Things to Have in the House at ALL Times
1) Whole Grains: brown rice, whole grain flour, whole wheat bread, etc.
2) Beans: dried will offer you a better selection, and are cheaper, but canned are fine. You want variety here. I love black beans and lentils. Yummmmm
3) Extra Virgin Olive Oil (yes, it matters): Your new go-to fat
4) Oil for Cooking: Peanut, Grapeseed, Sunflower (minimally processed, high quality, cold-pressed vegetable oil)
5) Staple Veggies and Fruits: Onions, garlic, frozen veggies like spinach, peas, and corn, fresh veggies as much as possible, keepers like carrots, sweet potatoes, celery, lemons, and limes
6) Fresh herbs
7) Spices--adds flavor without calories
8) Vinegar: Sherry, balsamic, red and white wine, rice vinegar
9) Soy Sauce--check to make sure it only contains: soy, wheat, salt, water, and bacteria
10) Dried nuts and fruits for snacking and cooking: Sesame and sunflower seeds, nut butters, tahini, walnuts, almonds
11) Canned Tomatoes: Plum and pre-chopped. Avoid additives
12) Sweeteners: Go with raw maple syrup and raw honey
Reasoning....
Grains, Breads, Cereals
*Absolutely matters if you buy whole wheat or not. But labels are tricky. Make sure you read everything and avoid anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Also, especially with cereal, check the label. Most "heart healthy" cereals have WAY too much sugar--which your liver will convert to fat. Whole grains are necessary--whole wheat is not the same as whole grain. Don't be fooled.
*Whole wheat bread, cereal, pasta, and brown rice. Trust me, especially with the pasta and brown rice, you won't be able to tell the difference. Now, wild rice is awesome as well, but more expensive. Quinoa is good to throw into salads and even hamburgers.
Why?
*Energy. Grains fuel you.
*B Vitamins are in fortified grain products and are responsible for energy metabolism
*Fiber helps with the digestive system and may reduce heart disease and some cancers.
Fruits and Vegetables
*Dark green, orange, yellow, and red fruits and veggies.
*Frozen veggies
Why?
*Vitamins and Minerals for the cellular reactions that keep your body running
*Fiber and Carbs for energy
*Protect against the effects of aging
*Reduce chance of cancer and heart disease
Meat and Meat Alternatives
*Lean meats
*Salmon
*Tofu
*Eggs
*Peanut butter (Smart Balance is a good choice--avoid sugar!)
*Nuts and seeds
*Beans (Not baked--avoid sugar)
Why?
*Protein and Minerals like iron. Protein helps your muscles recover, and your immune system cells, hair, skin, and nails are also made from protein.
*Fish, nuts, and seeds contain healthy fats called mono and polyunsaturated fats which play a critical role in cellular health and can lower risk of heart disease
*Fats are NOT bad!
Milk and Calcium
Skim Milk, Skim cheese, PLAIN Yogurt (preferably Greek--more protein, very little sugar)
Why?
*Calcium for bone health
*Calcium is responsible for regulation of cellular functions like muscle contraction
PROPER PORTION SIZE (probably much less than you think...)
*Drink a lot of water--preferably before you eat. It will fill you up and you'll eat less (it will help you avoid seconds and thirds)
*1 3/4 - 3 1/2 oz of meat =the size of a deck of cards.
* 1 cup of starch = size of a tennis ball/fist
* 1 hour before exercise eat a high-carb snack like a granola bar, toast with peanut butter/jelly, or a fruit, plus 2 cups of water
* If you exercise for over an hour, have a small snack of carbs and protein, and 2-3 cups of water
* At lunch and dinner, design plates that are half veggies, 1/4 starch, 1/4 meat.
*Fruit (can be frozen fruit) for dessert and maybe some skim milk, 3/4 cup plain yogurt
*Water is your best choice of beverage because there's no sugar involved. You do NOT need Gatorade, Powerade, a smoothie, etc. All hype. Also, fruit juice is too much sugar. That includes OJ.
Obviously, if you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight.
If you eat the same amount of calories that you burn, you maintain weight.
If you eat less calories than you burn, you lose weight.
Check your BMI (Body Mass Index) You can do this online: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
Normal weight falls between 18.5 and 25.9~Perfect!
Below that is underweight (increased risk of health problems)
Overweight is 25-29.9 (increased risk of health problems)
Then, there are three classes of Obese. I, II, III
I: 30-34.9 (High Risk of health problems)
II: 35-39.9 (Very high risk of health problems)
III: 40 and above (Extremely high risk of health problems)
Any category of "obese" means risk for high blood pressure, liver disease, high cholesterol, and type II diabetes. Diabetes, once you have it, is permanent.
Hydration
16-30 years old: 40mL per kg of body weight per day
30-55 years old: 35mL per kg of body weight per day
55-75 years old: 30mL per kg of body weight per day
75 and up: 25mL per kg of body weight per day
Final Suggestions
1. Choose in season fruit
2. Include 2 servings of veggies with lunch and 2 at dinner--at least
3. Eat WHOLE grains
4. Go meatless as much as you can to reduce saturated fat and increase fiber
5. Ditch juice
6. Purge processed foods--go fresh as much as you can
7. Don't eat in front of the tv-you eat much larger portions
8. Buy a scale-weigh yourself on a regular basis to stay on track
9. Half the amount of fat you currently eat-butter, mayo, oil, etc.
10. Sweets 2-3 times a week maximum--that includes anytime during the day!
11. Milk--Go for skim or 1% at the most
Sources: Food Matters by Mark Bittman and Walking for Fitness by Marnie Caron
OP SANDS: Refurbishing, Running, And Recipes
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
How You're Killing Yourself and the Environment: "Food Matters" by Mark Bittman A Summary and a Perspective
So not everyone is as voracious a reader as I am... I mean, I am an English teacher, right? And to be honest, not many people even like reading, especially "serious" or non-fiction reading. So I am going to give a summary of the most important aspects of a book I just read (in the past hour) called Food Matters. Why am I doing this, one may ask? Simple. You're life depends on it.
Caveat: I usually think most of this stuff is fad. This, I don't.
Now, before I start, all English teachers should tell you to take everything with a grain of salt--be a critical reader, and take into consideration that pretty much everything, even non-fiction, is opinionated. But a lot of what I read here is true based on a lot of studies I've read, friends who have told me the same thing way back in college and have practiced what they preached and experienced stellar results, and articles in health magazines. So, since I think it's vastly true and very little propaganda (it seems as though Mr. Bittman has very little to gain from writing this book), I am going to give you everything you need to know, (and destroy what you thought you knew) in bullet points. (All of this comes from the book)
*You are more likely to lose weight from changing your diet than from exercise.
1. America is second to last in longevity among industrialized nations--Latvia is last. Which means, of allllll the industrialized nations in the world, Americans are most likely to die younger, next to Latvians. Now that's SCARY.
2. Most of what you think is healthy isn't, and the reason you think it's healthy is because of a media blitz paid for by your own government (American government).
3. Almost all funded, PUBLISHED studies about food are funded by the companies who produce the food--therefore, they almost always show positive results for that food, whether it's true or not.
4. Raising livestock that produces our meat, poultry, and dairy products cause more pollution than transportation.
5. Overeating meat (Americans eat 10x more meat than any other country on the planet) has led to our being overweight/obese, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and possibly cancer.
*Thinking that you need protein is false. First, our government writes that we need 1/3 of a gram of our body weight in protein (ex. 150 lbs needs 50 grams). Many studies in other countries argue that this is too high. AND the kicker: Most Americans exceed that 1/3 gram of body weight rule by 30%! So most regular gym goers (non-Olympic athletes) who add protein to their diet don't need it because most of us are getting it in excess anyway.
* Also, the government has used media ads and studies to say that meat is where we get our protein. Not always true. Cooked spinach has twice as much protein as a cheeseburger (remember, cheese is touted as having protein as well!) and lentils have 1/3 more than meatloaf with gravy.
*More protein than the recommended rule stated above causes calcium loss, increases your need for fluids, and makes your kidneys work harder. Might also cause food allergies. Golden rule: everything in moderation.
6. Almost all meat that we consume is less nutritious than it used to be--we overproduce it, shoot it up with antibiotics (which in turn is making us immune to antibiotics that we need in case we get sick!), we feed the livestock food that their stomachs can't digest (corn, soybean, and animal parts instead of grass), we spray everything they eat with dangerous fertilizers, and many times, growth hormone is added to the mix. Oh good.
* Combat this by eating less meat, locally grown meat (more expensive, yes, but MUCH better and greener), and by looking for grass fed (which still has issues, but infinitely better for you than normal grocery store meat).
7. 60 billion animals are raised each year for food: that's 10 for every human on earth. 10 a year.
8. 40 calories of fossil fuel are required to produce 1 calorie of beef protein. Which means, that if we ate the equivalent of 3 fewer cheeseburgers a week, we'd cancel out the effects of ALL of the SUVs in the country. Wow. Or, another way: Eating a typical family of 4 steak dinner is almost equal to driving around in an SUV for 3 hours while leaving all of the lights on at home. Or, a third way, just to drive it home, a typical steer consumes the equivalent of 135 gallons of gas in its lifetime--enough to drive from Los Angeles to NY and back in a hybrid. (Each cow consumes 7 barrels of crude oil). That's how bad it is for the environment because we're overproducing the animals.
9. Meat consumption would have to fall to 3 oz a day to stabilize greenhouse gases produced by livestock.
10. America kills 9 billion chickens, 100 million pigs, 250 million turkeys, and 36 million cows a year for food.
11. 1 billion people in the world are chronically hungry. 1 billion people are overweight. Basically, "world agriculture produces 17% MORE calories PER PERSON than it did 30 years ago" --2,720 calories per person, per day. 1 Big Mac is equivalent (in terms of grain produced and used to feed animals) to 5 loaves of bread. But we don't feed the hungry, we give it to people in wealthier countries who are already overweight.
12. 50% of the antibiotics administered in the U.S. go to animals.
13. Agricultural subsidies cost tax payers $19 BILLION a year and benefit ONLY 3100 farmers!
14. We eat 25% more calories per day than we did in 1970. Consumption of meat=10% more, sugar=23% more. WOW.
SUMMARY: Meat production involves rampant antibiotic usage, contamination of local land and water by fertilizers used to produce feed, pesticides and herbicides impact our health, the world's forests are being chopped down to expand the industry--both more land for animal factories and more land for growing feed (especially in South America) like corn and soybean (most of which we would get sick if we ate), water usage, and greenhouse gases.
Beyond Meat:
Junkfood is also ridiculous in leading to pollution and obviously an unhealthy lifestyle. Note:
1. 7% of Americans' calories come from SODA.
2. In fact, the top 10 foods contributing to energy intake (where we get our calories) are: Soda at 7.1 The next is cake/doughnuts, sweet rolls, and pastries at 3.6 That's a huge drop. Followed by: hamburgers/cheeseburgers/meatloaf at 3, pizza at 4, potato/corn chips/popcorn at 5, rice at 6, rolls, buns, English muffins, bagels at 7, cheese or cheese spread at 8, beer at 9, and french fries at 10. Uhmm vegetables? Fruit? Yeah, not on the list.
3. It takes 2,200 calories to produce a 12oz can of diet soda.
4. Food manufacturers add or change ingredients to make their products appear healthier: they can then put the "healthy" ingredient on their label to mask all of the unhealthy ingredients the product actually contains. Smoke and mirrors.
5. Most marketing of food is aimed at children so they grow up with the idea of what is healthy, when it's really not. Think: "Beef, it's what's for dinner" or "Got Milk?"
6. The USDA (Department of Agriculture) has consistently favored individual and corporate profits over public health.
7. The single most destructive element in the American diet is sugar.
8. The type of fat we eat is far more important than the overall amount
9. The health industry promotes CONSUMPTION over Lifestyle Modification (acai is a miracle cure, for example.)
*Margarine/Shortening is bad (polyunsaturated fat AND hydrogenated=EVIL), avocado is good. Olive oil is good. Walnuts are good. (Monounsaturated fat)
SUMMARY: BEST ADVICE: Eat items that only have 1 ingredient. Ex. Bell pepper is only made of bell pepper. Banana is only made of banana. The more plants you eat, the less you eat of potentially damaging foods. The idea is to rely on foods that have relatively few calories by VOLUME. Eating every time you feel hungry is like sleeping every time you feel tired. (Ex. 100 grams of chocolate cake has 333 MORE calories than 100 grams of broccoli. In fact, 2 pounds of broccoli only has 309 calories, while 2 lbs of chocolate cake has 3,330 calories!)
Caloric density is where you divide the calories in a food by its weight. The lower the number, the lower the caloric density. But remember, high caloric density doesn't always mean a food is bad, it just means you should have a LOT less of it (like olive oil, with a caloric density of 8.8)
Based on caloric density, the best things to eat are (in order from lowest to highest):
water, tea, coffee, cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, celery, radishes, chard, spinach, summer squash, grapefruit, strawberries, button mushrooms, broccoli, bell pepper, broth, vegetable soups (low sodium), nonfat milk, carrots, cantaloupe, papaya, peach, winter squash, sea greens, hearty greens, oranges, orange juice (homemade, not store bought), apples, blueberries, fat free cottage cheese, tofu, tuna in canned water, sweet potatoes, potatoes, pasta, most seafood, boneless turkey breast (That's up to 1.4)
Now, I already said we get too much protein. What about the other stuff?
1. Simple carbs are bad. Complex carbs are good. (Most "whole grain" bread is a hoax--it can say whole grain if it's only 20% whole grain!)
2. If you eat too much sugar, the liver converts it to FAT. But even worse than that, large amounts of fructose (like high fructose corn syrup in soda) seem to stimulate hepatic lipogenesis (the liver's ability to make fat) and the more fructose you eat, the better your live becomes at turning sugar into fat. Wow! Plus, the more fructose you eat, the hungrier you feel. Also messes with testosterone and estrogen levels, causing acne, infertility, ovarian cysts, cardiovascular disease, and uterine cancer.
3. Each American eats 1 CUP of sugar PER DAY! (600 calories) That's scary. Especially since it gets turned into fat.
4. Most Americans only get 15 grams of dietary fiber--half the recommended amount. There are 2 types: soluble fiber in oats and barley (not wheat), and soybeans and kidney beans and citrus fruits clear the body of fat and regulate the way sugars are burned and stored. Also makes you feel full and satisfied after eating. Insoluble fiber is good for constipation and is found in most vegetables, fruits, most legumes, nuts and seeds. So eat that quinoa!
As for Fats...
1. Once you limit processed foods, refined carbs (white bread, pizza, sandwiches, muffins, bagels, cake) and animal products, fat is a non-issue.
2. Your brain is 2/3 fat. The problem is, we avoid foods that we think contain fat, but we're getting fat because our liver is turning refined carbs/sugar into fat for us!
3. We need fats from PLANTS. Not from animals. We want monounsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids, like in salmon and walnuts. (Animals contain saturated fats, which are ok in moderation--they raise good cholesterol and bad cholesterol equally. Trans fats in processed foods are EVIL)
So why is America so bad? Well, Mediterranean, Indian, Middle Eastern, North African, French, and most traditional Asian diets all contain far fewer animal products and refined carbohydrates than ours.
Suggestions for your Nutrition
1. Eat fewer animal products than average (1-2 pounds each week--better to eat oily fish like salmon any day). Smaller amounts of eggs and dairy foods--they're treats, not staples. Milk in cereal or cream in coffee is ok--it's moderation.
2. Eat all the plants you can manage. (Try less starchy ones--don't eat all potatoes)
3. Make legumes part of your life--beans have a lot of protein and replace animals.
4. Whole grains are so much better than refined carbs. Again, refined carbs are treats, it at all.
5. Snack on nuts/olives--higher in calories but good fats
6. When it comes to fats, olive oil is king! Peanut/Grapeseed oil for frying, butter when flavor absolutely matters, dark sesame or nut oil for extra flavor. Don't go drinking it, it's not the best for you, but those are the suggested ones.
7. Everything else is a treat--alcohol, snack food, refined carbs (sandwich bread included!), and sweets of all kinds.
Eat your veggies first!
Carry HOMEMADE Snacks so you won't be tempted to eat the other stuff--fruit, nuts, hummus and Wasa crackers, cut up veggies, olives, PB sandwich, granola, soup, fresh popcorn
If you buy meat, and you don't want antibiotics or hormones, you have to go organic. More money, fewer health problems.
Wild fish is organic. Farmed fish has the same antibiotics and nastiness. Stay away.
Avoid anything with more than 5 familiar ingredients.
By the way, non-organic store bought meat, if it listed ingredients, would HAVE to include: alfalfa cubes, barley silage, dried cattle manure, blood meal, coffee grounds, chicken fat, corn and cob meal, ammonium sulfate (fertilizer), hydrolyzed feather meal, ground limestone, cooked municipal garbage, linseed meal solvent, oat straw, potato waste, dried poultry manure, soybeans, wheat, antibiotics, and any pesticides/herbicides used to grow the corn/soybean. Perhaps even more depending on where it's from.
Frozen dinners are evil. Definitely more than 5 ingredients and wayyy too much sodium.
Organic means:
1. No nonorganic pesticides/fertilizers were used
2. No antibiotics or hormones were used
3. No genetically modified crops were used at any stage of production
Ok, now that you know WHY you should eat better, I'm going to tell you HOW to eat better... Recipes, Ingredients, etc. But not today... So to be continued!
Caveat: I usually think most of this stuff is fad. This, I don't.
Now, before I start, all English teachers should tell you to take everything with a grain of salt--be a critical reader, and take into consideration that pretty much everything, even non-fiction, is opinionated. But a lot of what I read here is true based on a lot of studies I've read, friends who have told me the same thing way back in college and have practiced what they preached and experienced stellar results, and articles in health magazines. So, since I think it's vastly true and very little propaganda (it seems as though Mr. Bittman has very little to gain from writing this book), I am going to give you everything you need to know, (and destroy what you thought you knew) in bullet points. (All of this comes from the book)
*You are more likely to lose weight from changing your diet than from exercise.
1. America is second to last in longevity among industrialized nations--Latvia is last. Which means, of allllll the industrialized nations in the world, Americans are most likely to die younger, next to Latvians. Now that's SCARY.
2. Most of what you think is healthy isn't, and the reason you think it's healthy is because of a media blitz paid for by your own government (American government).
3. Almost all funded, PUBLISHED studies about food are funded by the companies who produce the food--therefore, they almost always show positive results for that food, whether it's true or not.
4. Raising livestock that produces our meat, poultry, and dairy products cause more pollution than transportation.
5. Overeating meat (Americans eat 10x more meat than any other country on the planet) has led to our being overweight/obese, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and possibly cancer.
*Thinking that you need protein is false. First, our government writes that we need 1/3 of a gram of our body weight in protein (ex. 150 lbs needs 50 grams). Many studies in other countries argue that this is too high. AND the kicker: Most Americans exceed that 1/3 gram of body weight rule by 30%! So most regular gym goers (non-Olympic athletes) who add protein to their diet don't need it because most of us are getting it in excess anyway.
* Also, the government has used media ads and studies to say that meat is where we get our protein. Not always true. Cooked spinach has twice as much protein as a cheeseburger (remember, cheese is touted as having protein as well!) and lentils have 1/3 more than meatloaf with gravy.
*More protein than the recommended rule stated above causes calcium loss, increases your need for fluids, and makes your kidneys work harder. Might also cause food allergies. Golden rule: everything in moderation.
6. Almost all meat that we consume is less nutritious than it used to be--we overproduce it, shoot it up with antibiotics (which in turn is making us immune to antibiotics that we need in case we get sick!), we feed the livestock food that their stomachs can't digest (corn, soybean, and animal parts instead of grass), we spray everything they eat with dangerous fertilizers, and many times, growth hormone is added to the mix. Oh good.
* Combat this by eating less meat, locally grown meat (more expensive, yes, but MUCH better and greener), and by looking for grass fed (which still has issues, but infinitely better for you than normal grocery store meat).
7. 60 billion animals are raised each year for food: that's 10 for every human on earth. 10 a year.
8. 40 calories of fossil fuel are required to produce 1 calorie of beef protein. Which means, that if we ate the equivalent of 3 fewer cheeseburgers a week, we'd cancel out the effects of ALL of the SUVs in the country. Wow. Or, another way: Eating a typical family of 4 steak dinner is almost equal to driving around in an SUV for 3 hours while leaving all of the lights on at home. Or, a third way, just to drive it home, a typical steer consumes the equivalent of 135 gallons of gas in its lifetime--enough to drive from Los Angeles to NY and back in a hybrid. (Each cow consumes 7 barrels of crude oil). That's how bad it is for the environment because we're overproducing the animals.
9. Meat consumption would have to fall to 3 oz a day to stabilize greenhouse gases produced by livestock.
10. America kills 9 billion chickens, 100 million pigs, 250 million turkeys, and 36 million cows a year for food.
11. 1 billion people in the world are chronically hungry. 1 billion people are overweight. Basically, "world agriculture produces 17% MORE calories PER PERSON than it did 30 years ago" --2,720 calories per person, per day. 1 Big Mac is equivalent (in terms of grain produced and used to feed animals) to 5 loaves of bread. But we don't feed the hungry, we give it to people in wealthier countries who are already overweight.
12. 50% of the antibiotics administered in the U.S. go to animals.
13. Agricultural subsidies cost tax payers $19 BILLION a year and benefit ONLY 3100 farmers!
14. We eat 25% more calories per day than we did in 1970. Consumption of meat=10% more, sugar=23% more. WOW.
SUMMARY: Meat production involves rampant antibiotic usage, contamination of local land and water by fertilizers used to produce feed, pesticides and herbicides impact our health, the world's forests are being chopped down to expand the industry--both more land for animal factories and more land for growing feed (especially in South America) like corn and soybean (most of which we would get sick if we ate), water usage, and greenhouse gases.
Beyond Meat:
Junkfood is also ridiculous in leading to pollution and obviously an unhealthy lifestyle. Note:
1. 7% of Americans' calories come from SODA.
2. In fact, the top 10 foods contributing to energy intake (where we get our calories) are: Soda at 7.1 The next is cake/doughnuts, sweet rolls, and pastries at 3.6 That's a huge drop. Followed by: hamburgers/cheeseburgers/meatloaf at 3, pizza at 4, potato/corn chips/popcorn at 5, rice at 6, rolls, buns, English muffins, bagels at 7, cheese or cheese spread at 8, beer at 9, and french fries at 10. Uhmm vegetables? Fruit? Yeah, not on the list.
3. It takes 2,200 calories to produce a 12oz can of diet soda.
4. Food manufacturers add or change ingredients to make their products appear healthier: they can then put the "healthy" ingredient on their label to mask all of the unhealthy ingredients the product actually contains. Smoke and mirrors.
5. Most marketing of food is aimed at children so they grow up with the idea of what is healthy, when it's really not. Think: "Beef, it's what's for dinner" or "Got Milk?"
6. The USDA (Department of Agriculture) has consistently favored individual and corporate profits over public health.
7. The single most destructive element in the American diet is sugar.
8. The type of fat we eat is far more important than the overall amount
9. The health industry promotes CONSUMPTION over Lifestyle Modification (acai is a miracle cure, for example.)
*Margarine/Shortening is bad (polyunsaturated fat AND hydrogenated=EVIL), avocado is good. Olive oil is good. Walnuts are good. (Monounsaturated fat)
SUMMARY: BEST ADVICE: Eat items that only have 1 ingredient. Ex. Bell pepper is only made of bell pepper. Banana is only made of banana. The more plants you eat, the less you eat of potentially damaging foods. The idea is to rely on foods that have relatively few calories by VOLUME. Eating every time you feel hungry is like sleeping every time you feel tired. (Ex. 100 grams of chocolate cake has 333 MORE calories than 100 grams of broccoli. In fact, 2 pounds of broccoli only has 309 calories, while 2 lbs of chocolate cake has 3,330 calories!)
Caloric density is where you divide the calories in a food by its weight. The lower the number, the lower the caloric density. But remember, high caloric density doesn't always mean a food is bad, it just means you should have a LOT less of it (like olive oil, with a caloric density of 8.8)
Based on caloric density, the best things to eat are (in order from lowest to highest):
water, tea, coffee, cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, celery, radishes, chard, spinach, summer squash, grapefruit, strawberries, button mushrooms, broccoli, bell pepper, broth, vegetable soups (low sodium), nonfat milk, carrots, cantaloupe, papaya, peach, winter squash, sea greens, hearty greens, oranges, orange juice (homemade, not store bought), apples, blueberries, fat free cottage cheese, tofu, tuna in canned water, sweet potatoes, potatoes, pasta, most seafood, boneless turkey breast (That's up to 1.4)
Now, I already said we get too much protein. What about the other stuff?
1. Simple carbs are bad. Complex carbs are good. (Most "whole grain" bread is a hoax--it can say whole grain if it's only 20% whole grain!)
2. If you eat too much sugar, the liver converts it to FAT. But even worse than that, large amounts of fructose (like high fructose corn syrup in soda) seem to stimulate hepatic lipogenesis (the liver's ability to make fat) and the more fructose you eat, the better your live becomes at turning sugar into fat. Wow! Plus, the more fructose you eat, the hungrier you feel. Also messes with testosterone and estrogen levels, causing acne, infertility, ovarian cysts, cardiovascular disease, and uterine cancer.
3. Each American eats 1 CUP of sugar PER DAY! (600 calories) That's scary. Especially since it gets turned into fat.
4. Most Americans only get 15 grams of dietary fiber--half the recommended amount. There are 2 types: soluble fiber in oats and barley (not wheat), and soybeans and kidney beans and citrus fruits clear the body of fat and regulate the way sugars are burned and stored. Also makes you feel full and satisfied after eating. Insoluble fiber is good for constipation and is found in most vegetables, fruits, most legumes, nuts and seeds. So eat that quinoa!
As for Fats...
1. Once you limit processed foods, refined carbs (white bread, pizza, sandwiches, muffins, bagels, cake) and animal products, fat is a non-issue.
2. Your brain is 2/3 fat. The problem is, we avoid foods that we think contain fat, but we're getting fat because our liver is turning refined carbs/sugar into fat for us!
3. We need fats from PLANTS. Not from animals. We want monounsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids, like in salmon and walnuts. (Animals contain saturated fats, which are ok in moderation--they raise good cholesterol and bad cholesterol equally. Trans fats in processed foods are EVIL)
So why is America so bad? Well, Mediterranean, Indian, Middle Eastern, North African, French, and most traditional Asian diets all contain far fewer animal products and refined carbohydrates than ours.
Suggestions for your Nutrition
1. Eat fewer animal products than average (1-2 pounds each week--better to eat oily fish like salmon any day). Smaller amounts of eggs and dairy foods--they're treats, not staples. Milk in cereal or cream in coffee is ok--it's moderation.
2. Eat all the plants you can manage. (Try less starchy ones--don't eat all potatoes)
3. Make legumes part of your life--beans have a lot of protein and replace animals.
4. Whole grains are so much better than refined carbs. Again, refined carbs are treats, it at all.
5. Snack on nuts/olives--higher in calories but good fats
6. When it comes to fats, olive oil is king! Peanut/Grapeseed oil for frying, butter when flavor absolutely matters, dark sesame or nut oil for extra flavor. Don't go drinking it, it's not the best for you, but those are the suggested ones.
7. Everything else is a treat--alcohol, snack food, refined carbs (sandwich bread included!), and sweets of all kinds.
Eat your veggies first!
Carry HOMEMADE Snacks so you won't be tempted to eat the other stuff--fruit, nuts, hummus and Wasa crackers, cut up veggies, olives, PB sandwich, granola, soup, fresh popcorn
If you buy meat, and you don't want antibiotics or hormones, you have to go organic. More money, fewer health problems.
Wild fish is organic. Farmed fish has the same antibiotics and nastiness. Stay away.
Avoid anything with more than 5 familiar ingredients.
By the way, non-organic store bought meat, if it listed ingredients, would HAVE to include: alfalfa cubes, barley silage, dried cattle manure, blood meal, coffee grounds, chicken fat, corn and cob meal, ammonium sulfate (fertilizer), hydrolyzed feather meal, ground limestone, cooked municipal garbage, linseed meal solvent, oat straw, potato waste, dried poultry manure, soybeans, wheat, antibiotics, and any pesticides/herbicides used to grow the corn/soybean. Perhaps even more depending on where it's from.
Frozen dinners are evil. Definitely more than 5 ingredients and wayyy too much sodium.
Organic means:
1. No nonorganic pesticides/fertilizers were used
2. No antibiotics or hormones were used
3. No genetically modified crops were used at any stage of production
Ok, now that you know WHY you should eat better, I'm going to tell you HOW to eat better... Recipes, Ingredients, etc. But not today... So to be continued!
Running Makes Me Hungry, But Roscoe's Buffalo Zach's Cafe Hungry?
Not far from the famous Roscoe diner, one will find the over-cheesed Western themed Buffalo Zach's Cafe. While the interior may look like a Wyoming hotel gone wrong, the outside deck is a nice place to enjoy a beautiful day. The chandeliers (antler/driftwood shaped) could definitely use some dusting, but overall, the outside ambiance isn't half bad considering it's caddy-cornered on two "major" roads. Plus, it's dog/pet friendly, and they even bring your pet a water bowl, which is nice.
The corn chowder was delicious, with the perfect hint of spice. Very flavorful, though there were barely any pieces of corn in mine. Potatoes, yes. Corn, no. But still quite yummy. My ribs were enough for 3 dinners! The St. Louis sauce was a bit tangy/ketchupy, and the ribs themselves were a bit "undercooked" for my taste--I like them a little more charred. The next day was much better with some honey-bbq sauce and some grill action. The rice was mediocre and the beans were too tinny for my liking. The sweet potato fries weren't over the moon, but the french fries were pretty good, boasting an extra layer of potato (whatever that means). They basically tasted like a crispier version of McDonald's fries. After not having anything but buckwheat and a grapefruit all day, and running 3 miles and paddling 10 miles down a river, I probably wasn't in the best mindset to "taste" the food for a review, so perhaps I'll try again at a lunch in the future. Also, apparently they are well-known for their coffee, so I'd have to try that as well, finding no room by the end of the night for anything solid or liquid.
So yes, I'd try it again at lunch, when burgers (especially the bison!) and sandwiches are involved. At first I thought it was over-priced, but then I saw the portion sizes. I'd rather have less food and lower prices, but hey, that's just me. Sorry, I have no images for this one.
The corn chowder was delicious, with the perfect hint of spice. Very flavorful, though there were barely any pieces of corn in mine. Potatoes, yes. Corn, no. But still quite yummy. My ribs were enough for 3 dinners! The St. Louis sauce was a bit tangy/ketchupy, and the ribs themselves were a bit "undercooked" for my taste--I like them a little more charred. The next day was much better with some honey-bbq sauce and some grill action. The rice was mediocre and the beans were too tinny for my liking. The sweet potato fries weren't over the moon, but the french fries were pretty good, boasting an extra layer of potato (whatever that means). They basically tasted like a crispier version of McDonald's fries. After not having anything but buckwheat and a grapefruit all day, and running 3 miles and paddling 10 miles down a river, I probably wasn't in the best mindset to "taste" the food for a review, so perhaps I'll try again at a lunch in the future. Also, apparently they are well-known for their coffee, so I'd have to try that as well, finding no room by the end of the night for anything solid or liquid.
So yes, I'd try it again at lunch, when burgers (especially the bison!) and sandwiches are involved. At first I thought it was over-priced, but then I saw the portion sizes. I'd rather have less food and lower prices, but hey, that's just me. Sorry, I have no images for this one.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Easy Tomato Soup (For Grilled Cheese!)
I love dipping a slightly browned, perfectly melted grilled cheese into tomato soup. But canned tomato soup always tastes so.... well, tinny. So how do you fix this when you don't want to make soup from scratch? Easy.
Add one can condensed tomato soup.
Fill the can with milk, and add to the soup.
Add 4-5 basil leaves to taste.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer.
Voila! Serves 2. Hearty and delicious and full of potassium.
Add one can condensed tomato soup.
Fill the can with milk, and add to the soup.
Add 4-5 basil leaves to taste.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer.
Voila! Serves 2. Hearty and delicious and full of potassium.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Bashakill Vineyard
So down (or up, depending on where you are in the world) in Wurtsboro, NY, there's a fantastic little home-run winery. The owner, whose name I believe is Paul, "hated his day job" so decided to take seminar classes at Cornell on how to open a winery. Realizing that Wurtsboro is on the same latitude as the vineyards in Germany that grow the world's best Riesling, he decided to buy some land on the Bashakill and see where it goes. This all happened in 2005, and now, in 2011, there's a great mix of homegrown whites, some decent, if light, reds, live music on the weekends during the summer season, and a brick oven pizza joint in the back open occasionally. Plus, it's dog (and puppy!) friendly, with cool house dogs Walter and Fredo (2 Italian greyhounds) and Dario, a well-mannered German short-haired pointer. Neighbors seem to love the place, and you can hang out, bring some food, and watch as your dog jumps in a rather scuzzy pond. And why does the pond look so scuzzy? Because the owner is still building and growing! He purchased a few lambs to do the weeding, and is now hoping to build an area to hold the wine during the winter as it ferments. In fact, the owner loves his new life so much, that he tattooed the label of his wines (drawn by his good friend) on his forearm, and has a barbed-wire-esque tattoo of grapes as well.
Standout wines include Wood Duck Chardonnay, fermented in half steel, half oak (and I actually like it!) Barn Owl (more like a Riesling, very sweet) and the best red is the Coyote. But it's a great place to chill with some good friends, hang out, and have a nice little weekend. Everyone is super friendly, and you'll be sure to make some awesome friends.
Image from: http://www.google.com/imgres?q=bashakill+vineyard&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=586&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=6hUihfSY6v_X9M:&imgrefurl=http://www.hvwinemag.com/bashakill.html&docid=NyrjtjjPj1RiBM&w=524&h=461&ei=yVJJTuDvCdHTgQfLsfC5Bg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=345&vpy=82&dur=1660&hovh=211&hovw=239&tx=128&ty=139&page=1&tbnh=132&tbnw=138&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Horosho: Rolling River Cafe, Parksville, NY
Have you ever discussed Anna Karenina with a chef? I have. In upstate NY, in fact. Imagine? Delicious Russian food, awesome "Rajun Cajun" ambiance (it's in a house), and Bashakill wine. I'm in heaven.
Brad and I split the Pelini Russian veal Dumplings, seared tuna in peanut and lime sauce, and Uzbekistan pie. Tapas, crepes, entrees, paninis... they have it all! Everything was delectable. The sour cream on the dumplings and pie were a perfect balance, and the tuna was cooked to perfection with a slightly charred undertone.
For dessert, we split the pecan pie which was almost as good as my Southern mother's. Served with fresh whipped cream on the side, it was delectable. Highly recommend!
(Image from: http://www.google.com/imgres?q=rolling+river+cafe+parksville&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=613&tbm=isch&tbnid=2oPBOa442vdudM:&imgrefurl=http://www.countryhouserealty.net/countryhouse/livman.html&docid=jaHqX_veLXqwWM&w=201&h=267&ei=7DFHTqmTH8-_gQf1l8TBBg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=368&page=1&tbnh=149&tbnw=112&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0&tx=76&ty=134)
Friday, August 12, 2011
Buckwheat
Ok, health fanatics. Buckwheat is my new joint. For those of you who know about oatmeal, you're missing out on the fiber and protein loaded, nutty deliciousness of buckwheat! It's one of the best plant sources of protein, and contains lysine which is an amino acid not often found in many grains. Plus, due to the fiber and protein, you stay full forever, and end up eating far less than you normally would! Also tends to keep glucose levels in check better than other carbohydrates. (So says Bob.)
Find out more at http://bobsredmill.com
Simple recipe:
1/4 cup buckwheat (I like Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Grain. Bob. Yay Bob. And it's Gluten free! It's a fruit, not a grain, therefore wheat-free.)
3/4 cup water, milk, combination... your choice
2 tbsp wildflower honey (or darker. The darker the honey, the more nutrients.)
1 tsp or less cinnamon
Microwave for about 4 minutes. Delicious and extremely nutritious breakfast!
Feel free to add fresh berries afterward.
Find out more at http://bobsredmill.com
Simple recipe:
1/4 cup buckwheat (I like Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Grain. Bob. Yay Bob. And it's Gluten free! It's a fruit, not a grain, therefore wheat-free.)
3/4 cup water, milk, combination... your choice
2 tbsp wildflower honey (or darker. The darker the honey, the more nutrients.)
1 tsp or less cinnamon
Microwave for about 4 minutes. Delicious and extremely nutritious breakfast!
Feel free to add fresh berries afterward.
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