"Fast Five" Superbowl Commercials (Or Beer, Pepsi, Candy, Chips, and Coke)

Boy, that was some game, wasn't it?  O.K.  So it isn't over yet.  In fact, the Steelers just scored a touchdown to make it a 21 - 17 game with more than a quarter and a half to go.  Go Steelers!  To quote the announcer, "We've got a game at Super Bowl 45".....

Great game (disappointing half-time show - where was the Black Eye Pea's music?  Only heard voices searching for a beat), but that is not what I am here to talk about.  I am here to evaluate the nutrition factor of the Super Bowl commercials. 

We had the Doritos (Nacho Cheese if I recall correctly) that were so "good" they could raise both a neglected fish and grampa from the dead.  Not sure what to make of that.  Nacho Cheese Doritos are yummy, but miraculously good?   No, no, no...They are full of salt, artificial colors and flavors, and are fried. 

Then we had Pepsi Max.  Come on guys!  Did we really need another Pepsi product with "zero calories and maximum taste"?   It's just a "sexy" name for no calories, no nutrition value, and a bit of caffeine...

Bud Light "played up" the concept of product placement.  And Budweiser (complete with Clydesdales running in background shots) was so smooth that a tough Old West outlaw breaks into spontaneous singing of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer". 

Coca Cola's theme was peace.  It appears that sugar and caffeine, served up with caramel coloring, can appease angry dragons in some otherworldly Ork-land, and cause natural enemies to draw a line of peace between them.

And. last but not least, there was the Snickers commercial that had a great tagline - "You're not you when you're hungry".   So true, so true.  But I don't like the "me" that I am when I pack in the chocolate, caramel and nougant either. 

I guess each sponsor hoped that, while you watched your team either drive the ball to victory, or succumb to a disappointing defeat, that you were munching on their snacks and drinking their beverages.  Well, at our house, while our boys were away at their respective Super Bowl parties, I fed my husband smoked salmon and low-fat Cabot cheese with TLC crackers, Baba Ganouj with pitas, spanakopita and dried mango from Trader Joe's, and Double Chocolate Extra Stout Beer.  Not quite the "wow factor" of raising the dead or appeasing battling armies, but satisfying and good for you, too (well maybe not the double chocolate beer, but hey!, it is, after all, the Super Bowl!)

Hope you are enjoying (or if it's over by the time you read this) that you enjoyed, the game.  And do tell me - how did you celebrate Super Bowl 45?  Did the food and drink commercials make you "want some?"  I have to be honest, as clever as some of them were, none of them made me want to run out and buy their products.  Well, maybe the baby Darth Vader and that really cool VW Passat.....

"We Are All Different, But In The End We Are All Fruit"

That's one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies.  And it's not just because I'm Greek.  "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is simply a funny movie that contains a lot of hidden wisdom - like the above quote.  Think about it.  If we are what we eat and we actually eat the 3-4 servings a day we should be eating, we can honestly say that we are at least "part" fruit.  When Lent starts in a few weeks and all meat is cut from my diet, I may even become closer to 50% fruit!

  

Fruit is the ripened ovary of a seed-bearing plant, together with its accessory parts, and occurring in a wide variety of forms.   Yes, you read that right.  Fruit are ovaries.  And, if you are like my husband, you may be asking yourself, "If fruit is the ovaries, then what would the leaves be?  Testicles?".  I'm sorry but I honestly do not know the answer to that question.  Besides being ovaries, many fruit are technically flowers.  Blueberries are related to azaleas, and strawberries and apples are both members of the rose family!  And to top it all off, they are oh-so good for you!   Fruit is mainly water (a good thing) and is 100% cholesterol free.  So they will not clog up your arteries - ever!  Most importantly, they contain fiber.  Some, like blueberries and blackberries, containing almost 9 grams per serving.  They also are loaded with vitamins, including vitamins A, C, B1, B2, and E (depending on the specific fruit).  And they are chock full of antioxidants.  (I know - I talk a lot about antioxidants.  Soon I will do a Blog on them and you will appreciate why they should play an important part in your diet). 

Fruit can be eaten in several forms.  You can eat the actual fruit, drink its juice, have it mashed and cooked like applesauce, blend it in Smoothies with yogurt, eat it dried, or have it in fun-to-eat forms like Fruit Leathers.  Getting 3-4 servings a day is generally pretty easy.  And remember, although "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", you should vary the fruit you eat for maximum health benefits.

By the way, speaking of apples (yeah, you knew I was going to go somewhere bizarre with this), did you know that there are almost 7,500 varieties worldwide?  I love apples and was stunned to find that out.  I don't know how many varieties you can think of, but on a good day, I can maybe come up with 100.  As I thought about this amazing quantity of such a delicious and healthy food source, I thought it would be fun to see if you can help me come up with some of them (no peeking at apple websites! I am curious to see how many you actually know of).  I will provide a list of 26 - from A to Z - and see how many others you can come up with.  Note:  I will try not to pick all the easy ones.  Here goes:

A - Anna                         K - Kent                             V - Viking
B - Buckingham               L - Lady                             W - Waltana
C - Crispin                      M - Macoun                         X - Xavier De Bavay
D - Duchess                    N - Nittany                           Y - York
E - Empress                    O - Ozark Gold                     Z - Zabergau Reinette
F - Fuji                           P - Pinata
G - Graventstein              Q - Quint    R - Rome
H - Honeygold                S - Spencer
I - Idared                        T - Telstar
J - Jubilee                        U - Ultrared Gala

Unfortunately, when it comes to apples, you should try to stick to the organic varieties.  It is virtually impossible to wash off the pesticides and other chemicals present in and on the non-organic ones.  
I do hope this Blog has inspired you to grab a piece of fruit and enjoy its luscious juiciness.  So, until next time, happy and healthy eating!
 

Serving Sizes - Just Keeping it Real

I've been talking a lot about counting calories and have mentioned how many servings of specific foods you need each day.  But I haven't really put it all together for you yet.  Well, today's that day.  For an 1,800 calorie per day diet, you should have 5 servings of grains, 3-4+ servings of vegetables, 2-3+ servings of fruit, 3 servings of dairy, and 5 servings of meat/beans (or protein).  Sounds like a boat load of food, doesn't it?  Not really - not when you understand what constitutes a "serving size".  Let me give you a hint:   It's not that bowl of pasta you get at the Macaroni Grill or the Olive Garden, nor is it the pancakes that fill your plate at your local diner.  I feel like a kid at show and tell, but if you bear with me, referring to the items above when instructed, you will learn how much you really should be eating....

A 3-ounce serving of meat, poultry, or fish is a "serving size" and is about the size of a deck of cards.  That's nice, but who eats only 3 ounces of anything?  When I cook meat or fish for my family, I count on about 6+ ounces per person, which is nice because it puts me almost halfway to the 5-servings a day requirement. 

A baked potato should be the size of a computer mouse.  For other vegetables, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens count as a serving size.  And, no, ketchup (or glorified tomatoes as a friend calls it) does not count as a vegetable!

A serving of peanut butter should be no bigger than half (yes half) a golf ball.   So check out the little Titleist in the photo, cut it in half, and put that much on your sandwich or in your celery stick and it's a serving of protein.

A serving of fruit - an apple orange, peach or other small, round fruit is the size of a baseball.  (Fruit servings also include a cup of applesauce, berries, or melon, and 1/4 cup dried fruit.)  Yup, dried fruit does count as fruit!  That should make up for the ketchup...

As far as grains are concerned, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 cup cold cereal (preferably whole grain), 1/2 cup pasta, 1/2 cup rice, 1 slice of bread, 1/2 English muffin, a bagel the size of the coffee lid in the photo, and a flour tortilla the size of the 7" paper plate all count as a serving size.  So, tell me, when is the last time an Italian restaurant chain served you 1/2 cup pasta?   And pancakes?  A "serving" of pancakes equals the size of that 4" CD you see overlapping the 7" plate.  A muffin (oh, you're going to love this one) should be the size of the egg that is next to the computer mouse.  How many coffee places or stores sell muffins the size of an egg?  If you eat a typical coffee shop muffin, you've just had about 3 of your 5 servings of grains for the day.

As for milk or milk equivalents, a serving is one cup (includes yogurt and fortified soy milk), 1/3 cup shredded cheese, or 1 and 1/2 ounces of cheese.  See the little dice under the baseball?  6 of those equal 1 and 1/2 ounces of cheese.  Not too bad...I just cut my cheese into little dice-size pieces and eat 6 of them with my TLC crackers.  

You are to limit oils and related items to 5 servings a day, with a serving of butter being 1 teaspoon, or the size of the tip of your thumb (I'm not talking Yao Ming's thumb either - just a regular, little thumb).

Well, I hope this helps put things in perspective for you - food-wise.  Until we meet again, happy and healthy eating!!  (Yeah, I know.  It seems to get less and less happy the more you learn what you "should" be eating.  It's not all that bad though.  Just remember  that if you are trying to lose or maintain your weight, you need to count those calories!  Vary what you eat to keep it interesting and do not deprive yourself - just watch those serving sizes!). 

O.K. So I Am An Emotional Eater - What Do I Do About It?

Yesterday, I told you that when our eating gets out of control, it is often nothing more than an emotional response.  When we eat that entire row of Girl Scout cookies or the whole bag of Dorito Chips, it isn't what our body is actually craving and it certainly isn't what it needs!  But we still do it.  And after we've eaten them (or the bowl of M&M's or whatever we just could not resist), we feel terrible about ourselves.  It's a vicious cycle.  Remember, it's stress that releases the Cortisol that causes us to load up on sweets and fats, but then we feel stress because we followed that impulse.   When did it get so out of control?
 
Unfortunately, life is not always easy.  We feel stress at our jobs, when we have to deal with certain people in our lives, when we are waiting for medical test results, when we're going through exams at school, when the bank account is too low, when we're feeling guilty, or when things just don't match up to our expectations.   And, if we begin the above pattern, well, eating gives us comfort (at least for a while...). 

Binge eating used to be a big problem for me.  I could easily polish off a bag of any kind of chips at one sitting.  And, on a real bad day, I would drive through McDonald's and order my favorite comfort food: a large order of fries and a vanilla shake.  I would eat half the bread I made in the bread machine in one sitting, and could eat chocolate like it was going out of style.  When I got cancer the first time (Stage 3 - very scary!), I changed the way I looked at food.  It used to be part of the problem - it needed to become part of the solution.  And it took a lot of work.  One of the big things I had to learn to deal with was that nasty binge eating - the thing I did in secret, when I was having a stressful, or an "I don't like me" day.  For me, it took looking at food in a different (Spiritual) way to really be able to change the way I ate.
 
While I was undergoing chemotherapy, I read - a lot!  There wasn't much else I could do.  One of the things I read were the writings of the ancient church Fathers - especially the Desert Fathers.  They talked about controlling the passions, and that if you could not control what you ate, then you couldn't control the others either.  Lust, greed, pride, anger, envy - they all would be a struggle if you could not control your appetite.  It was amazing stuff.  Putting food in its proper place was like a template for getting the other passions in order.  Once you conquered your appetite for food (stopping letting it rule your life), conquering the others would not be so difficult.  I also found that if I was full or weighed down with rich food,  it was difficult to do the other thing I spent my time doing - it was hard to really focus when I prayed.  The cool thing is that, just like poor eating becomes a vicious cycle, I found that if I ate right I could pray more effectively, and if I prayed more effectively, it was easier to eat right.  I guess I am saying that what helped me to stop the pattern that was leading me on a downward spiral was prayer.  And like the church Fathers from 1,700 years ago so wisely said, once I was able to control my eating, I found that I was less likely to lose control of my temper, to get impatient, etc.  I still have a long way to go in completely "conquering" those issues, but, to this day, if I am feeling so stressed that I can't sleep at night, I pray.  And I don't stop until that peace that passes all understanding calms me down enough to let it all go....

With that said, prayer (or meditation) is one of the recommended ways of dealing effectively with stress.  Another is exercise.  Just getting out of the house and taking a brisk walk can do wonders for you.  Plus it gets you away from food, and gives you a release for that Cortisol that is converting your glycogen and fat stores into suger and fat.  One thing I love to do while I walk is pray- it's like a double dose of calming.  Another recommended activity is journaling.  Instead of eating, grab a notebook and write what you are feeling - just get it all out.   You should also remove all tempting foods from your house - don't buy the Dorito chips, cookies, chocolate, or whatever else you crave until you are able to control your urges.  If they have to stay in your house because someone else is eating them and is not having a problem with them, you don't have to totally deprive yourself.  But have "that other person" give you just one serving.  Lastly, have a hunger reality check.  As you reach for those cookies or chips, stop and ask yourself, "Why am I doing this?  Am I really hungry?  And, if so, is this the best I can do for myself?". 

Another thing you should do is to keep busy.  A lot of the time, when we get into destructive eating habits,  we eat simply because we are bored. 

If none of this works, get support.   Lean on a good friend  if and when temptation hits.  Lean on me, if you'd like.  I've been there, done that, and I understand what you are going through.  Write me - I check this Blog or my e-mails about 10 times a day... : )

Well, I hope you forgive me but I just had to get this off my chest.  As always, until we meet again, happy and healthy eating!

(Outside Sources: 
MayoClinic.com - Weight-loss help: Gain control of emotional eating;
 http://www.eatingdisordershelpguide.com/ - Effect of Stress on Eating Habits; 
Personal Nutrition, by Marie A. Boyle - pg. 270; and
Nutrition Counseling, by Kathlleen Bauer - pg. 147)

"Stress: It's a Killer"

 My husband bet me nobody would remember that quote.  So I'll give you a hint.  Think "Anastasia" (the cartoon - starring John Cusack and Meg Ryan).  Think Rasputin going nuts because Anastasia is alive, so his ears and eyes and other body parts start falling off.  Now picture the cute little bat on the left and his very sage advice, "Stress - it's a killer".    Ah, little Bartok.  Wiser words were never spoken (well at least not from a cartoon).

The honest truth is that stress can be detrimental to your health.  No, your ears and eyes won't start falling off.  But uncontrolled or repeated stress can cause increased blood pressure, suppressed immunity, bone loss, increase in blood cholesterol, weak muscles, an increase in blood sugar, and increased fat around the abdomen, which puts you at greater risk for cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes.   How does stress do this?  It increases the level of cortisol in your body, a hormone that stimulates feelings of hunger and that is responsible for your craving sugar and high fat foods.  When your body senses danger, it draws out the glucose and fat that you have stored to prepare you for what we call "fight or flight".  If the person does not use this accumulated "fuel" that is created in these situations to fight or flee, however, it has no choice but to turn it into fat.  When people can't deal with stress, they may be faced with chronically elevated levels of cortisol.  And that's where a vicious cycle starts.  Stress will affect the way our body chooses what to eat, how we digest those foods, and how we absorb nutrients.  Poor diet contributes to stress which, in turn, contributes to a poor diet. 

When we establish a habitual behavior pattern that incorrectly links several different stimuli in our bodies to the act of eating, food becomes our mechanism for dealing with stress (and anxiety, sorrow, and other painful feelings).  After a while, even the smallest things begin to stimulate this stress response.  Eating that whole row of Girl Scout cookies, the dish of M&M's,  or the entire bag of chips; or eating very little throughout the day and then gorging ourselves at dinner, are all signs that our signals have been messed-up.    Emotional eating is a pattern that has been established over time but, thankfully, it is one that can be broken.  If any of this resonates with you, even to a small degree - if you ever feel like your eating habits are out of control -  it could be an emotional response, a pattern you subconsciously created long ago.  Or if you turn to food for comfort, or just to keep yourself occupied....there is a way for you to break this habit. 

Tomorrow I will cover ways in which to break the pattern of "emotional eating".  I was able to do it...

In the meantime, happy and healthy eating!

   

I Love the Wall Street Journal...

I just read an excellent article that was published in the Wall Street Journal today.  In fact, I thought it was so good that I attached a link to it at the bottom of my Blog site.  Do check it out!  The link works - yeah, my brilliant son helped me with that, too.  By looking at the photo on the left, I bet you can guess what it's about.   The article reinforces a lot of the things I have been Blogging about.  You will love what it has to say about wine - the primary focus of the article.  But it covers one topic that I haven't touched on yet: Salt. 

Too much salt can be hazardous to your health - there, I said it.  For one thing, it raises your blood pressure, especially in people who are predisposed to it.  How do you know if you are?  High blood pressure is often hereditary, so if your mom or dad are on blood pressure medication, you would be wise to watch how much salt you consume.  

Salt also causes you to lose calcium.  It is used to melt ice on wintry roads and sidewalks.  And, in a manner of speaking, it can also melt our bones.  It triggers our kidneys to send calcium into our urine, where we excrete it.  Consequently, the more salt we eat, the more calcium we lose.  

So how much is too much?  We need some salt in our diet to make up for what we lose in perspiration and such.  Try not to exceed (now they say) 1,500 mgs. a day.  It sounds like a lot, but once you start reading labels, you'll be surprised how quickly it adds up.  To give you an idea, 1/4 cup of canned tomato sauce has 280 mgs.  If you use salt, consider trying sea salt.  It may contain minerals that your body needs, such as magnesium and......yup, calcium!  That's all for now.  See you later... In the meantime, happy and healthy eating!

(Some salt facts herein were obtained from Vegetarian Times, November/December 2008)

Better Off Dead (or Time to Talk About Vegetables)

Have you seen the movie "Better Off Dead" with John Cusack?  It's about a guy who can't get over the girl he's just lost to the school jock - and it's hilarious.  Some of my favorite scenes, though,  involve the meals that Cusack's mother cooks in the movie.  When she invites the next door neighbors over with their French foreign exchange student, she impresses them by serving French Fries, French Bread, and French Dressing.  But the best are her attempts to cook healthy food for her family.  She boils bacon to remove the fat and it ends up looking like, well......snot.  Then there's the scene that made me laugh so hard, I cried.  She makes this gelatinous blob for dinner that literally crawls off of Cusack's plate.  The movie is hilarious, but, unfortunately, too many people see many of the most healthy vegetables as something the mom in "Better Off Dead" has concocted.  And they don't have to be that way. 

Even Brussels Sprouts can be delicious when cooked with some lite butter, turkey (or low-fat) bacon, and parmesan cheese.  Spinach, when cooked in Spanakopita (a Greek dish using filo dough), or in a souffle or quiche, can be amazing.  Or try it sauteed with an egg and some cheese on top.  Mashed cauliflower is so good that one of my son's friends has seconds when she has supper with us.  Brocolli is incredible baked in a lite cheese sauce.  If you don't think you like eggplant, you have never tried a good Baba Ganouj.  And asparagus pasta is simply delicious!  And it's so easy to make that I'll include the recipe here for you:  Saute about 5 cloves of minced garlic in a T. of olive oil and a T. of light butter.  Add 1/2 t. crushed red pepper, a pound of asparagus cut into 2" pieces.  Salt and pepper them and cook until tender.  Meanwhile cook a pound of penne pasta as directed.  Drain pasta and add asparagus mixture and 1/2 cup parmesan and serve. 

Carrots are wonderful raw or cooked and lightly seasoned.  And most people like peas, mixed vegetables, corn, and succotash.  And you lose none of the nutrients if you cook the frozen variety.

Vary the vegetables you eat by color to reap maximum health benefits.  Red vegetables contain lycopene which helps protect against breast and prostate cancer.  Orange are full of alpha and beta carotene and convert to vitmain A, which is good for your eyes, bones, and immune system.  Green contain indoles and help to prevent various cancers.  Yellow-green ones like corn, artichokes, squash, and leafy greens contain lutein, which helps prevent macular degeneration, and some beta carotene.  And blue/purple, like eggplant, are heart-healthy and improve bain function.

So that's the skinny on vegetables...Hope that I've helped you to move them from being equivalent to the slop that the mom cooked in "Better Off Dead" to something you will look forward to including in your diet each and every day.  Remember, if you are male, you need 9 servings of vegetables and fruits a day.  (Women - we need 7).  I know it sounds like a lot, but I'll cover serving sizes (another somewhat shocking topic) in another Blog and you'll see that it can be easily done.  Until then, happy and healthy eating!