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). 

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.