The Fitness Guru

Finally, a great piece in the New York Times last week to only add to the confusion.

First, the linear thinking: if one pound of fat is 3500 calories, then wouldn’t it make sense to simple cut our intake by a small amount, say 100 calories, daily? That way, in a little over month, we would be down one pound, right?

Wrong. It’s an argument that I am sure many of you are tired of hearing from me. Nothing about the health and well-being of the complex systme known as your body is ever that linear. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) notes that this line of thinking fails to take into account the body’s adaptive qualities. As you take in slighty fewer calories, you will lose a few pounds but then your body will adapt to function with a lower intake. As you take in a few more, it will adapt to function with the higher intake. The extra calories go to supporting the new extra weight.

But I still want you to think about the small steps.

Combine this with an increase in physical activity and the benefits increase. Now, start working out at a very high level, the “zero to 60″ theory of January 1st, and your body is going to crave the extra calories to support the new stress and strain of all the work. Fail to give the body the right materials and you are setting yourself up for breakdown. However, cut back slightly on the calorie intake, you can then increase your activity level slightly and start to roll back the dial on the scale. Then increase the activity level, then decrease the calorie intake…… you starting to get the picture?

The key is working intelligently and strategic and listening to your body. Cutting out 100 calories a day? You should be able to do that without blinking and without that horrible feeling of deprivation. Increasing the number of steps you take daily by 2000? Again, very easy to incorporate into your agenda if you know what to do.

But strict focus on calories in/calories out? Eventually your body is going to catch on and balance itself out……and then you are going to be frustrated……

…….and, of course, that’s not even taking into account what those calories are comprised of……..

Cold and flu season is on us, and in a big way. Every day I get a note from a friend who has to some sort of ear, nose and/or throat illness. Aside from donning HazMat suits on public transportation and refusing to shake hands with everyone you come across, a great way to maintain your health and well being is by feeding yourself foods that will help boost your immune system. Here are a few options. Try to add one or more of them to your daily menu.

Kiwi:
Momma always said to eat oranges when you feel a cold coming on. Though the prevention benefits of Vitamin C are debatable, increasing your intake can lessen the severity and duration of a cold. Ounce for ounce, kiwis have twice the Vitamin C of oranges and are also one of the fruits least likely to be contaminated with pesticides. Grab citrus when you can, but seek out the kiwis for a nice alternative.

Tea:
Black and green teas contain catechins which work against free radicals in the body, as well as theanine which helps boost the immune system. Get rid of the soda and seltzer and have two or three cups of tea daily to boost your health.

Garlic:
In addition to its antioxidant properties, garlic is a great antibacterial and antiviral compound. It can help fight the stress-induced cold. A good friend recommended piercing a clove with a fork and, with the garlic speared on the end, scrambling eggs for breakfast. The result is a delicious, ultra-healthy twist on your morning meal.

Ginger:
My personal favorite- when I start to feel that cold coming on, I make a hot tea with a piece of raw ginger and then add a little fresh lemon juice. It brings a great deal of relief. Studies have found that it is immune system boosting as well as possessing antimicrobial and antiviral properties.

Oysters:
Zinc is important to a healthy immune system, aiding white blood cells in battling viruses and bacteria, and one medium oyster contains all the zinc you’ll need for one day. Oysters: they aren’t just for romance anymore.

Mushrooms:
Mushrooms are fantastic for a healthy immune system and the very best are reishi, shiitake and maitake. Two properties of mushrooms, selenium and beta glucan, are major weapons in your nutritional fight against the flu this season, as both help to clean sickness out of the system.

So there’s your quick list. The best call is the oyster-mushroom garlic-infused frittata, side of kiwi, and a cup of ginger green tea. So make your way to grocery store and stock up now. And don’t forget the Purell.

It’s not as easy as This Is Why You’re Fat vs. This Is Why You’re Thin.

Two fun studies, both from the Journal of Consumer Research: the first tells us that when we are given nutritional information on a menu, we are more likely to choose the healthier option; the second says that having a healthier option on a menu, like a salad, is more likely to drive us toward the unhealthy, like fries. Apparently, seeing the healthy option displayed before us allows us to lower our guards and reach for something that we know is not as healthy ( 10% of the test subjects from a “no-salad” menu ordered fries, as opposed to 33% who ordered fries when given the option of salad). But if we have the nutritional information in front of us, then we are more likely to make the healthier choice.

I’m not quite sure how that works for me. True story– we took the kids to Five Guys Burgers on Friday because all the reviews say that the burgers are OUT OF CONTROL. And they were kind enough to print calorie counts next to each dish. In the end, I consumed about 2000 calories, which is usually my daily total (funny side note– went home and passed out immediately).

What’s your habit? Will you ask to replace the fries with salad? Does the nutritional information help to guide you? Let us know if the Journal for Consumer Research is really on the money.

Ok, yes, it kind of misses the irony and it doesn’t have quite the shock power, but, since we celebrated This Is Why You’re Fat, I feel the need to introduce This Is Why You’re Thin. Enjoy!!

This is our first Guru Salute, to a site called This Is Why You’re Fat. The concept is simple: it asks people to take pictures with their mobile phones of all the…….uuummmm………interesting food-stuffs that they come across. The site then presents the photos along with the title of the dish. There is no exposition. None is necessary. The photos speak for themselves. Apparently, there is a book in the works.

Twinkie–friend or foe? The Fitness Guru speaks with Steve Ettlinger, author of Twinkie Deconstructed, about the history, development and fascination with America’s cult snack cake.

The Fitness Guru

 

www.fitnessgurunyc.com

The Fitness Guru

 

www.fitnessgurunyc.com

So we have our first Community submission in response to the post, Healthy Foods.

Charity writes:

Here’s a yummy PUMPKIN pudding (tastes like the inside of a pumpkin pie-yum!)
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
2 large eggs
1 15 oz can pure PUMPKIN
1 12 oz can evaporated milk (non-fat or 2%)
Preheat oven to 350. Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in a small bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Mix in eggs then slowly add evaporated milk. Pour into shallow greased baking dish (deep dish glass pie pan works well). Bake in a preheated oven for 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, keep close eye on it. Don’t overbake, the center should be slightly wiggly. Cool and enjoy at room temperature or refrigerate for later use.

Think of it as a healthy treat. And check out her blog.

If you have an idea or recipe that you would like to submit, please do so.

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In today’s news: apparently men have an easier time resisting their temptation foods than women do. This behavior may point to the reason that obesity numbers are much higher for women than they are for men.

Ha! Tell that to my wife! She has an unnatural ability to put off temptation foods. She makes a decision to stay away and she is able to follow through and then some. Its one of those personality traits that, even after 16 years, I am still fascinated by. Me? Not quite. I don’t live for temptation foods but the key there for me is temptation. If I want one of those foods that brings me pleasure, it is a very short dance to go from the thought of temptation straight to follow through. Now before you start in with the gloriously sexist commentary, this is a discussion about eating habits and ability to stifle the urge to go where you know you shouldn’t be going. My New Year’s Resolution is to go through all of 2009 without ice cream. I know that might sound petty to some of you. I should be focusing on the bigger issues, like what can I do aid world peace and end suffering. Instead, I am choosing to build a wall between me and my good friends, Ben and Jerry. If anything I think that might be some sort of blow against world peace. But the problem for me is addiction. I am addicted to ice cream. And I am addicted to ice cream at 8:06 pm Eastern every evening. Like clock work. Does it matter what flavor? If the freezer was stocked with fruity ice creams, like strawberry such-n-such and cherry thingajoo, then I probably would be able to hold off a little longer. But, with a wonderful little grocery store on the corner that is fully stocked and stay open until 10pm, why bother putting up some kind of false face? If I’m going to eat it, just get the right flavor on the way home and I am good to go.

How about just having a little? Do alcoholics contend that they may have just a small drink? No. Addiction is addiction is addiction. It’s not the Ben and Jerry logo that I love (though I’m still giggling about their most recent flavor, Yes Pecan). It’s the sugar. And that was an addiction that I developed at a very early age. My parents didn’t gorge us on ice cream and cakes, but there was a constant source of sugar available and I showed very little restraint. Consequently, I had weight issues throughout my childhood and adolescence. But (here’s where it gets impressive) my body chemistry and my brain chemistry started to anticipate sugar in the daily blend. Even though I don’t have weight issues now—with the exception of the periods that my wife was pregnant and I put on my sympathy belly—it is mostly from the fact that I am extremely active. I work out four or five times a week and I work mostly on my feet. There is an extra calorie burn that many 42-year olds don’t get. So my weight stays balanced even though I am in the mocha chip trough every evening.

But what’s going on inside? It can’t be good for my liver, which is taxed by the extra sugar and fat. It can’t be good for my pancreas, which has to try to balance my sugar levels. It can’t be too good for my brain, which gets this sudden rush of pleasure follow by a very quick drop as the sugar jolts its way out of my system. And then, 35 minutes later, at 8:51 pm Eastern, I am asleep on the living room sofa, my wife standing over me quietly whispering “poor dear, he works himself too hard.”

No I don’t, Sweetie. It’s the sugar.

Ok, so maybe it’s me and the rest of the guys out there are able to avoid those foods. Yeah. Right. Are those the same guys who are able to avoid that last beer? The same guys who will lunge for the last cocktail weenie on the tray? The same guys who are eating their fiber-free meals off of plates the size of luxury car’s hubcap?

I will go out on a limb and say that men are more active across the board than women. I don’t have the studies in front of me, but the great thing about stuff like this, I can say anything and then—guaranteed I will find a study to support it. But from watching little kids, the boys tend to be more active across the board than the girls. So perhaps our calorie burn is that much greater.

But to suggest that men have greater will power with temptation? Uuuuuuum….not buying. I am open to arguments but why bother. In the end, both genders have more than enough temptation. The key is to recognize the temptation and start to remove the pinch/ouch cycle from your life.

Sure, the folks at the grocery store miss my late night fly-thrus. But they will be ok.

Ps The whole theory was created by testing 13 women and 10 men, not staggering figures for a claim like this. So maybe the jury is still out?……..

2008 was a very big news year. And in the midst of all that news, the New York Times reported that one of the top emailed stories for the entire year was “ The 11 Best Foods you Aren’t Eating.” The list is quick:

·     Beets

·     Cabbage

·     Swiss Chard

·     Cinnamon

·     Pomegranate Juice

·     Dried Plums

·     Pumpkin Seeds

·     Sardines

·     Turmeric

·     Frozen Blueberries

·     Canned Pumpkin

Quickly go over the list and one thing is certain: the title of the article is right on the money. I know that I eat blueberries, Swiss Chard and pomegranate juice regularly. But canned pumpkin? It never occurred to me. And its claim to fame is that it is low calorie, high in fiber and high in vitamin A. Does anyone have a good pumpkin recipe? Something we can share so it will inspire all of us to try to get one of the magic 11 into our diets?

 

Jonny Bowden, a nutritionist and author of the book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, compiled the list. The man likes lists. It is a terrific book, though. Funny, well thought out and well documented, he travels through various categories (including beverages and spices), impressing which items are good for you and why. The book never descends into preachy. I especially enjoy the section where he begs people to give up the egg-white omelet. Here is a man who believes in the benefits of the yolk. He gets my vote.

 

So if you are confused as to what you should be eating and you want to go spend some money on a “diet”, go out and a buy a copy of Doctor Bowden’s book. Give it a read and try to add these “power” items into your day-to-day meals. Even better, create some recipes using these items as main ingredients and then share the recipes with the Guru community.

 

Rock on.