The (In)Convenient Fruit

It’s hard to peel, my fingers will smell, I don’t have a trash can, I can’t afford organic, it costs too much, it goes bad. Excuses, excuses--there will certainly always be those to find now won’t there! As I listened to my friend round off his excuses and the common difficulties of eating fruit, I sarcastically responded with “Ah, the inconveniences of life, tsk tsk.” Putting things into perspective, my friend so eloquently responded, “not more inconvenient than ill health.”   “Yes, he sees the light,” I think to myself.  Sure a bit of venting about our obstacles helps in the moment, but life circumstances are not convenient and plain and simple, we need to get over these obstacles and JUST DO IT.  Taking action, in this case, surely beats the alternative.  Below are responses to some common inconveniences of fruit.

'Tis the Season...

Although it seems like a month-long hiatus from Gain Great Health, my (almost) week-long absence has been filled with a very important aspect of the season...spending quality time with the people I care about (and not a computer!).  Instead of rushing home to upload my next blog entry, I have engaged in meaningful conversations and spent valued moments with my close family members and friends.  The media often focuses on the seemingly more exciting aspects of the season such as eating and shopping, and I couldn’t even help but feed into this with my previous “Beat the Holiday Bulge” entry!  But the reality is that 25% off deals and the decadent holiday treats (or avoidance of them), are merely secondary to the true meaning of the season.  If you are Christian, you’re (or should be) celebrating the birth of Jesus; if you are Jewish, you’re supposedly commemorating the re-dedication of the holy temple in Jerusalem; if you celebrate Kwanzaa, you are reconnecting to your African roots and recognizing the struggles of American American people; and if you’re a Santa and Rudolph celebrator, well....you either have kids (and fail to provide explanations) or are rehashing unfulfilled childhood moments.  And the New Year is meant to be celebrated as we enter a new year of possibilities.

An Optimal Start: Breakfast is Key!

Food is meant to provide us with energy and nourishment, hence it’s essential to start your day with a well-balanced, hearty breakfast.  If you don’t know where to begin your gradual diet and lifestyle make-over, this important meal should be the first place to look!  Not only will eating breakfast nip your hunger in the bud, but it can also improve your mind clarity and concentration.  Aiming for a balance between protein, healthy fats, and complex grains instead of hyper-concentrations of sugar is key.  This may mean passing on the banana nut muffin or the decadent butter croissant if you frequent Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts. 

 
People often argue that they’re not hungry when they wake up in the morning.  In this case, a banana in a pinch is certainly better than nothing at all, but it feeds into the potential cycle of overeating.  By skipping breakfast and waiting until noon or so to eat, we are famished by the time we get home, which leads to going overboard at night.  This evening overload of food contributes to the skip-breakfast cycle by leaving us satiated when we wake.

Beans, Beans, Good for Your Heart...

“Beans, beans, good for your heart, the more you eat them, the more you....”  Beans get a bad rap for the inconvenient, and at times, embarrassing flatulence that they may cause.  Aside from gas, which can be curbed by soaking the beans and drinking plenty of water, beans are great additions to your diet and can pave the way to great health.  (See more on water here.)  

Beans are actually a part of the legume family, which also includes peas and lentils. These bean-like foods carry similar health attributes and are likewise recommended for a healthy diet. Below are just a few of the benefits of beans and other legumes.  

• Lower cholesterol levels
• Improve blood glucose control
• Reduce risk of many cancers
• Lower blood pressure
• Regulate functions of the colon
• Prevent and cure constipation and other bowel problems

Beat the Holiday Bulge

It’s that lovely time of year again (at least for most)--the time to celebrate and spend quality time with family and friends.   Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, most of us are surely engulfed in the holiday spirit.  "Party here, party there, party everywhere" often means more food and drinks.  But the holiday spirit doesn’t have to be accompanied by a few extra pounds, because end of the year festivities don’t have to sabotage a healthy diet!   Below are a few tips to navigate the holiday season.  Not all of them will be realistic for you, because you know you best, but go with what works!

What's Lurking in Our Food? BPA 101

BPA aka Bisphenol A has re-appeared in the media due to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Harvard researchers found significant levels of BPA in participants who consumed canned soups over freshly prepared soups.  Some of you may recall the previous uproar about BPA and its use in the production of plastic baby bottles and other infant products.  Unfortunately, this chemical is still used throughout a majority of the U.S. despite pressure from the American Medical Association. Eleven U.S. states have taken heed to these warnings by banning (or are in the process of banning) the use of BPA in infant feeding containers.  Earlier this summer China banned the chemical from baby bottles, joining Canada, the European Union, and the United Arab Emirates.

But why should we be concerned?

BMI: Body Mass Index

So, the doctor tells my cousin that he needs to lose 110 lbs to get within the “normal” BMI range and that his blood cholesterol levels put him at risk for a heart attack.   Encouraging, isn’t it?  My biggest pet peeve is the bed side manner of physicians who spend very little time with their patients.  More likely than not, not enough time is spent discussing the importance of diet, physical activity, and lifestyle factors that influence body weight.  In addition to this discouraging approach, doctors often use the BMI scale, which is inherently a faulty indicator of health.

Health NOT Weight

Although some of you are using the Gain Great Health site as a tool on your journeys to weight loss, I have resisted the discussion of weight for the past month and a half for a distinct reason.   As mentioned on the About page, focusing on gaining great health will pave the way to your body’s natural, biologically determined size.  Besides, it’s not where you want to get that matters, but how you will realistically get there and stay there!  Likewise, whether you are trying to nip your weight gain in the bud or (to extend the analogy) trim an overgrown pasture, the eating patterns, physical activity regiments, mindsets, and determination are similar in nature.

 

True Motivation

OK. So you want to fit into your skinny jeans or the nice polo that now decorates your closet.  You're on a mission to look fabulous for your upcoming birthday celebration (and for men, you want to look nice!).  Or you want to lose 50-75 lbs because your doctor tells you this will place you within the normal BMI range.  Although motivating in theory, these scenarios only provide temporary inspiration for change.

Motivations of superficial vanity and fear of death are great for giving you a nudge, but 9 times out of 10, these changes are fleeting--leaving you gung ho for the first three weeks (if that!) followed by the temporary guilt-provoking slip up (a guilt which needs to be abolished!!!  Read more).  In most cases, these motivations plunge us into drastic and unsustainable diets that leave us feeling upset with ourselves if we don’t meet our goals (although everyone may not feel upset, negative feelings manifest nevertheless).  

GMOs 101: What’s really in our food?

GMO, GM (not General Mills!), and GE (and not General Electric!) are common buzz words that some people may be aware of, while others may not. For those who don’t know, GMO stands for genetically modified organism, and in this context the organism becomes food; GM stands for genetical modified; and GE stands for genetically engineered.  Common foods that are genetically modified include (but not limited to) soybeans, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil.   Even if you don’t eat any of these foods, food compounds derived from these crops are almost ubiquitous in our food system.  

Since genetically engineered crops were introduced in the U.S. in 1996, their use has grown significantly.  According to some global estimates, 25% of the 672 million acres used for cultivating crops was used to grow GM crops in 2003.  And of this 25%, two-thirds of these science experiments are grown in the United States. While masses of Europeans are placing pressure on their governments to label foods as GM, less than half of Americans even know that some of the foods that they eat are genetically engineered.  And depending on your diet, the mention of some above can easily turn into a majority!

Healthy Thanksgiving Delights

The Thanksgiving table is often filled with a variety of not-so-healthy treats, but it doesn’t have to be this way.  Depending on your family’s tradition, your menu might include turkey and dressing, ham, cranberry sauce, greens, string beans, macaroni and cheese, candied yams, mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread and/or dinner rolls, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, and/or apple pie.  Below are some of these classics with a healthy twist as well as a few non-traditional menu items.  As you may recall from a previous entry, you can always start a new tradition of a healthier side dish (eh hem, three-bean salad anyone?).

Give Thanks

Aside from the elaborate spectacle of food at the dining room table, Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks for what’s truly important in life (and if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, giving thanks certainly still applies!).  In this day and age, it’s often easy to get side tracked on what used to be a simple question.  What are you grateful for in your life?  Take a moment to reflect on your day, the past week, month, and year and think about what has given you motivation, hope, and positive perspectives.   Write down your honest answers, and know that this is what you you should be grateful for.  

The flat screen TVs, laptops, iPods and iPads, Blackberries, and other electronic gadgets--that fill up good portions of our present-day existence--have taken away from life’s true importance.  I shall call them human-interaction-detracting devices.  Although it may be easier for older generations to accomplish this goal as they may use less and less of these distractors, let Thanksgiving be a reminder to give thanks for your life’s true blessings.  Family, friends, great conversations, smiles, laughter, great health, and nourishing (real!) food for our bodies.

When I was volunteering in Trinidad this summer, the camp coordinators started each training session off right.  Each session began hand-in-hand (kumbaya-style!) with the camp counselors sharing what they were grateful for.  Depending on how your family and/or friends begin your Thanksgiving meal, follow the blessing/prayer with each person at the table saying why they give thanks. This is the true meaning of holiday.    

Navigating Thanksgiving

Less than a week from now, I will be close to stuffed like a turkey.  My rule on Thanksgiving Day is to eat what you like and with what--no guilt.  Depending on your background, Thanksgiving is one of the few times out of the year when you get your favorites all in one--cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes AND gravy, you name it.  So the point is to enjoy it, not feel guilty about it, and hold it dear as a time of fellowship with your loved ones--even if it’s centered around a meal that’s on average 3,000 calories strong.  I mentioned “depending on your background,” because I do know people who have Thanksgiving-esque dinners almost every Sunday.  If this is you and your family, perhaps you shouldn’t eat everything that's on the table.

Chemical Potpourri

Do you have many memories of 11th grade Chemistry class?  Rubber gloves, beakers, test tubes, dissolving various compounds in a host of solutions to produce chemical reactions...Well, this is the face of modern-day foods--laced with a host of chemicals used for preserving flavor, doctoring up taste or appearance, preventing spoilage, and packaging food.  While some unpronounceable food additives are fancy names for vitamins and minerals that we know of--for example, ferrous fumarate is iron, ascorbic acid is vitamin C, and riboflavin is vitamin B2, just to name a few--a lot of other added chemicals are not.  Look at the ingredient list of just about any pre-packaged, processed food and you will need to consult your old grammar school teacher for help with pronunciation.  Polyglycerol polyricinoleate, butylated hydroxyanisole, guanosine monophosphate, and propylene glycol alginate are just to name a few.  Sound deliciously appetizing don’t they? NOT!!!  

Although chemistry has been used in the production and preservation of foods for centuries, the level used today has grown to astronomical proportions, unreasonable in fact.  Analysis by the Pew Health Group, the health sector of a public policy non-profit, found that more than 10,000 chemicals are currently allowed in human food (see more).  The regulation (or lack there of!!) of these chemicals is alarming, scary, and angering (all in one!). 

Pantry Must-Haves

Recalling that "Change Starts at the Grocery Store," below are a few pantry must-haves as you continue on your journey (and adventure) to great health!

--Nuts (of course if you have a peanut or nut allergy, the nut you're allergic to is a pantry must-not have!): These calorie- and nutrient-packed snacks are filled with heart-healthy fats.  Peanuts and almonds contain monounsaturated fats and other nuts are filled with polyunsaturated fats (both of which are good for you!  Stay tuned for details...)  Be conscious of how much you are eating, however, because even too much of good things can turn bad; moderation is key.  

A common complaint that I hear is that nuts cost too much (well at least that’s what I thought when I first started eating them a lot!).  If you have a membership to Sam’s Club, BJ’s, or Costco (or know someone who does), these are great stores to stock up on unsalted nuts (of course unsalted is the ideal).  Although you will be paying more money upfront, the 3-lb bags last a long time and certainly end up being cheaper than other options.  

Change Starts at the Grocery Store

Besides cutting back on eating out and grabbing a pre-packaged, processed food here and there, change truly starts at the grocery store when we decide what we place in our carts  We eat what’s around, plain and simple.  If there are cookies in my house or homemade sweet potato pie, I will eat it.  Perhaps, you have stronger will power, but most of the time we eat what’s around.  

So we know we need to avoid processed foods, but where to start?  Below are some helpful tips to use when you are in the grocery store, because that is where the change begins!

Setting the Record Straight-Danish Salt Study

SCIENCE GEEK ALERT: this blog entry is in response to a recent study about salt intake that has gotten a lot of press lately. CBS news’ headline read “Cutting back salt may be worse for heart health: study” and Fox news reported “STUDY: cutting back on salt bad for your health.”  This type of faulty reporting is NOT what the American population needs right now, as we are plagued with rising rates of hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes. Hence, I must set the record straight for people who read those headlines and use them as rationale for not cutting back on their salt intake.

Cutting-Back-On-The-Salt Tips

So we know we need to cut back on processed foods and the excess salt we consume. Inherently, this includes reducing trips to fast food chain establishments and restaurants even though they carry the illusion that their products are “freshly” prepared and not processed.  It’s amazing what an oven, toaster, microwave, and a scarce amount of lettuce and tomato can do to frozen foods, isn’t it!  Excluding restaurants where meals are prepared fresh daily, a host of chemicals and salt are added to most foods sold outside of the home.  These preservatives are certainly needed during the transition of convenience foods between production and our plates.  

The ultimate goal of cutting back on salt will be a gradual one.  For example, if you are currently eating out 10 times/week, first set a realistic goal for yourself such as cutting down to 7 time/week and then go from there.  There will be more quick-meal tips to help replace those that you normally ate outside of the home (stay tuned...). The next small goal could be allowing yourself only one pre-packaged food a day if you are currently the queen or king of these convenience foods. 

Salt/Sodium 101

Although sodium and salt are often used interchangeably, table salt is actually sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) combined to form sodium chloride (NaCl).  The “salt” recommendations that we hear about are actually sodium recommendations.  Sodium is not only found in salt (NaCl), but also naturally in foods, as well as other compounds such as MSG and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).   This important electrolyte serves many roles in the body including: fluid balance, nerve impulses, and muscular functions.  

It’s recommended to consume 2,300 mg of sodium a day and 1,500 mg if you are African American, 51 years or older, or suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, or kidney disease.  Unfortunately, the convenience foods of the U.S. food system (not convenient for our health I might add) make it nearly impossible to reach these recommendations (I say nearly because where there is a will there is certainly a way). If you are the 1 in 18 individuals who meets this goal, kudos to you.  For the vast majority of Americans, however, salt is something we need to cut back on.  Salt is not only found in foods that we think of as salty, such as pickles and soups, but also in foods that we don't even consider salty.  According to the Mayo Clinic, over 3/4 of the sodium in our diets comes from processed food. Consequently, reducing these foods is the perfect place to start! If you aren't doing so already, start looking at nutrition labels to get a sense of how much salt you currently eat.

Processed Foods: The Ultimate Salt Carriers

Processed foods in all forms--from potato chips and sugary cereals to the processed chicken and fish filets delivered to our favorite fast food chains and restaurants--are the ultimate carriers of salt (and not to mention a host of mysterious food additives...stay tuned).  With more and more people eating outside of the home and not making use of their kitchens, we are placing our health into the hands of people motivated by dollar signs rather than our benefit and well-being.  

Laugh A Little More

A wise person once said that ‘“laughter is the best medicine” (a play off of Proverbs 17:22-- a joyful heart is good medicine!). Although I disagree and would argue that proper diet and physical activities habits are the best medicines, laughter is certainly high in the rankings!  Laughter helps to relieve us of any worries that we may be facing even in these brief moments of jubilation.   It helps us feel better and may in fact help pave the way to great health. 
 

Water Tips

We are certainly all creatures of habit.  If you don’t currently drink a lot of water, know that every lifestyle change and habit has its first day!  Eventually that first day will turn into the next and soon enough it will become second nature and a part of your routine.  The goal just has to stay in the forefront of your mind, even if you mess up here and there.  Eliminate any guilty feelings (recall the importance of getting rid of guilt!), and believe me, that day will come.  I remember the days during cross country season when my coach would constantly remind us to drink water and me preferring the taste of blue gatorade instead.  Now I’m alarmed when I see apple cider vinegar in the toilet bowl (if you have a puzzled look on your face, go back to the previous entry).  Below are a few tips that I’ve found helpful in my journey to drink more water.

TIP #1:  Begin your day with a tall glass of water, even before your first morning brew or eating breakfast.  This serves as a wake up call for your system signaling the beginning of its long day ahead.  If you need to use a special cup, go on ahead.  Whatever works for you.  I’ve actually started to prefer one of the cups we use in my home during the summer months for cookouts.  Random, I know, but it’s large and allows me to get in a lot of water.
 

Rethink Your Drink

We talked about eating real, now to drinking real!  According to a report released by the CDC in August 2011, the average American drinks 1 soda or sugary beverage a day.  The other day as I entered the elevator with a woman carrying a can of Coke, I was hoping and praying that she wasn’t drinking it with her breakfast. It wouldn't be far fetched as at least 1 in 20 people drinks the equivalent of more than four cans of soda each day (I suppose you can get an extra head start at breakfast). If you are that 1 in 20, no worries, because you're journey has to begin somewhere!!!

Health officials recommend that sugary beverage intake should be reduced to less than a can a day.  Convert the grams of sugar that’s in a typical 12-ounce can of soda and it’s like drinking 10 teaspoons of sugar, meanwhile a 20-ounce bottle is a delicious 16 teaspoons of sugar. Need some visual imagery, check out the alarming video below.

Water Anyone (and Everyone)?

Water is the most abundant compound on Earth and its liquid form covers about 70% of the Earth’s surface.  Water (agua, H2O, and dihydrogen oxide) is also interesting chemically and exhibits a host of unique and complex properties, validating its importance for life and our human existence.  Water has several functions in the body, with several roles listed below.

• regulates body temperature
• lubricates joints
• carries nutrients and oxygen to cells
• prevents constipation
• lessons burden on kidneys and liver
• protects body organs and tissues

Small Steps, Big Difference

So we know we need to move more, but how do we do it in a society that values productivity at a sedentary desk instead of while being active (well of course this depends on your job, but a vast majority of the time, jobs aren’t as active as they should be!)?

Fiber 201

So we know there are two different types of fiber--soluble and insoluble--and that we need to consume more fiber in general. See a recap of these fibers below. 

Soluble fiber: dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance. This type of fiber has been found to lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels. 

Insoluble fiber: does not dissolve in water and helps waste move throughout our digestive systems and increases the bulk in our stools.  This form of fiber is beneficial for preventing colon cancer. 

It's recommended to consume 25-30 g of total fiber every day, with 25% from soluble fiber and 75% from insoluble fiber.  To start adding up the amount of fiber you eat each day, use the provided table as well as the resource from Harvard University's Health Services mentioned below. If you are eating foods that include a nutrition label, add those values in too to get you to your grand total for the day.

Keep Things Moving: Part 2

So we’ve talked about keeping things moving through our digestive tracts by adding more real, fiber-rich foods into our diets.  Now to keeping our bodies moving!

Although some may ask why we need to walk or ride bikes if we have more advanced modes of transportation, evolutionarily speaking we are built to move.   The bipedal motion of the Homo sapien species and the improved capacity to walk compared to our primate ancestors confirm our natural need for movement.  In fact, walking is the ideal form of exercise, that is, if we actually had the time to do enough of it! As hunter gatherers, our survival and livelihood actually depended on our abilities to walk and run.  If we didn’t sprint to kill prey or walk miles to locate edible foods, we, along with our tight-knit communities, would perish.    

Healthy Relationships and Mindsets

Have you ever noticed how certain people can bring your mood down?  Every word that comes out of their mouth is either a complaint or a negative remark about their life situation or about somebody else.  It’s as if each word is a spew of negativity.  Although we can’t avoid some relationships, in other instances we make the choice to surround ourselves with certain individuals.  We also make the choice on whether or not we will bring positivity into someone else’s life or if we will do otherwise.    

Fiber 101

So we know we need to consume real, naturally occurring fiber.  As in, naturally in the fruit-, vegetable-, nut-, bean-, or whole grain-fiber, not the “natural” fiber in the random-food-product-fiber, which is “natural” only because the package says so.  I’m only emphasizing this because I want us to think more about eating foods over food products.  If you are eating a FiberOne bar now for your breakfast, don't feel bad (recall the entry about guilt and that this journey is a process!). But what is fiber anyway?  And what does it mean when the package distinguishes between soluble fiber and insoluble fiber?

Keep Things Moving: Part 1

With my previous interest in medicine, I'm not shy to talk about our shared bodily functions.  Perhaps my intrepidation about the subject comes from early years of fearing and dreading my painful "#2 moments" and the accompanying embarassing (yet amusing!) stories that come up in family discussions.  Since we all do it, I hope you won’t be shy about reading about it either.

Daily bowel movements (what I refer to as BMs) and keeping things moving out of our system are key to great health.   The few nutrition recommendations that I have proposed thus far--eat real, mostly plants, and not too much--in fact all relate back to a common component of real food that keeps things moving--FIBER.  

The Mysteries of Sleep

Over the past few weeks of stretching myself too thin, I haven’t been getting enough sleep (and feeling every bit of it, I might add).  As I am tirelessly typing away at my computer at 12:30 am, I inevitably fast forward in my mind’s timetable and think about how little sleep I will be getting for the night.   And then there’s the piercing alarm ring when I say to myself, “It’s that time already.”

Welcome to my world, I’m sure most of you are saying.  Sleeplessness is an unfortunate way of life for most Americans (and others around the world for that matter!)--either we can’t fall asleep, we are busy doing things other than sleep, or can’t stay asleep.

Using Time Wisely

Eating real takes time, but it’s about optimizing your time when you do have it.  Below are some tips to use on your journey to a healthier you.

• Take advantage of your weekends to plan and prepare your meals for the week and base your grocery shopping on these meals.  Although it sounds tedious, write down your meals day by day.
• Become friends with frozen vegetables (without added salt) which are good go-to side vegetables.  From frozen spinach to lima beans and string beans, you don’t have to eat the same vegetables over and over again.  Varying the herbs and spices you use is also key.

Finding the Time to Eat Real

Unfortunately, the fact remains that it takes time to eat real.  Although great health should be readily available and therefore convenient for all, this is sadly not the case in this day and age (There are some things in life that we just have to suck up and bear and this is one of them!).   It’s convenient to run into a take-out restaurant for dinner and it is even easier to go through the drive-thru at Micky D’s.  It certainly isn’t convenient to come home after work and make dinner, but consider the alternative--the inconvenience of having a heart attack, having to take 2 or more different pills to regulate your blood pressure, or having to inject yourself with insulin 3 times a day (and some of you may already have to do this, but the choices you make today will impact your tomorrows).