The Fitness Guru

Here are a few great books about food to kick back with at the beach this summer. Please note that by “great”, I don’t mean to suggest that they romanticize food in the least. Actually, they are very aggressive in talking about what is wrong with the state of food and eating today. But, as far as educating yourself goes (and ain’t that what we’re trying to do?), ya can’t beat ‘em with a stick.

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health– My friend, Donny Guns, our local weight-loss-muscle-packing-surfer-in-NY dude, turned me onto this book. It almost immediately made him go ultra-orthodox vegan. A fascinating study of the effects of nutrition on the population.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals– This book delightfully confused the hell out of me, and I don’t think I was able to eat without a great deal of forethought for weeks afterward. But Pollen’s delivery is never over the top and it makes for a very quick and interesting read.

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto– Pollen’s follow up to The Omnivore’s Dilemma, this book gives a rough and tumble look at the Western diet (such as it is) as well as the food industry as a whole.

So kick back with a couple of margaritas and some BBQ and have a terrific read!!

Rock on!

Didja know?? Dinner plates are about a third larger than they were back in 1960, encouraging us to fill our plates with almost 30% more food, according to Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. Wansink also points out that we are perfectly willing to finish off at least 92% of the food on our plates regardless of the size. That means we are consuming many more calories than our Kennedy administration counterparts.

So what do we do?

Change plates. Instead of using the huge platters that the local housewares store calls “dinner plates”, try eating off of salad plates. The plate will look full (very satisfying psychologically) and you will still probably eat 92% of the food you serve yourself.

Oh and hey!! Skip the square plates! Quick geometry: a 10-inch square plate has about about 21 square inches more surface space than a 10-inch round plate. Stick with the round!!

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that sleep deprivation led to increased calorie consumption. What does that mean exactly? It means that as you deprive yourself of a full night’s sleep, the result can be that you will eat more the following day.

The reason is not as simple as “well, I have a little more time on my hands, maybe I’ll grab a bite.” Sleep deprivation plays with two key hormone levels: leptin and ghrelin. Grehlin is a clever little hormone that increases your hunger. Skip those extra couple hours of shut eye and your grehlin levels increase, convincing your body that you are hungrier that necessary. And leptin, a powerful little hormone that tells your body its full and shuts your mouth, drops dramatically. In other words, your appetite will increase and there won’t be the usual shut off valve.

Interestingly, among the test subjects, the activity level of the people who slept fewer hours was much higher than the activity level of those that had a full night’s sleep.

But most of the activity was going to and from the refrigerator. And they were very grouchy and humorless.

So? What to do?

Get your 8 hours of sleep. If it is an issue for you, try a White Noise Machine (it will drown out all the annoying sounds that can wake you up before your time) or even the Olde School Sleep Mask.

The key is to remember we are talking about biochemistry here. You may think that you can get away with fewer hours and just try calorie restriction, but in the end, the hormones will get the better of you. That’s what they are there for.

So sleep up!……and rock on!!

The National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Center for Disease Control, just release their numbers on the health behavior of adults from 2005 thru 2007. Here are some of the high points:

• 60% of adults are alcohol drinkers, while 25% are lifetime abstainers. 14% are former drinkers. Of all adults, one in five had 5 or more drinks in one day over the past year.
• 20% of adults are smokers and 21% are former smokers. Almost 60% have never tried a cigarette.
• Among all adults, 16% smoked daily and 4% smoked less than daily.
• Approximately 3 in 10 current smokers (31.8%) started smoking
  before the age of 16 years and about 1 in 5 current smokers (17.1%)
  started smoking at age 21 years or over.
• Overall, nearly 6 in 10 adults (60.4%) were overweight (including
  obese)
• About 25.4% of adults were obese, 35% were overweight but not obese,
  37.7% were in the healthy weight range, and 1.9% of adults were underweight
• Overall, about 6 in 10 adults (63.5%) usually slept 7 to 8 hours in
  a 24-hour period. Almost 3 in 10 adults (28.0%) averaged 6 hours of sleep or less in a 24-hour period—20.3% of adults slept 6 hours and 7.7% slept less
  than 6 hours.
• Overall, 60.3% of adults engaged in at least some leisure-time physical
  activity, with 30.7% engaging in activity sufficient in frequency and
  duration to be classified as ‘‘regular’’
• Almost 4 in 10 adults (39.7%) engaged in no leisure-time physical activity

Surprises?

Personally, I was shocked so many people are getting enough sleep. I’m not sure where the CDC is getting their numbers but they can’t be hanging out in New York. And though I wasn’t surprised by the percentage of overweight adults in the population, I was surprised by the declaration that 40% of adults engaged in NO leisure-time physical activity. Hmmmmm……..

What surprised you? Or did it all seem right on the money?

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