Good Mood Food?

Arby's.
What the crap?

Why do we insist on mixing feelings with food? Our obsession with finding anything to “make it better” has led us into a miserable and unhappy existence. People come into my office daily - spouting “food is my ‘coping mechanism’” and “I’ve been a ‘carb addict’ since I was very young’” or, ooh, this one’s good, “food is my only friend” or whatever else you heard on Oprah. For real?! Sounds like an addiction to me. Same. Old. Story.

We’ve used any means necessary, since the beginning of time, to put us in “good moods.” We date losers, drink too much liquor, sleep around, buy new toys we can’t afford, get surgical modifications, consult “inspirational speakers” and “life coaches,” spend money on ridiculous de-toxes/cleanses/supplements/juices made from berries we can’t pronounce correctly – or spell half the time – and we eat, and eat, and eat…all to make our lives a little better. To find that “good mood” and comfort we’ve searched for since BIRTH! Have you found it yet? Well… have you?! Pretty sure it’s not in your burger…pretty sure.

Pretty sure Jesus was in a good mood at some point in His life, and seeing as He was sinless and blameless – PERFECTION – I’m thinking no where in the Bible do we read Jesus asking the Father for another glass of wine or Flodni, so the sin would go away and people would “just like Him.” In fact, I’m pretty sure the night Jesus would be TORTURED, knowing full well His death on the cross was coming, He PRAYED. He prayed until He cried blood.

Depression doesn’t magically go away, eating disorders rarely absolve, but you find ways to give and re-give it to God, sometimes daily. Because even though we’re “dealt a bad hand” we don’t have a right to be drunk, perverted, fat, mean or living in any other sin because of it. Did you ever think that perhaps the Holy Spirit could help you with your obsession with food, just like any other sin in your life? Did you ever think fueling your body with healthy food was just another commandment from Christ? Our body is only a “temple” when we’re getting tattoos apparently, says the fat Baptist. Pretty sure God never addresses ink, pretty sure he makes mention of a little thing called Gluttony.

Like sex and wine, food was given by God to be enjoyed. He also gave us rules by which to enjoy them, somehow we seem to always miss that part. “Good moods” can be nurtured with a diet of MODERATION and VARIETY – Fish, dairy, cocoa, wine, dark colored fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains, caffeine… not all inclusive necessarily, but all in moderation. A healthy diet is full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants (including polyphenols) and phytonutrients, carbohydrates, proteins, and good fats. All combined with sufficient sleep, a healthy prayer life and, well, sex with your spouse. Yup, I went there. You know this stuff. Quit looking for joy in your burger and start praying – its bigger than YOU, its bigger than FOOD, its never bigger than Him.

High Fructose Corn Syrup - Friend or Foe?

You decide...



So I was laughing out loud by the end, grabbed Jord’s arm and said, “Please never let me be ‘that woman’!” Ha! Okay, we’ve all got similar goals, we trying to get them fed, bathed and still alive by bedtime, all the while without scarring them for life with our issues. Gotcha. So that includes doing our best to make the right dietary decisions for them.

You know what? The mom that “fired back” was RIGHT! High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is sugar, it’s made from corn, it’s made by scientists, and most who go spouting how horrible it is, are looking for another “scapegoat” for our unhealthy society. HFCS in and of itself has not been proven to make your kids fat, unhealthy or give them cancer or Diabetes. Wouldn’t it be great if it were that easy! No more HFCS – Poof! The world is cured of all disease, and your kids will now behave in public! I digress…

A couple of facts: HFCS consumption has increased 4000% from 1974 to 2000. Roughly 1.5lbs per to 62.7lbs per capita. FOUR THOUSAND PERCENT!!! SO, it would be safe to assume that HFCS is making our kids fat. WRONG. We can assume that WE are making our kids fat and WE are making OURSELVES fat! Pretty sure it has more to do with our sinful selves needing more and more…and more, and being afraid to tell our children "NO", than some poor scientists’ evil scheme to poison our children and make us all fat.

It is also known, that High Fructose intakes may cause hypertriglyceridemia and gastrointestinal symptoms in susceptible individuals, remedy – drink fructose (yes, including that stuff we get in fruit and fruit juice) in moderation, and don’t give it to kids under 1 yr (those are the ‘susceptible’ ones). Too much fructose can lead to malabsorption by the body and a build up of fructose in your system – again – moderation anybody?

As the Nutritional Head of my household, I choose to avoid HFCS for my family and myself. Am I able to eliminate it completely? No. But we limit it drastically. Here’s why…

Countless studies have shown that limiting added sugars, in general, will help in promoting healthy, happier lifestyles in the long run – especially for our little ones. Most added sugars these days are in the form of HFCS. We know that too many calories leads to being overweight, we also know that most excessive calories are consumed in the form of added sugars. Cutting it out is a great way to limit these excessive calories (especially in the home of “sweet-tooths” and tots). It’s the same reason we choose to use non-nutritive sweeteners in moderation at our home (Splenda, and occasionally Aspartame) because WAY more scientific peer-reviewed studies have linked excessive sugar in the diet to co-morbidities and long-term health detriments, than artificial sweeteners. In fact, 1 study (in over 7000 to date) has linked artificial sweeteners to tumors in rats over 20 years ago, its since been “thrown out” by most of the medical community for inconsistencies… buuut, back to corn syrup…

HFCS is made by scientists in an effort to maintain a more affordable sweetening agent for processed foods (mainly fruit drinks, sodas, cookies, cakes and pies that are shelf stable for millennia). Eerily similar to the creation of Trans fat, which were created as a more affordable fat for processed and convenience foods years ago, and look at how that turned out for us. Trans fats, over time, were proven to be even more harmful than the “natural” form of fat it was created to replace. Which is why we’re encouraged to eliminate Trans fat and limit Saturated fat. Sugar’s been around forever, with no harmful effects ever proven, when consumed in moderation, as part of a healthy, nutrient rich diet. So, I choose the very scientific conclusion here of… “Better safe than sorry.” Ask me in 30 years and I may feel otherwise.

So. Limit total sugars in your diet (especially your growing kids’) and be sure that the foods they are consuming 90% of the time are full of nutrients, in relation to overall calories, and for cryin’ out loud, sodas and Hawaiian punch are a treat, not a source of hydration. Make every calorie count.

Will more protein get me bigger muscles?

Nope! Although many personal trainers and fitness instructors think so! In fact without necessary calories and carbs – caaaarrrrrrbsssss - from a balanced diet, your body will be forced to use a good amount of protein for energy instead of the glycogen it was designed to use, actually working against strength and muscle-building. Most people (active or not) need about 0.8-1.0 g protein per kilogram body weight (to find your weight in kilograms, divide by 2.2). Muscle builders and intense athletes can go up to 1.3-1.5 g/kg body weight – rarely but possibly, up to 1.7 g/kg. Most Americans get 2X this amount and then some. I may make that kind of recommendation for… oh, I don’t know… chemo patients and burn victims! Not necessary for bigger biceps folks. It is important to include some protein with your carbs before and after exercise for muscle recovery – you can sufficiently do this with a glass of skim milk. Skim. Milk. The skim milk also has Calcium, which helps with the digestion of protein. Take note, a lack of Calcium in your diet may cause your body to take it from your bones, so if your trainer told you to cut out milk too, you may want to reconsider... aaaaand stop listening to your trainer for nutrition advice they've recently Googled. Feel free to spend way too much money on “high performance drinks” that fill you with caffeine (fake “energy”) and B vitamins, but its not necessary. Small doses of caffeine and protein during exercises can be beneficial, but “monster sized” is absolutely not required. By the way, the protein your body doesn’t need, is peed out… how sexy. But not before passing through your kidneys…I can’t imagine that much protein passing through your kidneys can be good for it… what do you think?

Have a picky eater?

Of course you do! Join the club! Now you’re expecting some perfectly GENIUS way to get your children (and hubbies) to eat their veggies right?! As a Dietitian, I MUST have mastered this concept (have you seen my kids – yeah, they don’t miss meals buddy). Wrong. I can show you about a million and one ways to hide pureed spinach into baked goods, but that’s not the point right now.

I had a woman in one of my talks recently state that she went through a phase when her son was 2 to about 5 years old (ummm that’s a long “phase” BTW) where all he would “stomach” was McDonald’s chicken nuggets and fries. And she was absolutely serious. HA! Wow. This is pretty extreme, but I get it all the time and its never, “he only ‘tolerates’ asparagus and legumes;” its typically some fast food, boxed item, frozen pizza product, fried “kid food,” animal by-product, or of the Pop-tart genre.

Or how bout’ the 10 year old who very seriously looked at me and stated, “I am allergic to milk, but I’ve built up a tolerance to Ice Cream, Easy Mac, and Cheese Whiz for my dairy group.” Hmm, yes. Funny thing this, “building up of tolerances.” What was most staggering, is that mom was going along with it! While trying to gather what role mom played in her daughter’s food choices, she stated, “at least she isn’t going hungry, whatever she chooses.” Mistake number 1 “…whatever she chooses.” Mistake number 2, “not going hungry” is not the goal. And, might I add, lack of said “eating” is not what got the young lady an appointment with me. Every snack, meal and grocery trip is an opportunity to teach good, healthy habits so they can make better food-decisions when they are OLD ENOUGH and ready to. Oh, sometime around the time they start paying the grocery bill! You’re not simply providing food they’ll eat, the challenge I give you, is to expose them to the most variety and tastes that you can. Even if out of every 20 new foods you only have 1 taker. Just because they don’t eat mango at 2, doesn’t mean they won’t love it at 5, or 12, or 18. Find ways to add a new vegetable or fruit to your day or even week, and don’t call attention to the eating of it (or lack there of). Get creative. Dust off your blender. Add more fresh peppers to your frozen (thin crust, whole grain ;) ) pizza, even if they pick every last one off.

Children will very rarely, and I mean very – rarely - starve themselves. In fact, juuuust about never will a child not eat until they perish. I think we can all agree American children are not necessarily under-fed. Sometimes they may be getting too many snacks, or drinking too much between or with meals, making pickiness worse, this is something you should look at. But, stop making meal time a war! And for cryin’ out LOUD stop feeling guilty about it. One day, they will, or they won’t. They will not starve, hate you or become hoodlums because you didn’t hog-tie them and force down okra! Don’t fry it or bathe it in processed “cheese”. They will live. Oh, and from now on, potato, corn and peas are starches… not veggies. Just trust me on this one.

I confess *pat pat* I did everything “right” when it comes to introducing new and varied food groups to my two year old and making vegetables a priority in our household. NEWS FLASH – HE’S TWO… some days he likes carrots, and some days its right up there with eating kitty litter, in-fact, some days, you may have better luck with the latter.

Remember, DON’T back down. This is what’s for dinner. This is all there is for dinner. You do not have to finish your plate, you must try every new food and you may not have seconds until you eat what’s already on your plate. Done. No substitutions. Breakfast is not that far away. All children are different and human. Refusal and impromptu gagging typically has more to do with their fallen nature than with the actual food. Most of the time, they’re trying to get a rise out of you, and they’re succeeding. Stop with the guilt trip, and no more blame game. May the force be with you. #theywilleatwhatyougivethem

It's Too Expensive to Eat Healthy!?

THAAAT’s why we’re an obese nation. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the amount of food we eat… nothing. Don’t get me started on expensive produce and school lunches unless you want an ear-full. Yes, it can be more expensive to eat healthier, and its not fair, get over it and make it work. I can’t afford a brand new car, so cry about it.

Get ready, it’s a long one…

I’ve had all kinds of clients and patients; senators, doctors, lawyers, housekeepers, retirees on fixed income, wealthy retirees, single mothers, welfare recipients, commodity recipients, wealthy with a personal chef, and middle class soccer moms alike, we all need help eating better. Eating “healthy” is not dependant on social class. Every person needs more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, antioxidants, less saturated fat, less salt, less simple sugars and most definitely less calories (3rd world countries excluded from that last one). Like anything else, it may be easier for some, but absolutely not impossible for most.

My family is blessed. Even our hardest of economical times pales in comparison to what some have and are currently struggling with. I won’t pretend that we’re scraping bottom, because we’re not. BUT, we are on a ridiculous budget for the new-year to keep it that way. For many, putting your wife on a budget means cutting off the shoe fund, well, in the Dietitian’s home, it’s cutting off the food fund – grrrr. There are a couple of things I do to be sure that I’m within, and well below (because I’m an OCD over-achiever) the allotted food budget (understatement of the century BTW – how bout’ we nix ALL Starbucks budgets and see how THAT flies… I digress…).

Lets start with commodity and bulk items. Believe it or not, Twinkies, Little Debbies, Hostess Cakes and sodas are not essential food groups, yet they wind up on the most financially challenged menus. Rice, beans and a dozen eggs are all cheaper and healthier options. Water, in most of this nation, is clean, environmentally friendly when out of the tap and last time I checked, calorie free, affordable and (provided you can pay your water bill) it’s versatile too!

Peanut butter, a commodity food, imagine that. Peanut butter! A good fat. A great source of protein. Jelly’s help-mate in every way. Boring over time, yes, (well, not in our house hold) but perfectly nutritious for any snack, meal, garnish, cooking oil, or fat leavening. Use it, use it, use it and get creative. Natural peanut butter is probably not on the government’s give-away list, but most peanut butters still have redeemable qualities. Tis’ better to have PB and J every day of the week than a Happy-Meal any day of the week. And who says dinner has to be hot? Well, then throw it in the microwave. Ta dah!

Ingredient shop, don’t brand shop. Just because they’ve sprinkled oats on top, dyed it brown, called it whole grain and charged you an extra buck-50 does not mean it’s the better option. Many cheaper breads are considered excellent sources of whole grain. You’re looking for words like whole wheat, whole grain, rolled oats, oat flour vs. bleached, and enriched in the first 3-5 ingredients.

Feel free to buy store-brand, look for 2-for-1 deals, lowest price shop and/or find coupons on foods like unsalted nuts and/or natural peanut butter, 100% juices (if you MUST have juice), dried beans, frozen vegetables (just the vegetables- no “sauce mixes”), frozen fruit, canned tuna, low fat milk, toasted oats and other whole grain cereals, oatmeal, and lean meats (freeze).

Some brands I can’t find equivalents to, so, when it’s a great sale or a 2-for-1 deal, I buy it, whether we’re low or not. Such items include Kashi peanut peanut Bars, Barilla whole-wheat pasta, and Bertoli natural pasta sauce (I like the simple ingredients, tomato, herbs, sugar, olive oil) – to name a few.

Look at the price per unit or ounce instead of the over-all or ticketed price. This is shocking with cheese – it may require some additional grating on your part, if you can handle it ;), but it’s usually cheaper to buy a block of low fat cheese vs. a bag of the pre-shredded stuff. And, sometimes buying the largest size is not always the cheapest, compare, compare, compare.

Buy the ground beef that’s on sale and rinse it after browning for less saturated fat. Yes, this is true - it removes most of the fat. You can’t just drain, literally rinse the meat after you’ve browned it.

Find items you’re willing to sacrifice on quality for price, especially if it’s the end of the month and your budget is getting close (or if you’re simply trying to prove a point by staying WAY below the budget – me? No! ;) ). Such items include… dish soap, window cleaner and other house-hold cleaners, plastic baggies, trash bags, diapers (questionable) etc.

Go without everything but the essentials – we call it the “beans and rice” budget in our household for a reason. Because if it comes down to it, you know we’ve covered all nutrients with rice, beans/lentils, and value sized mixed veggies… watch me. You will thin the waste-line and the pocket book by simply simplifying! What do you already have in your freezer or pantry that can hold you over just one more week? Get creative.

Fast food is not part of a healthy diet, so don’t worry that the healthiest things on the menu are the most expensive, get an 89 cent burger and eat less fast food. 4 words… peanut butter and jelly.

This is obviously not an exhaustive list – I haven’t even TOUCHED on baby food - there are many more clever, money saving mammas out there – feel free to email me your tips and I’ll share my favorites here!

Happy spending… or not.

Control-Alt-Delete

It’s that time again – NEW YEAR CLEANING!! A control-alt-delete for the home if you will. The first week of January is the time when our family purges the house of the processed, sugary, fatty (oh so yummy) edible (debatable) junk that’s accumulated since Halloween. Search it out, cupboards, fridge, pantry, random candy bowls that look oh so festive with green and red M & M’s. Wasteful, yes. Necessary, absolutely! Your home, your work and for some perhaps your car, are where you spend the majority of your time. That time needs to be free of the munchies that add extra, empty calories to your day, fat to your mid-section and drive you CRAZY simply by being there. These are also the things that sabotage your efforts to eat better and for some, lose weight. If you were an alcoholic, would you keep booze in the house to drink-it in moderation? NO, because your track-record with booze is about like mine with chocolate chip cookies. There are some things we simply don’t eat in moderation! You can only ignore them for so long. The first bad day, busy week, emotional break down, hormonal moment, sleep-less night, “special occasion” and for many “cheat day,” weekend or “reward”, will cause you to go straight for them, over-eat them and then beat yourself up about it. If the junk is not there, you won’t eat it – funny how that works.

Now, there is the periodic “date night” which, as the home-body mother of a two year old and a 9 month old, typically consists of putting the boys to bed, throwing in a movie without loud, obnoxious cartoon characters or puppets bossing me around, while making and eating way too many chocolate chip cookies – or, who am I kidding, the dough! Hey, judge not, lest ye be judged! BUT, the remainder of the dough goes bye-bye that night or next morning! Or cooked and given to a neighbor or sick friend or whatever. NOT kept in the house. Don’t freeze it or hide it or tell yourself you won’t eat it or you’ll “eat it in moderation” – it won’t happen. Its not about lack of will-power or failure, its about knowing and accepting yourself and your limitations. I know that if there is chocolate chip cookie dough in the house, I will eat it. If its not there, I may resort to other stress relievers with long-term benefits like, reading my bible, meditation or praying, exercise or taking a walk, talking it out with someone (9 month olds are great listeners), or simply going to bed to name a few calorie, chemical, and sugar/bad-fat-free options. This may not be an issue for you – Awesome! I’m not talking to you. ;)

Be Informed. Be Picky.

It’s the Holidays and many weeks have gone by since my previous post. I’ve had ample time to get teed off with many a nutrition conundrum (my new year’s resolution is to use big words BTW). So, I’m going to take a break from diving into my fridge for now – as riveting as it is – to bring you my latest “are you kidding me?!” moment.

So, I was recently informed of a new, “revolutionary” way of eating that will solve all of the world’s weight and digestive issues – Oh, THAT’s what I was missing. All those classes, tests, research papers, labs and clinicals for nothing. And I’m so relieved that they were able to let the world know in a mass forwarded email – whew. Its times like these when I’m grateful for Snopes – if nothing more – than to confirm my sanity. The media and popular opinion works against the Dietitian more times than not, in fact, the Dietitian has been known to work against the Dietitian when we begin to stray from research toward popular opinion and “rumor” or “fad”. The email shared with me had such literary and scientific scholars as Suzanne Somers and Mary Lou Henner backing its concepts. Oh, well that makes all the difference in the world, why didn’t you say so?! Apparently if you’re popular (for any reason) you can now give nutrition advice? What…oh…right – because the masses are dumb enough to buy it. Hmmm, dumb may be harsh… uuuh, nope, dumb it is.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I’m the last and official word on anything and everything nutrition-related. I’m also not going to ask you to only listen to my advice or instruction, nor could I even begin to know everything there is to know about nutrition – its HUGE and often-times is changing based on new research and discoveries, farming methods, economical conditions etc etc. What I AM going to ask you to do is – be picky. Do your own research and come to your own convictions and decisions regarding nutrition for yourself and for your family.

For example, I’ve mentioned this before, but I personally have no problem with sucralose (Splenda) and small amounts of aspartame (Equal), many of my peers do – Dietitians and non-Dietitians alike – MDs and non-MDs. There is absolutely nothing wrong with abstaining from artificial sweeteners for yourself and your family if that is the informed conclusion you’ve come to, Informed being the key word here.

As a Christian, I don’t just take my pastor’s word for it. I go to the Word and look it up for myself. If you’ve never done this, DO IT. The Pastor can help clarify and enlighten the Word for you. He can aid you in your “walk” and be there for questions as they arise. But, blindly following leaders is what gets us into trouble. Seek out credentials, publishings, bios, work history etc. Read legitimate, science-based, peer-reviewed and duplicated research on important topics. Google searches will only get you so far, and typically the first thing to pop up is the highest bidder – proooobably not the government funded, non-biased, grant-funded research. Proooobably the privately funded product discreetly being promoted – just a hunch.

As we enter the New Year, commit to educating yourself. Don’t do anything rash and don’t take anyone’s word for it. Not even mine ☺