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Links to a Healthy Weekend

September 12, 2008

I hope everyone has a great weekend! These are some of the things I really enjoyed reading this week.

Tonic News Network had a great post about eating locally. It provides an interesting list as to why it is beneficial. My favorite one is Eating local is better for air quality and pollution than eating organic.

This is a big reason why I didn’t jump on the organic bandwagon when it was becoming so popular. People seemed to be buying organic and forgetting about the fact that it had to get to them in Indiana from California. I think there is much more awareness now though and things are changing to support local AND organic.

I am a Food Network addict. I haven’t been able to watch it a lot recently, but it used to be on constantly before we made our move. I enjoy Good Eats from time to time because I have a love of food science behind my nutrition/health/cooking exterior. Eat.Drink.Better. posted this week about how Alton Brown is going to focus his show more towards sustainable and local food choices. Can’t wait!!

Now, I’m a Google fan, would love the experience of working there some day just to see what all the hype is about. However, I have to admit that this post at That’s Fit made me a little queasy. I love the salty and savory breakfast combo, but it has to at least look appetizing. Just something to make you glad you are a healthy eater.

I just started reading Does This Blog Make Us Look Fat and I am loving it for a daily laugh. This post about reducing your consumption of beef products had me laughing out loud.

Back to the Tap

August 25, 2008

I’ve come across an interesting trend during my visit in Ireland.

Tap water is all the rage.

I have even seen menus that advertise both carbonated and still water from the tap on their menus. There is an effort to promote its safety and taste.

Of course, everyone knows the problems with all those plastic bottles.

I am a water advocate for sure. I try to drink about 2 liters a day. Sometimes I do fall short. When I go without water for an extended period even a morning, I can definitely tell it.

I feel sluggish and I am usually on the verge of a headache. I can also tell a huge difference in the appearance of my skin. Drinking water helps it to look clearer and healthier.

There has been a lot of talk in the media these days about how the recommendation to drink 8 cups of water a day is a myth.

Well, that is true. The recommendation has always been 8 cups of fluid. However, seeing that people steer more towards soda and sugar-laden fruit drinks as opposed to water, milk and fresh juices the recommendation slowly evolved.

The latter provide the body with lots of water and healthy fluid while the former include caffeine, sugar and chemicals.

It became important for people to take in water to promote health and I still think it is a healthy habit. I stick by the 8 cups of water recommendation to feel better, help skin and lose weight.

I am all for the tap water craze, although I’ll admit it is a switch that is taking some time. Sometimes I can really taste a difference in tap water and I don’t like it. However, for the most part, I think I’m getting used to it.

It still buy bottles every now and then when I travel, usually just for transport throughout the day.

I do hope the tap water crazy is catching on or soon does in the US. It is cheap, convenient, and of course, better for our environment.

One of my favorite meals of the trip so far has been this beauty. Steamed mussels, clams and cockles in a garlic lemon cream sauce. Then a Crawfish pizza with ham, onion and green peppers, topped with lemon creme fraiche.

Top photo of Killiney Bay, Ireland.

Carbs Really Aren’t That Scary

August 19, 2008

I’m traveling for the next few weeks so hopefully it is going to lead to some interesting insight and comparisons when it comes to fake foods. Right now I’m living it up in the Dublin, Ireland area.

I was sitting at breakfast this morning at the hotel. A really nice breakfast I might add. I had already decided to get the porridge (this variety was made with oats). It was available with the free breakfast by request.

When I ordered the waiter asked me if I wanted toast with it. I got to thinking about this as I watched groups of people walk back to their tables with mountains of breads on their plates.

The US is one of the only cultures that is carb-phobic.

Almost all other countries have staples of pasta, rice, potatoes or breads. The interesting thing is most of these cultures are a whole lot healthier than us.

Is it the wine, the fish, or the use of their feet for transportation? Lots of theories and even facts out there.

Believe me. I understand the need to limit carbs. I’m one of those people who can literally gain 5 lbs by just smelling fresh baked bread.

Sure, I’ve experimented with low carb diets before. I can still remember when I worked at a bread store in college. Women would come in during the morning and buy a loaf of bread for their families. I’d ask if they wanted a sample and usually the response I got was, “Oh no, I don’t eat carbs,” or “No thanks. I limit my carbs.”

That is no way to live!! Not for me anyway.

The past few years I’ve been on a mission to keep carbs in my diet in moderation, including the white varieties.

The result?

I need to take off a few more pounds without doubt. However, I have maintained a 25 lb loss for about 5 years now. What is even better is that I still get all those mood altering, serotonin building carbohydrates. I enjoy my food and I feel better.

So, yes, I took the toast this morning and I had an awesome cardio workout afterward.

Thanks carbs!

Since I’m on the road and food is such a huge part of traveling for me I’ll post some of my most interesting healthy meals. Some I hope to recreate once I get back home. Maybe they will serve as inspiration for some new ideas.

My lunch yesterday was a Roasted Chicken with Pancetta Open-faced Sandwich on Olive Bread, topped with mango chutney. It was very tasty, but I think it would have been better warm.

Responsibility

July 21, 2008

A couple years ago my husband and I were on our annual vacation to the Caribbean. We were headed off our resort in Jamaica to a biking excursion in the Blue Mountains.

We had been waiting on the bus 10 minutes or so when something on the radio caught my attention. It was a PSA about physical activity. The last sentence of the script was a bit shocking and also thought provoking.

“Remember, your health is your responsibility.”

This was shocking because I’m not sure you would ever hear a phrase like this in the US, certainly not on a radio PSA.

Personally, I truly believe this statement. Unfortunately, we live in a society of blame. Obesity and the related diseases are blamed on the fast food companies, attitudes and unhappiness are blamed on how we were raised, and the inability to lose those extra pounds is the diet’s fault, not our own.

We often like to assign the terms ‘failure’ and ‘success’ to eating right and being active. By doing this we make being healthy something that is a goal to be achieved or an option in our lives. People (myself included) like to state that a diet failed or a new exercise program didn’t work.

Regardless of how hard our environment and past might make it to choose the healthy option, it is still our personal responsibility to do so.

If you think about it, it’s actually quite empowering to know that we have this control over our health. I try each day not to lose site of that power and surrender it to fake foods and miracle cures.

I wish that we could incorporate the message above into more of our health focused initiatives in the US. There seems to be this fear related to it. Like people don’t really believe it or it is the wrong thing to say.

I remember returning after that trip and sharing the phrase with many people I worked with. The attitude was one that seemed to express – yeah, that is true, but we can’t say that.

Why not? Why can other countries promote this and we can’t? Are people so caught up in wanting to blame others for their health that they would be infuriated to hear someone tell them this? Sadly, I think there are some that would be.

I think the key is to focus on the fact that this isn’t a curse, it is power. There are few things we have the power to control in this world. And yes, there will always be those cases where healthy people get horrible diseases. However, when it comes to things like energy, vitality, positive attitudes and simply being healthy, these are all immediate positive reinforcements that we have the control to bring about by making healthy choices.

Being healthy and protecting ourselves from disease, choosing real fresh foods and making the time to prepare them, and being active daily is our responsibility. Not the doctor’s, the food company’s or our family’s, it is ours.

Photo of Blue Mountain Bike Tour – Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Well Said

July 18, 2008

If you feel the same way I do about real food and physical activity (and even if you don’t) you should check out this video.

It touches on the fact that the answer to our health problems are simple and on the fact that media and drug companies have manipulated us into thinking that we have everything under the sun and need a pill for it. The best part is the comment that diet and exercise do not fail.

Effects of the Fat Free Craze

June 18, 2008

If you have any interest in health or nutrition you know what I’m talking about. That time not so long ago when everything with fat was bad for you and fat free products lined the shelves of every store. To be healthy you had to be fat free.

I, for one, am glad it is over. At least people are realizing that it is just the saturated and trans fats that have a negative influence on health. We can finally enjoy rich foods with healthy fats again knowing they are good for us.

Just think, all that time we were eliminating great food from our diet the French were over there eating full fat cheese and drinking wine and still remained healthier (and thinner) than us. Thank goodness it didn’t take us as long as a society to pull ourselves out of the low carb phase.

There is still a problem though. The availability of great food has suffered considerably since the fat free craze. Low fat and fat free foods are still out there. To make matters worse, it is nearly impossible to get full-fat, healthy foods unless you go to a specialty store.

The first thing that comes to mind is cheese. I love the convenience of shredded cheese. What I don’t like is that pretty much all you can find is part-skim mozzarella.

Have you ever tried cooking with this stuff? It basically does not melt. What a disappointing food experience! Yes, cheese has saturated fat, but it can be part of a healthy diet – a very satisfying healthy diet.

It’s like both consumers and manufacturers are still afraid of the full-fat versions of some foods. Maybe it wouldn’t sell. I don’t know. However, these are the kind of real foods we need.

You’ve probably seen all the information in the media the past few years about 3 servings of dairy daily and weight loss. Well a study came out last year which had participants make at least one of those servings full-fat dairy. They lost more weight.

As long as you keep your total saturated fat intake in check for the day, enjoying these filling foods is perfectly acceptable. I say bring on the full-fat yogurt! This is such a treat compared to the fat free, sugar free version that is always marketed so heavily.

I wish that the fat free craze hadn’t damaged our healthy thinking so much. When shopping, even I hear that little voice in the back of my head telling me I should get the low fat version. I hope that we can one day start accepting these foods back into our society and shopping carts with the ability to eat them and truly enjoy them in moderation.

Photo by rosevita, morguefile.com

Fresh From the Oven

June 8, 2008

When the low carb craze hit, I was skeptical. I tried it, of course. What person who struggles with keeping weight off didn’t? I knew that it wouldn’t last.

I was in college during all that hype and I think everyone I knew asked me what I thought of the Atkin’s diet. That would extend to people I just met. I’d be introduced, they’d ask what I was studying, and then proceed to ask me what I thought of the diet.

Being a bread fanatic I am truly glad everyone has come to their senses. While control of refined, sugary carbs is a good thing, we need this beneficial nutrient. There is no way around that.

I spent about 5 years throughout high school and college working with bread. I worked for a bread store and then followed that up by working at a bagel store. I worked in both production and at the counter. I got to see what went into making it and convinced people at the counter what the best option would be for them.

Being the only one there studying nutrition, I was always the one who was asked what the nutrition content was of the breads. My fellow workers stopped looking it up in the book and just asked me instead. I have this weird knack for memorizing that type of stuff. I’m not sure if it can be called a talent, but I think I picked the right field of study.

I know first hand how too much of a good thing can put on extra weight, but I also know how important fresh, whole grain bread can be to a healthy diet. Not only does it fuel the body, but it balances the brain. It is a comfort food for some and produces great feelings of satisfaction and contentment.

Cutting out shelf stable sandwich bread has probably been one of the easiest things for me to do. I read in a book somewhere (which I’m sure I’ll talk more about later) about all the preservatives and stabilizers that go into bread like that which keeps it fresh on the shelf for weeks. That got me thinking that I didn’t want that in my body.

In the past I could be found combing the bread aisle, looking for 100% whole grain that was also low in calorie. Now, while I believe whole grain is better, I still think freshly baked, either white or wheat, is better than anything packaged on the shelf.

This is one of those changes that I welcome. Giving up a sandwich loaf for one that came out of the oven a few hours ago is a treat for the senses.

I’ve played around with making my own bread at home, but have never been very successful. I hope to perfect this in the future, but for now I love the bakery on the corner.

Photo by kevinrosseel, morguefile.com

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