Obese? The Devil Made Me Do It!!

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?"

And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "And as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, sugar from the cane and he combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.

So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, "I have sent you heart- healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof.

God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food."

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center in to chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger, and then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man replied, "Yes! And super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Satan created HMOs.

Author Unknown

 I found this parody a number of years ago and thought it worth sharing. Enjoy!

What happened to December?

I know you won't believe this, but it's the most creative excuse - made up story - for not blogging since November! Santa got stuck in my chimney and I have been working with him to get a few extra pounds off. Well, he's doing fine, and I'm baaack. More later. I promise!

This is SCARY!

It's not terrorism that will bring this country down, it's our weight. This chart is from the Gallup Poll folks.

The latest on the streets is that possible legislation is being introduced to protect the obese from being discriminated against in job hirings. This is not right. Our businesses are so overburdened with health care costs, they are unable to compete with overseas companies.

Is anyone as nervous about our country's future as I am?

That bottom number is over 153 BILLION dollars; that's with a B, folks. Billions!

Two Tablespoons of Tomato Paste

There is a big battle going on in Congress over the nutritional value of the two tablespoons of tomato paste that tops the pizzas fed to our children in public schools. The big companies behind the manufacturing of these nasty little discs of pizza dough and cheese grease are actually lobbying for the pizza's nutritional value!!! And Congress is resisting enacting any laws to require that healthy food be served in schools. Why? The lobbyists of course. The cost of providing healthy food to school kids is prohibitive. But, that doesn't matter, not even in the slightest, because it's simply not a battle any worthwhile parent should fight.

Here is my analogy, and I admit a rather bad one, but it makes the point. You are a parent of four children and they have to walk, say, a mile to school. The road that they have to cross is dangerous, and you've been fighting for a crossing light or crossing guard for a long time. Now, let's say one of your children gets hit by a car. Do you get angry at the city for not providing a safe crossing? Do you get angry at the school for not providing a crossing guard? And do you continue to fight for either of those all the while allowing your other three children to continue to walk to school? Or do you do what's best for your children by taking them to school, by never allowing them to cross that dangerous road to begin with?

So, what does that analogy have to do with lunches? Well, rather than fight for nutritious food, prepare your children's lunches every day, and, if you can, deliver those lunches just prior to the lunch period. And I hope this goes with having to write it - NEVER put in processed foods like Lunchables or other equally nasty food. If it's processed, DO NOT feed it to your children, especially before they reach the age of six. Why? By feeding them only wholesome, nutritious food in their early years, you will have created a "taste" for the good stuff, a habit of eating highly nutritious food, and, hopefully, an aversion for the bad stuff.

In the long run, the lack of nutrition is even more dangerous than that road. A lack of proper nutrition prevents the brain from developing, and when the brain doesn't work well, school work becomes difficult, and your child could be labeled as slow. Good food is NOT found on any children's menu in restaurants; in fact, good food is rarely found in restaurants at all. Good food is found in your produce section, NOT in the freezer section. Good food doesn't have ingredients that you can't pronounce, and good food is low in calories and high in nutrition.



Solution vs. Problem



Be part of the solution, folks - NOT part of the problem.

Oh, and you can boycott those large companies that are lobbying for the status quo on school lunches.  During an NPR interview on this topic, I did hear that the contract with Schwann Foods brings in about 45 billion dollars for them. Gee, I guess that makes it okay to ruin the health of our kids...NOT.

Don't bother trying to change the world; change only your world, and begin today.

Fiber! It's time to Have the TALK

Fiber! Everyone needs to know about it; no one wants to talk about it. Well, it's time to have that "talk."

If you don't have a bowel movement at least once per day, you are NOT taking out the garbage. Let's talk in metaphors, okay? When was the last time you put a chicken carcass in the trash? How long did it take to get your attention? Not long! Why? Because of the bacteria associated with rotting food. Have you ever thought about the difference between animal proteins and, say, good, old-fashioned vegetables and fruits? Do you ever get nervous about leaving an apple on the counter all day? What about a package of hamburger meat? Okay, I know I'm rambling, but the point is you need fiber. If you're concerned with "it" sitting on the counter for too long, then what's the difference when "it" sits in your gut too long? The bacteria still builds up, and it's no safer that the bacteria that builds up while "it" sits on the counter!

Fiber: It's safe, it's plentiful, it fills you up, it has more vitamins and minerals associated with the "container" you eat to get it. By "container" I mean the fruit or the vegetable you eat to get it.

Before you get all "anti-vegetarian" on me, I am not promoting veganism. I am promoting fiber. I am promoting daily trash dumping.

Take your garbage out, and do NOT use a laxative to do it. A laxative is like traveling around in a wheelchair. Your muscles will atrophy from lack of use, and eventually you will not be able to "walk" at all. Fiber does so much more than "take the garbage out." It cleans the toxins in the blood: the toxins that can and will lead to all sorts of problems, including cancer, arthritis, and a host of other inflammatory diseases.

It starts with an internal stink - not taking your garbage out - and it could easily end with colon cancer. The choice is yours!

And now for a "plug" for my favorite fiber: Super Seed by Garden of Life. I mix it with cold water, orange juice, or I put it in my morning "green" smoothie. I take my garbage out every day, sometime twice, sometimes more. I don't want rotting garbage in my body.

And I talk about this with ALL my clients. There are no sacred cows when it comes to weight loss. I talk about it ALL.

A Few Tips for Easy Weight Loss

While I was surfing through the Swanson Vitamins website looking for my favorite fiber supplement, I found this succinct, says-it-all advice. My comments are in parenthesis.

A Few Tips for Easier Weight Loss

• Drink water to increase metabolism. One study showed that metabolic rate increased in participants by as much as 30% after drinking approximately 17 ounces of water. (This is especially true if the water is very cold. The body uses energy to warm up the water.)
• Snack on a handful of almonds. They’re filling, healthy and tasty! They aren’t exactly low in calories, though; so don’t eat more than 10 or 15 at one time.  (Just about any protein will help curb hunger, because it takes more energy to digest protein than it does to digest carbohydrates. Not only that, but proteins don't trigger the release of insulin like carbohydrates do. Less insulin, less fat creation. See my blog on Insulin: Both a Life Saver and a Killer, March 27, 2010

• Use mental imagery to boost your willpower. In addition to identifying why you want to lose weight, visualize a picture of the reason in your head and focus on it often throughout the day. (When we visualize what we want, we are more likely to see opportunities to make that vision a reality. When we visualize ourselves thin and healthy, we are more likely to choose healthy and nutritional meals. In our minds, I hope, we believe that thin, healthy people eat this way. We will also see other thin people and begin to pay attention to what they do and what they eat and, hopefully, begin to emulate them.)
• Turn off the TV at dinnertime. Studies show that undistracted eating means you’ll eat less. (Eat consciously! Always pay attention to what you eat, while you eat. An ancient Buddhist saying - chop wood, carry water - means to be present in what you do. If you ever want to eat in front of the TV, which I sometimes do, take only a normal portioned meal or a small portion of your favorite snack, never a whole bag or a large bowl. It will be gone in no time, along with your dream of achieving your ideal weight.)

• Don’t fall for the lure of crash dieting. Losing large amounts of weight all at once causes you to lose muscle, not fat, and the pounds quickly return. Make healthy eating a way of life and the pounds will disappear slowly but steadily. (Anyone who is a serial dieter knows this - calorie restricted diets are no more than quick, short-term fixes. And the more you yo-yo diet, the greater the damage to your body and to your metabolism.)

• Eat foods with plenty of fiber like whole grain breads, beans and fruits with the skin. Be sure to drink them with lots of water, as it makes the fiber swell much like a sponge in water, thus making you feel more full.  (Not only is fiber an essential part of any food, it is critical in the prevention of many cancers and other diet related illnesses. If you are constipated, think about this: all that food is rotting in your gut and in your intestines. It's like not taking out the garbage in your home for weeks. It stinks and the bacteria can be deadly. You should have at least one bowel-movement each day, every day. If you don't, then you are not "taking out your garbage!"

Epigenetics: An Excuse or a Warning? Your Choice!

I just finished reading an article in the January 2010 issue of Time magazine: Why Genes Aren’t Destiny. (Yep, a little behind on my reading.) I’ve understood the concept of epigenetics for a while, which means that we may have the genes for a specific disease, such as obesity, but that gene could remain dormant in the right environment. This article explored the work of Dr. Lars Olov Bygren, who wondered what effects feast and famine had on the offspring of the families that lived in Norrbotten, a remote village in northern Sweden.

When the harvest was bad in Norrbotten, people starved; when the harvest was good, people gorged themselves. Bygren’s research showed that “kids who went from normal eating to gluttony in a single season” produced offspring who lived far shorter lives – approximately six years shorter than those kids who endured a scarce harvest.

Reading those findings reminded me of a book I'd bought years ago: The 120-Year Diet. The premise of this book is based on a diet high in nutrition and low in calories. Dr. Roy Walford's research indicated that we would live much longer by being underweight. The secret, of course, for his premise to work is to consume food that is truly high in nutrition. Because of mass production of our fruits and vegetables, the nutrition content is lower than it’s ever been. It seems then that by attempting to grow more food, we are actually getting less nutrition.

In many ways, we’ve lost sight of what is important for us to live: food, water, and oxygen. We seem to be more focused on our cell phones and the latest flavor of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Not that those things aren’t important, but perhaps we should pay just a little more attention to the nutritional value of what we ingest. Not only do our lives depend on it, but our kids’ lives do too.