This post is part 2 of 3 in the Healthy 2010 series.
There are only a few basic material things in life a human needs to survive; air, water, food, and shelter. Beyond that everything else is a luxury. Air is a given and I’ve talked about water in previous posts. Food is pretty important so why do people take it so lightly, or should I say heavily? Most people (myself included) have a few basic problems with their diet that can cause health and weight issues. In some cases people know what the problem is but ignore it. In other cases they let their lifestyle dictate their diet, or they just don’t take the time to care about what they eat. Occasionally an individual may be disillusioned into thinking their diet is perfectly fine when in fact it is not.
For most people the biggest problem in their diet is eating more calories than they burn. This doesn’t always mean how much you eat, but also how much of what specific foods you are eating at certain times. Too much of anything is usually bad for you. I’ve gone through many tweaks and improvements in my diet over the years for various reasons. Besides having a fairly healthy diet I’ve been fortunate enough to have pretty good harmony with my body so when I eat I’ve always been able to tell when enough is enough. Furthermore when I eat or drink something that isn’t good for me my body is usually affected in some kind of negative way. For example when I eat something with too much salt I will usually get a terrible headache which makes me think twice before making the same mistake again. I do have a little problem with snacking and sweets (especially chocolate), but I don’t want to be a bad influence on anyone so I won’t outline all the different kinds of chocolate I have in my snack attack arsenal. Instead I hope to be a positive influence by outlining some of the finer points that I have learned over the years to maintain a healthy diet, and maybe I can work on my own snacking problem too…
Eat a balanced diet
Sounds cliché eh? Well you all know this fact well, but too many people still eat subsistence junk food just to get by. The false notion is that if you are filled up then you are good to go, but your body is not like a car where you can get by on whatever fuel happens to be the cheapest and easiest. Do your research and take the time to plan out a quality balanced diet that meets all of your health needs. Here are a few things to think about when you are considering what is right or wrong in your diet. People need protein but too much meat can be unhealthy, especially fatty meats like beef. Try eating grilled chicken breasts or sliced turkey sandwiches instead of double cheeseburgers or fried chicken. Healthy alternative sources of protein include beans, nuts, lentils, dairy, quinoa, etc. Fish is very healthy, but can contain high levels of mercury depending on the type. Do your research to find out which types of fish are sustainable and contain less mercury. Dairy is a good source of protein, but can have other issues with RGBH hormones and lactose which affects most people to some degree or another. Try buying organic milk that is free of RGBH, or convert to soy milk. We drink Silk brand organic soy milk which is excellent. For carbs there are what is known as good carbs and bad carbs. The bad carbs have a high glycemic index, or in other words they are rapidly digested. Examples of those are potatoes and white bread. Good carbs would include whole grains and healthy fruits. The South Beach Diet book does an excellent job of explaining this and is a good read even if you don’t do the diet. More on that in the next section.
Go on a diet (guys this means you too)
I know there are a lot of fad diets out there and I don’t believe in any diet that says eat all carbs or all protein, because anything that doesn’t include a healthy well balanced meal just isn’t healthy in the long run. Many of the all protein meat crazed diets that have come out in the last decade do help you lose weight, but it doesn’t always stay off and certainly is not healthy. Likewise being vegetarian isn’t always a healthy choice either. I’ve known vegetarians that make up for the lack of meat by eating sugar filled goodies. Going vegetarian will usually mean you eat less overall because you have less options, but you still have to eat quality food. A good diet is all about eating well balanced meals. One diet I do think is good is the previously mentioned South Beach Diet. It initially starts you off on a shocker diet of mostly protein, and then reintroduces good carbs back into your diet after the 2 week introductory phase. Even though I was not overweight I went on this diet some years ago with my wife I still lost 15 pounds over the course of the diet. For me this was a little too skinny and I eventually went back to my original weight after eating normal again, but I have always been more conscious of my food selections since then.
Eat the right foods at the right times, and likewise avoid the wrong foods at the wrong times.
As you know breakfast is a very important meal in the day. I’ve never been a big breakfast person and often skip it altogether, so this is something I also need to work on. Generally speaking you should eat a good meal early on to get your body fueled for the day. Whatever calories you eat in the morning should be burned off during the day so if you are going to eat something indulgent this is the time to do it. On the flip side of this dinner and especially midnight snacks or anything around your bedtime is something you have to be very careful of. What you eat during this time will not be burned off like your earlier meals so they can make a big difference in your waistline. Nevertheless some people like me feel the need to eat something before bedtime. I stay away from sweets and large meals and usually opt for a small bowl of whole grain cereal in soy milk to hold me over. As an overall rule you usually want to eat most of your daily caloric intake earlier in the day, and try to eat a healthy low carbohydrate meal in the evening.
Learn how your body needs and uses food
There are a lot of theories and ideas on what and when you should eat. Read up on these ideas, try them, and then follow what works for you. One of many examples I can think of from reading fitness magazines is to make use of what is called a protein window. The idea is you eat a meal with high protein content during your protein window so your body will utilize that protein to help rebuild muscles. The two main protein windows are within an hour of working out, before or after, and just before you go to bed. You body is active and looking for protein (and carbs) to recover during and after your workout so this is obvious and should be considered. The theory on eating before bedtime is that your body will utilize the protein you eat to rebuild your muscles during the night. Pure protein meals like a grilled chicken breast (by itself) are usually low in calories and won’t make you gain weight so this isn’t a bad thing at all. You might keep this in mind if you work out frequently, but late night is not the time to carb up, nor do you need to make a practice of eating a midnight protein meal unless you are a serious body builder. The idea here is to take the initiative to learn what your body needs to be healthy and don’t be afraid to change your diet to see if you get better results.
Stop the mindless eating
Everyone should be conscious of what and how much they are eating rather than just blindly shoveling food into their mouths. Mindless eating is snacking, eating too much, and not paying attention to what you are eating. You don’t want to deprive yourself to the point that you eventually binge, so remember that moderation is the key here. It is always better to eat overall smaller meals with healthy snacks now and then to hold you over, as opposed to 2-3 large meals with long stretches of growing hunger in between. Some examples of healthy snacks are mixed nuts, yogurt, fruit, raw veggies, etc. Aim for a healthy balanced diet with the right amount of healthy carbs and protein; and don’t be afraid to throw in an occasional treat. For me the treat is one bite of 72% dark chocolate after a meal (about half an ounce). Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and a great choice for a healthy snack in moderation. Be warned though, it does contain some caffeine so it’s not a good choice for kids, and it is poisonous to dogs (along with grapes and raisins) so keep it out of their reach.
Portion your Food
After Charlotte and I got married she gained a little weight and one night asked me why I thought this was happening. I told her simply it is because she is eating exactly the same amount of food that I was. I am quite a bit taller and heavier than her, not to mention being male which means I need more food and burn more calories. Even though I eat less than the average American, when she was eating the same amount as me she was still eating more than her body could handle. She started weighing her portions of food out on a kitchen sized digital scale, and would eat only that predetermined portion. I thought this was funny at first but it turned out to be very effective for her, and she still does this with most meals! Another habit to get into is if you go out to eat at a restaurant try splitting a dish with your significant other, or split your dish in half before you start eating so that you can eat the half portion for lunch the next day. When I was working out heavy in the past I would sometimes force myself to eat more than I naturally would so that I’d gain weight. Once I stopped working out frequently my appetite took a long time to return to normal. This is something to keep in mind for anyone who eats more than they should for any reason.
Cut down on the Salt and Sugar
American food is full of salt and sugar and both of these come in many forms. All of the processed, prepackaged, and fast food we eat is loaded with both of these culprits along with many other undesirables. Sodium makes your body retain water causing you to feel bloated. Your body needs to sweat to cleanse itself, but when you eat too much salt you end up holding water and other impurities that your body should be purging. Too much sugar is obviously not going to help matters either. Soda, candy, and anything with corn syrup (see Children of the Corn blog) is just packing the pounds on your waistline, so exclude those from your diet as much as possible. The French are known for their deserts (believe me they do eat them), but you rarely see overweight people in France, or Europe for that matter. What’s the difference? People over there eat more natural foods from markets, and much less processed foods; a good example to follow.
Make a drastic change in your diet such as cutting out MSG, Corn Syrup, or both!
I stopped eating foods with MSG about 10 years ago. My diet was instantly transformed because suddenly about half of the food I normally ate was eliminated, which meant I had to cook and buy more natural and organic foods. We recently cut out corn syrup as well, which cut out many more of these junk foods that we previously thought were ok. While adjusting your diet in this way may seem like a hardship, just think of it as a positive change in lifestyle. Remember its ok to fudge once in a while. I’ve found good alternatives to Heinz ketchup at Trader Joes and Whole foods that don’t have corn syrup. However if I’m at a restaurant and have French fries in front of me I’m still going to use whatever ketchup is available, because what’s a French fry without ketchup? By the way fries or pommes frites as we like to call them are another big weakness in my diet…
Eat lots of fiber
It’s a dirty topic but someone’s got to talk about it. You need fiber in your diet to keep your digestive pipes clean. Take care of your body just as you would a vintage car. Eating fiber is like putting fuel injection cleaner in your gas tank. When you don’t get enough fiber digested food hangs around making you feel bloated and clogging up your intestinal track. Fiber helps your digestive system run clean and keeps you regular. Fibers can be naturally found in fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains to name a few. If you feel like you can’t get enough of these foods naturally then you can buy fiber supplements at any vitamin store. There are many varieties of soluble and insoluble fiber so if one doesn’t work well then try others. Anything with psyllium husks usually works very well. Additionally fiber is thought to help reduce the risk of prostate cancer which is very common in American men.
Hit the health food store
You can get great products and free advice at the local vitamin and supplement store, or in the equivalent department of an organic grocery store like Whole Foods. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and try new products. Items like protein powder, fiber supplements, multivitamins, and flax seed oil can be great additions to your diet. I’ll cover some of these topics in more detail with future posts. Just don’t overdo it with any one product, and be sure to ask get the opinions of multiple people in addition to online research before taking anything new.
Eat slower and chew your food better
Instead of eating until you feel stuffed try to estimate how much food you should eat before you even start your meal and stick to that amount. It takes about 15 minutes for your brain to get the message that your stomach is full so if you eat slower you’ll be less likely to overeat. When you eat slower you generally tend to chew your food longer which makes your brain feel like you are eating more. Well chewed food will be easier to digest. Taking your time to eat a healthy nutritious food should be an enjoyable experience preferably shared in the company of others, rather than a cheap fill-up at a fast food joint. An added bonus to eating healthy and slow is that you will have less gastric disturbances with good food that is eaten properly, in comparison to fast food that is quickly consumed.
Eat at home
Somehow people have the misconception that restaurant food is actually good for you since it looks and tastes so good. This is usually not the case. Fast food is almost always low quality junk food, and restaurant food is more often than not high quality junk food. Many of the chain restaurants serve little more than overpriced frozen and processed foods that are loaded with MSG, salt, preservatives, corn syrup and other junk. This article outlines examples of sandwiches from both fast food and chain restaurants that sound healthy but are anything but. Instead of falling into the convenient trap of eating out all the time take the time to shop for good quality groceries and cook your own meals. Don’t just buy the same frozen, bagged, and canned junk food at the grocery store though. Buy the good stuff and try shopping at the farmers market for fresh wholesome foods. Cook large meals so you can eat leftovers for a couple of days rather than going out. Cold cut sandwiches are healthy, easy, and cheap too. Even convenient delivery pizza on occasion (thin or whole grain crust is better) can be good for multiple meals and is usually healthier than most other fast foods as long as you are conscious about the toppings. Implementing some of these strategies into your food routine will help you shed the excess padding off of your waist and put it back in your wallet where it belongs.
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