnosis delivered by food author Michael Pollan in a lecture given last week to an overflow crowd of CDC scientists.

As part of an effort to bring new ideas to the national debate on food issues, the CDC invited Pollan -- a harsh critic of U.S. food policies -- to address CDC researchers and to meet with leaders of the federal agency.

"The French paradox is that they have better heart health than we do despite being a cheese-eating, wine-swilling, fois-gras-gobbling people," Pollan said. "The American paradox is we are a people who worry unreasonably about dietary health yet have the worst diet in the world."

In various parts of the world, Pollan noted, necessity has forced human beings to adapt to all kinds of diets.

"The Masai subsist on cattle blood and meat and milk and little else. Native Americans subsist on beans and maize. And the Inuit in Greenland subsist on whale blubber and a little bit of lichen," he said. "The irony is, the one diet we have invented for ourselves -- the Western diet -- is the one that makes us sick."

Snowballing rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in the U.S. can be traced to our unhealthy diet. So how do we change?

7 Words & 7 Rules for Eating

Pollan says everything he's learned about food and health can be summed up in seven words:

"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

Probably the first two words are most important. "Eat food" means to eat real food -- vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and, yes, fish and meat -- and to avoid what Pollan calls "edible food-like substances."

Here's how:

Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. "When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can't pronounce, ask yourself, "What are those things doing there?" Pollan says.

Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.

Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop on the perimeter of the store. Real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh foods when it goes bad.

Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot. "There are exceptions -- honey -- but as a rule, things like Twinkies that never go bad aren't food," Pollan says.

It is not just what you eat but how you eat. "Always leave the table a little hungry," Pollan says. "Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full. Islamic culture has a similar rule, and in German culture they say, 'Tie off the sack before it's full.'"

Families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a TV, at regular meal times. It's a good tradition. Enjoy meals with the people you love. "Remember when eating between meals felt wrong?" Pollan asks.

Don't buy food where you buy your gasoline. In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car.

Some excellent things to remember! Food and eating properly should not be seen as a chore or a necessary evil. "You are what you eat!" Don't know who said it, but I remember it from elementary school. Fueling our bodies for our day's work should be a pleasant experience and one to be savored. If our days are so full that each meal is a grab and go then maybe, just maybe, we should take a step back and take a good look at what we're doing. Stressing ourselves with too many activities or responsibilities can create so many more problems, not just in our health, that it isn't always worth it.

Now, go and have a great day!

Change and Discipline

The following came from my Upper Room devotional this morning. While it was primarily geared, when written, to address our spiritual beings, it seemed to fit what we're all trying to do with our physical beings as well.


WHEN DEVELOPING a disciplined practice, one of the most valuable gifts we can give ourselves is gentleness. In everyday life, we tend to associate discipline with rigidity, rules, and consequences for misbehavior. Sometimes this kind of discipline is indeed necessary. However, we tend to downplay the equally important role of gentleness in making changes. Change requires a great deal of effort from anyone engaged in it, even if the change is positive. Change plunges a previously ordered system into temporary chaos, and chaos is stressful. Gentleness takes into account our effort and stress; treating ourselves gently is a way of offering encouragement and appreciation for the work being done.

- Sarah Parsons
A Clearing Season: Reflections for Lent

Now, go have a wonderful day!
-Deanne

Laughter

In today's newsletter from Denise Austin the topic was laughter and how good it is for you - physically and mentally. Obviously laughter is going to improve your mood, helps release stress, and gives you an overall feeling of well being.

It also does a pretty good number on your abdominal muscles if you can really get a good belly laugh going.

Well, while the topic is not entirely appropriate here, I have to say that my day's workout is now complete thanks to a text I received this morning. My sister sent me the funniest thing this morning about something that had happened to her. That was one of the best laughs I've had this week. My last good belly laugh was Saturday while I was brushing my teeth to go to bed. Billy found a creative way to remind me it was my turn to pick up the newspaper on Sunday morning and we just could not stop laughing.

So, Denise is right.

Laugh. Laugh hard. Laugh often.

Lest I Jinx Myself....

I think I've finally dropped far enough down into the "normal" range! I've been "normal" the last 5 days - the last couple of those I've been creeping back up the scale, but still in the right range.

I just LOVE when my Mii gives me the thumbs up instead of watching her belly pooch out. Now, if I don't get some serious exercise tonight I may not make it tomorrow, but 5 STRAIGHT DAYS. That's a record for me.

And one that I'm actually very proud of. Almost as good as the day I got 451 points heading the soccer ball.

BOOST YOUR METABOLISM!

This is Denise Austin's Newsletter for today. I take no credit for today's post.

I always caution people that there are no quick fixes to weight loss, and that's true. Hard work, time, and dedication are what's needed to reach your goals! It's the only way to win lasting results.
But while slow and steady wins the race, there are still a few ways you can increase your body's calorie-burn rate! Try these tips to keep your metabolism humming at top speed during your workouts and throughout the day!

Go aerobic — choose a routine with enough intensity to make a difference! Walking, biking, cross-country skiing, swimming, and step aerobics are all great, heart-healthy choices!

Don't skip meals or snacks, especially breakfast — you'll activate your body's starvation response and actually slow your metabolic rate! Small meals throughout the day keep your metabolism burning at a steady pace.

Exercise for at least 30 minutes — after a half hour, your body starts tapping into stored energy (that is, fat) to keep moving!

Shake it up — change your workout every six weeks. Your body will have to work harder to adapt to a new routine!

Avoid alcohol and smoking — both keep your body from burning belly fat.

A few changes to your routine can give your body the boost it needs to keep burning fat. Give them a try today!

Now, go have a great day! (That's from me!)

I love comparing "Wii" stories with Deanne!! It's like sharing a very special friend!!

Finally, a good doctor's report for me - my cholesterol is down to 205 - it's been pushing 240 for a decade!! That's plenty of motivation to keep me on track!! Not to mention that I've lost 9 lbs. since January 1st. YEAH!!! And even though I really miss my cokes and chocolate - living without caffeine has made more of a difference in how I feel than I EVER thought possible!! Now that the days are longer and the weather so nice - I'm hoping to start putting in "two a days" - 30 mins. of exercise in the morning and 30 mins. after work.

CHASTISED!

I was actually chastised by the Wii this morning.

Truly.

I was doing the free step for 30 minutes. The goal is to reach 2400 steps. You will recall a while back that I actually passed the 4,000 step mark in 30 minutes. So that is always my personal goal when I get started.

So, I hit 800 steps in about 6 minutes. 800 steps is the Wii goal for 10 minutes. There is a woman's voice that talks to you throughout. One of her jobs is to let you know your step count (the free step and the free run are the two "games" that you can actually change the channel and watch regular TV so the remote talks to you). She said "You've reached 800 steps!", which is usually the end of the sentence.

But today, she continued. "You're going too fast! Step with the rhythm! Going to fast could cause you to lose your balance and fall off the Wii balance board!" Well, hearing all of that nearly caused me to fall off the balance board. I've never heard it before.

Then, of course, I got tickled. There's never anyone else around to hear what hear so I can't share it. But the thought that the Wii was getting on to me was just too funny.

Now, it did not slow me down. (Remember, I will not listen to anyone who is negative!) I finished the 30 minutes with 4,236 steps.

I wonder what she'll have to say about that!

See, I Told You

Now, I've been saying how exercise doesn't have to be work, doesn't have to be a time-consuming activity. Here is Denise Austin's Newsletter from March 17 with some tips.

Become a Stair Master!
Keeping up with your exercise sessions - a walk, a bike ride, a strength-training workout, a fitness class - is great and goes a long way toward burning calories and making you feel fit. But don't forget the importance of working more physical activity into your daily routine! One easy way to remind yourself is to think about every little step you take!

Simple choices, like regularly taking the stairs instead of the elevator, keep your body burning calories all day long. Short bursts of activity like that can really add up - which is especially important on days when you can't find time to work out. Here are some tips on stepping your activity up a notch:

* Climb on. Take the stairs instead of elevators and escalators at home, at work, and anywhere else you can. In addition to burning more calories, you'll save time - a University of South Carolina study once showed that waiting to ride an elevator takes 20 seconds longer than climbing up one flight of stairs. And you've probably seen people zip past you on the stairs while you've been stuck standing on a crowded escalator.
* Split it up. If you need to go up several flights and can't climb them all, try a combination of the stairs and the elevator. Remember, every step counts!
* Take it down. Don't forget to take the stairs on the way down too. One study of hikers in the Alps found that hiking downhill (similar to going downstairs) had unique health benefits - it helped lower blood sugar levels (whereas going uphill lowered cholesterol).

If you're used to skipping the stairs, think again (unless, of course, you have knee problems or other health concerns that make stair-climbing unsafe for you). Today, see if you can take the stairs at least once when you normally wouldn't. Then tomorrow, do it twice. In no time, you'll be a stair master!


I added the emphasis to the word choices because that is what I keep talking about - making good choices that ultimately improve your overall health, not just your waistline. And with Spring right around the corner (hopefully!!) the opportunities to get out and get that exercise should be abundant!

Now, go have a great day!

Number Eleven

11. I will not make excuses

(OK, I know I blamed the time change for not getting up every morning last week at 4:30. I did make it by Friday and I do believe that was a true physiological issue. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

That aside, I hear a lot of people making excuses for what really are just poor choices.

"I haven't been able to eat well, I have too much stress." To that I say you are making the choice of what you're eating. You can grab a bowl of grapes as easily as a bag of chips, an apple instead of cookie. And besides, exercise is a great stress releaser. Go for walk outside instead of to the refrigerator.

"I don't have time to exercise". As my wise sister once said when I tried to use that excuse, we're all given the same 24 hours in a day its all in what you do with them. Schedules are full and our lives are busy but I've tried to show ways that you can incorporate exercise without a lot of effort, especially on the days when setting aside a specific time for exercise doesn't fit too well.

You can set yourself up to succeed or to fail. No one does it for you or to you. Everything rests in your choices.

Ultimately, you are in charge of your destiny. Now, grab that bull by the horns, jump on his back and ride him for all he's worth. You may get bucked off a time, or two.

Setbacks happen.

But as long as you're trying, there's no need for excuses.

Laugh at Yourself

You know what they say about all work and no play. To me, life without laughter really isn't living. I try to make everything as much fun as I can.

So, I'm working out this morning. I decided that since I had slacked off last week (TOTALLY blaming the time change for being unable to get up at 4:30 every morning) I would put in a pretty good hour. The weather has been rainy and cold so a "ride on the pain train" (Billy's term for playing tennis with me) was out of the question. Dancing sounded like fun.

OK, if you aren't familiar with the Wii Dance Revolution game it works like this. You have a big step pad with arrows and you try to step on the arrows, in rhythm, that correspond to the ones popping up on the screen. Now, there is also an emcee talking in the background. Very 70s disco. "Feel the vibe!" "This groove is awesome!"

The one that I find the funniest is this one: "Nobody moves like you!" All I can think is that if it were a real person watching that phrase would not be said as a compliment. So everytime he says it I answer, "and that is not a good thing!" And I get tickled.

I can only imagine how ridiculous this uncoordinated, 42-year-old body looks stomping (yes, stomping since I'm nowhere close to dancing) on this big dance pad, remotes shaking at the same time, trying to follow the arrows. I just make myself laugh thinking about it!

But hey, at least I'm trying. And I will get it. Its a goal. And goals are meant to be worked towards.

And I'm going to enjoy the ride, every "stomp" along the way.