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). 

Rules into Action

The next time you go grocery shopping consider Michael Pollan’s Food Rules of Eat Real and Eat Mostly Plants.  As much as possible, limit the number of edible-like food substances in your cart and replace them with more real food. Spend more time in the produce section, and if time is a major issue (which it is for most), stock up on frozen vegetables without added salt.   A general (and ideal) rule of thumb is to stay in the perimeter of the grocery store where you will find the produce, dairy, meat, and seafood.  With anything there are always exceptions.  You can find heart-healthy nuts and beans in the center aisles, as well as herbs, spices, and whole grains.  Unsalted or low-salt versions of foods are best, especially if you are African American or Hispanic.  Blacks and Latinos are more likely to develop high blood pressure than whites, perhaps (this is my theory) due to evolutionary adaptations to warmer climates and the diets of the region.  

See more helpful grocery shopping tips in a short clip on the videos page. 

Not Too Much

Step away from the buffet line for the 3rd time.  Although I say this in jest, it is truly not just the buffet line that is the problem.  It is the average portion size at just about any restaurant (well at least for the most part.  This doesn’t include the restaurants where-- those who can afford it--pay $100 to 200 per plate.  Ironic isn’t it....things that make you go hmmm.  But I digress).  Listening to body cues and knowing when you are full is key, and in fact may take some time if you are used to overeating.  Perhaps, we should follow the Japanese health principle of “hara hachi bu,” meaning eat until you are 80% full.   Although, perhaps only a zen master can sense his or her body to that exact percentage, the bottom line is to not stuff yourself (Ahhhh the nostalgia of my long-lost days at Carrabbas and Ruby Tuesdays).  “Hara hachi bu!”   

Mostly Plants

I know for some of you, Bugs Bunny popped into your mind.  I in fact remember making fun of the girl who always had baby carrots in her lunch in high school, and I think of this memory every time I pull out mine now.  Now I understand why Bugs Bunny was happy all the time ;-)  But what I have learned, is the plant category includes a host of yummy foods other than carrots and grass, but of course you have to know how to spice them up.  Fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, beans, nuts, and whole grains can all be prepared to give you a gustatory orgasm if you or another person knows what they are doing.

Eat Real (NOT a Chemistry Experiment!)

“Yeah I eat real, I’m not eating plastic am I!”  In truth, REAL food doesn’t include the thousands of edible food-like substances that adorn the average supermarket shelf.  And REAL food doesn’t need a health claim or a chemical dictionary to help you pronounce the ingredients in them.  The food industry has a sly and deceptive way of marketing their products as real when in fact they are far from it.  REAL real food is instead often times simple and recognizable (food like hummus would be a good example of an exception) and as close to its natural form as possible.  If it says that it’s a “fruit” bar, you should at least see a seed or something remotely resembling components of the fruit. Unfortunately “fruit” snacks in the shapes of fruit don’t cut it.   My people, it’s time to EAT REAL!

Food Rules

Perhaps, food activist and author, Michael Pollan, said it best when he recommended his readers to follow these three main rules for eating: Eat Real, Mostly Plants, and Not Too Much.  Although these rules may seem simple enough for some people yet overwhelming for others, know that these attainable changes take time and perhaps it is best to consider eating real most of the time, eating mostly plants most of the time, and not too much for the vast majority of the time.

Addicted

addicted |əˈdiktid|
adjective
physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance, and unable to stop taking it without incurring adverse effects.

Even if you don't initially relate to this post title, you may find it an interesting read nevertheless.  Although, most people are either directly or indirectly affected by addiction (my hand is raised!).

I’ve always considered all addictions equal (and no one better than the other), as they are most often influenced by a deep-seated unhappiness, whether known or unknown to the individual at the time.  I would even consider the deprivation or purging of food, as in the cases of anorexia and bulimia, to be considered a different and more severe psychological form of addictive behavior.  These addictions are often fueled by a cycle of trying to quite the substance of choice (illicit drugs, cigarettes, legalized drugs, alcohol, food, gambling, etc.), doing well for a time, resorting back to the old behavior, and then the overwhelming feeling of guilt that helps to fuel the self-destructing cycle.

Food Day

Today is national Food Day (“If you don’t know, now you know...”), a day dedicated to shedding light on U.S. food-related issues and trying to instigate change in U.S. policies that don’t necessarily support healthy eating.  Before breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the average American rarely thinks of where their food comes and why some food ingredients are more prevalent in the foods that we eat (eh ehm..high fructose corn syrup anyone).  Below are the 6 Food Day priorities which Food Day hopes to promote.

Purging Guilt

I thought I would sprinkle in this entry as I am talking about writing down what you eat.  Even though it may be easier said than done (and in fact is a process), don’t feel guilty about what you eat, plain and simple.  Acting to change your life should never be fueled by guilt, which fosters a negative mindset.  Plus, there are enough wrong-doers in the world, please leave the guilt for them!  

Fire to Your Flame

"You can't just know the what, you need to know the why - that's your motivation. If you don't know why, you will give up when it gets tough. " -Rick Warren

This quote by evangelical Christian preacher (and author of The Purpose Driven Life) Rick Warren inspired me to explain the flow and overall purpose of the Gain Great Health Blog.  Some of you may be saying to yourself --- Get to the point...Where are the recommendations?  Where is the magic answer for great health?...What should I eat?  How much should I exercise?  How much should I sleep? What supplements should I be taking?...  

Taking Back Control...from What?

So it’s time to take back control of our lives, but from what exactly?  From a system that talks dollars and cents over the health and well-being of the people.  And sadly, a system in which most people place too much faith. And by the people, I mean you and me!   

Where to Start?

Drawing from several historical references (“We are what we eat” to “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food”) and my education in nutrition re-affirming them, I believe that proper nutrition is the most important determinant of our health (a psychologist may argue otherwise, but I have a counter-argument for that---stay tuned...).  We literally are what we eat, from the structure of our cells to the enzymes that break down our food.  Since I am a science geek at heart, this perhaps was the most influential factor in me getting really serious about the foods that I put into my system (I will save those details for later, however).  Whatever your motivation, the important thing is to start!  

Taking Back Control

The main goal of the Gain Great Health site is to assist you in taking back control of your health.  So, what is health and what exactly needs to be re-claimed? According to the World Health Organization, health is not merely the absence of disease or infirmary, but also entails a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.  Keeping this definition in mind, health lies on a continuum between poor and great.  Where you lie on this continuum is dictated by the choices that you make a vast majority of the time (this is where moderation comes in---stay tuned...).  I had a delicious slice of sweet potato pie today with lunch and enjoyed every bite of it, but this doesn’t mean I will enjoy it again tomorrow (not again until Thanksgiving!).