Dietary Dramas and Drivels

Water water everywhere...but soon, few drops to drink.

2010-12-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

All during my last quarter of school, I have read several books, papers, proverbs even on water. Ok, maybe not proverbs, but it sounded appropriate.

Water, the ultimate "renewable" resource is being ever degraded, ever destroyed, and ever ruined. WE are over-using what has been provided on the Earth, and for wasteful means. I don't just mean "us" in the United States, though compared to the many in the rest of the world, we sure waste and use more than our fair share of water.

I mean, that we as humans, who have tried to conquer planet Earth with our technology and our brains, have managed to pollute, destroy, and waste the precious resource that we all depend on for life.

Water, gives us life, we are dependent on it. Water makes up over 2/3 of our body, and is required for the life of ALL foods we eat. Whether you're an omnivore, a carnivore, or an herbivore, every life on this Earth is dependent on water for its sustenance.

Water is required to grow crops, in fact nearly 70% of all water is used for crop growth/agriculture, and a large portion of these crops go to feeding cattle, and other livestock that humans consume. For plants, it takes nearly 1000 gallons of water to grow one kilogram. For cattle, you can multiply that number by another 1000...yes, it is wasteful!

We in America take it for granted, how rich we are, not just in wealth, but in water use. It is only during years of drought that we begin to understand just how much we use, and how little we truly have.

Now imagine living in a poor country, say in Sub-Saharan Africa, where money is scarce and water is even scarcer, where turning on a faucet is a luxury, one that many cannot afford. Imagine having to walk 10 miles at least once per day to obtain enough water to drink and for basic cooking, and that may have to be done more than once for additional family members, or when there is illness...

Or conversely, imagine that you live on less than $1.00 dollar per day, and the cost of a bottle of water is almost $1, and that cola is only fifty cents...it doesn't seem right that in some countries of the world, water is a commodity and the price for water is exorbitant, such that food is difficult to obtain...

It's frustrating. I will hopefully get to spend some time in Ethiopia this coming summer, learn about some of the struggles of daily life and be able to contribute to development plans to lessen this suffering and difficulties. I'm not trying to be a panacea, but I would like to help...

To learn more, I suggest reading:
1) When the Rivers run dry...
2) Blue Gold.

Good books.

Take control

2009-08-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

I am ashamed to say it's been about 8 months since I last posted a blog on here...but nonetheless. I read an article today that really pissed me off and that I nearly 100% disagree with.

http://health.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-obesity-ess.html

"the notion that Americans ever ate well is suspect. In 1966, when Americans were still comparatively thin, more than two billion hamburgers already had been sold in McDonald’s restaurants...The recent rise in obesity may have more to do with our increasingly sedentary lifestyles than with the quality of our diets."

OK...well, let me be clear. I don't completely disagree with this statement, but, it also leaves out a key factor...the portion sizes have dramatically increased since 1966! American's are typically eating 50% more food now than they did then! Go to McDonald's now...I haven't been to a McD's in probably 15 years, but nonetheless, my husband goes occasionally. Their small fries now is the size of their large fries then...

A cheeseburger now, may be the same size as it was then, but back then, most people would be satisfied with 1, perhaps 2 cheeseburgers at the most for a meal...now, they order a minimum of 2 cheeseburgers, often more.

To say that obesity has little to do with diet quality and more to do with being sedentary really irks me. I agree, EVERYONE needs to move more, and that would prevent a lot...but I can tell you this, as much as anyone exercises, it is very easy to out-eat what you burn up. Plus, most American's do not exercise more than 30 minutes per day...which is not "enough" to constitute lasting weight loss, UNLESS diet is also changed.

Besides that...the article goes on to discuss that the foods in the 1960s were cooked with butter, and whole milk etc. Yes, this is true, perhaps the "ingredients" were still high in fat, but again, portion size was a lot smaller, and additionally, food was real...food was whole...butter is a natural food. Margarine, which came later and was thought to be healthier, was not. And...foods that may be made with skim milk, may have more calories from sugar. So, substituting fat with sugar doesn't make any food better.

Anyway...I do agree with some of the assertions the article makes, where it discusses the misconception people have about the number of calories they burn v. the number they eat...but, to say that we cannot control our urges is too easy, it's a copout.

I wake up every morning and I either swim for 70 minutes (distance to be determined based on how fast I swim that day), or I go to spin class for 60 minutes, walk, or ride a bike...I exercise for an hour a day.

I choose to eat healthy foods whether that be salad, or fish, or sushi, or eggs. I choose healthy items and prepare them in a healthy way. But...I also eat dessert. I'm not afraid of it or the calories. I don't worry about getting fat overnight. I think it's a cop out to say, we have a set point. Our set point for weight is maybe 10% influenced by our genetics, but is 90% influenced by our behaviors...what we choose to eat, whether or not we get physical activity.

I'm tired of hearing that people cannot maintain a healthy weight, I think people give up to easily, I think people are not willing to work...heck, if I didn't need to work, maybe I wouldn't...(who am I kidding?), but, people will always try to take the easy way out. The path of least resistance, and sometimes you have to force yourself to take the path of most resistance for your own health.

Very Voluptious Venison

2008-12-29T20:44:00.000-08:00

So...I did something I normally NEVER do in a restaurant or in general.

I not only tasted and tried some "red" meat, but I ordered Venison at a restaurant in Granby, Colorado.

This venison was lean, delicious, and well cooked. It was a light dish while being very satisfying. On the whole, I was glad I ordered the venison because venison is a very healthy meat. It is "grass-fed" meaning it is rich in omega-3 fats, and it is an amazing source of protein.

Plus, it's rich in Iron, helping those red blood cell levels in high-altitude colorado, where going cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing through 2 foot deep snow can make you ravenous!

All-in-all, I would recommend Venison to anyone who is looking for a lean meat that will give them great flavor and the satisfaction of eating a beef steak, without all the guilt. In fact, you'll have a great amount of room for a delicious dessert after this meal!

Thoughts on the Future

2008-07-23T13:07:00.001-07:00

When looking to the past, we see that civilizations that were strong and thriving appear to have died suddenly and without warning. What common thread is there that led to the downfalls of these civilizations and what do we need to be looking out for now? Are we on an imminent fall as well?

With so many factors contributing to one’s health including environment, food, money, and customs, it would be fascinating to discover what specific aspects of these elements contributed to the downfall of the great civilizations of the past, and what the 6.2 billion people of the world should worry about for today.

We are all aware that climate change is occurring. The data is inarguable, the temperatures are rising, the CO2 levels are increasing, and the distribution of rainwater is changing. Areas around the world that at one time had free flowing rivers and full lakes, are now dried up and arid while other areas are so flooded that lives are at risk with disentary, untreated water, and other water-borne diseases.

A November 1993 Lancet article evaluates the potential effect of climate change, induced by greenhouse gases on crop yield. Overwhelmingly, the potential staple crop yields of wheat, rice, maize, and soybean decreases as both CO3 levels and temperatures increase.

We tend to forget where our food comes from, that conditions for growing food need to be just right. We always assume that our food will have an endless supply, and it will always be there when we want it and need it. Unfortunately, the environment does not work to our will.

By studying what is happening in the environment and the approaches that can be taken to reverse some of these changes on a global scale, much can be done to save the food supply. By studying the way civilizations have reacted to and adapted to climate changes in the past whether by migrating, changing their eating habits, or changing their cultural habits, we can determine what key characteristics the civilizations that survived had and project that onto key characteristics that people will need today to maintain their nutritional and health statuses.

We do not live in a vacuum, what effects one country affects another. The climate changes in one area of the world may be exacerbated or alleviated by the effects in another part of the world. As temperatures keep rising, the ability to grow food where it is grown now may decline, as the use of fertilizers increases, insecticide use increases, and the continued use of fossil fuels increases all the while top soil erodes and crop yield erodes.

The rising cost of food is another key factor in nutritional status. As more countries become industrialized, they tend to lose land for growing food in favor of adding more factories to produce more textiles and factories. As land is lost, the ability to grow food is lost, and food must be brought in from other countries. The cost to transport food into the country is far greater than it would have been to grow it for themselves, and this higher cost of food translates into people being able to afford less of it. As food becomes less affordable, children and older adults will be most at risk for nutritional depletion and risks.

So, the reality of the future of public health and nutrition are in fact a focus on preventing further climate change. To do that we must understand the history of the world’s climate, what that means for food production and historical disease risk. As temperatures rise, mosquitos, pine beetles, and other animals also have to migrate and change their living habits to stay alive. All living things are competing for the same resources. What will happen if the temperatures get too high that animals used for farming cannot survive? In poor countries where these animals represent a farmer’s livelihood, the risks are tremendous.

The reality of the future of public health and nutrition in concert with preventing further climate change involve understanding our human history. This goes back to my desire to understand how civilizations of the past either perished or adapted and survived. I recently was on a trip to Central America where I learned about the Mayan culture. I was so fascinated by the wealth, the prosperity, the knowledge, and then the sudden fall of the ancient Mayan civilization. Yet, Maya people do still live, they still speak the language, they still live in family units, and they still retain some of their old customs.

Why is it that the Mayan kingdoms fell, but the Mayan people still live and thrive? So, to improve public health for the future in a world that is rife with environmental change and increasing health risks, we must understand the cultures of history, study them, study their ways of life, and take the lessons we can learn to project to the future.

Finally, the reality of the future of public health and nutrition is to realize that nutrition plays such a key role in the overall health of an individual, a family, a city, a country, and of the world. In order to survive, plants and animals must have enough water and enough energy. The sun provides energy to plants, but they must have enough water to sustain them. Plants provide energy to animals and humans, but without enough plants, animals and humans will not be able to survive.

Our world is a delicate balance, one that is a perfect distance from the sun, has a magnetic field that shields us from the harmful solar winds, one that has so far sustained life as we know it, though there have been falls and mishaps along the way.

Yes, there is the risk that we have reached our growth potential, we have maxed out our resources and that to continue adding people will bring our eventual death. But, as with all human nature, there will be more children born, there will more people added to the world, and the resources we have available to us must last as long as they can. That is why studying climate change and trying to prevent any further damage and reverse what damage has occurred must be our number one priority. That is why studying past cultures and their history can help us predict how climate changes can effect us and use that knowledge to make changes that will protect us.

As a dietitian, I know that food and nutrition are what sustain us, keep us healthy, and keep us alive. I see it on an individual level at the hospital. But, it is my passion for life, for sustainability, for studying people and their cultures, and my own personal interest in green living that I know that I have the ability to do more, that I have the ability to help more people on a global level.

Poverty + Famine = Biggest threats to civilization

2008-07-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

While on my most recent trip, our guide who had a lot of wisdom, an anthropolgist said to us, that poverty is the biggest threat to democracy. When there is poverty, people will do anything including looting, killing, injuring for money to buy food.

In Guatemala City, the largest city in Central America, if a person has lost their job, the city will "hire" them to clean the streets. Rather than pay them, they provide them food. The interesting thing about Guatemala is that people own their houses because they build them by themselves. They buy the raw materials and put them together, so at least no one has to worry about foreclosure and the bank taking their houses.

But, food, nutrition, they are so important to a person's overall wellbeing. That is why paying the people food and eventually moving them into paying positions is such a wonderful idea. The U.S. certainly has a lot to learn about what works.

As we are all aware, food has become more expensive as gas becomes more expensive. Well, unfortunately even in third world countries, gas and food are also more expensive and it has become signficantly more difficult for people to feed themselves and their families. The cost of food is a much higher percentage of income for the people down there than it is for American's.

So, really, poverty, the inability to purchase the necessities of life, and famine brought on whether by lack of food, lack of purchasing-power, or by naturally occuring events (read: honey bees dying off), these will become the downfall of modern civilization!

It is postulated that ancient civilizations including the Romans, the Greeks, and the Mayans may have perished due to nutritional consequences, the Romans may have lead in the water pipes, Greeks and Mayans may have grown to big to have their land sustain them.

Malthus, a demographer saw that societies through history experienced at one time or another epidemics, famines, or wars: events that masked the fundamental problem of populations overstretching their resource limitations:

"The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race. The vices of mankind are active and able ministers of depopulation. They are the precursors in the great army of destruction, and often finish the dreadful work themselves. But should they fail in this war of extermination, sickly seasons, epidemics, pestilence, and plague advance in terrific array, and sweep off their thousands and tens of thousands. Should success be still incomplete, gigantic inevitable famine stalks in the rear, and with one mighty blow levels the population with the food of the world."--Thank you Wikipedia.

Well, aren't we in contemporary society at risk for overpopulation? Stretching our resources to the max so that we may run into finding that we have fun out of food? out of clean water? When there is not enough food production or there is a blight to destroy all foodstuffs, will there be massive nuclear wars strong enough to wipe out the world as we know it?

Well, I truly believe that it is very possible. I think there is a big risk that we will find ourselves in famine and poverty sooner than later. If we can learn from civilizations from the past, and I know there is a lot to learn, maybe we can take the necessary steps to prevent world calamity for the future.

I think the bandwagon to change the way our world works, ie. different energy sources, green living, health change, may finally be taking hold.

Knowing that food is a basic need that must be fulfilled before anything else, I would love the opportuntiy to study cultures of the past and apply that knowledge to what is occuring now, with modern civilization...

I know it's been said before, but we can learn a whole hell of a lot from our past...let's use it.

Central American gastronomy

2008-07-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

I have recently returned from a trip to Central America where I visited the countries of: El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize.

While on this trip we visited mayan ruins and saw the way today's Maya people live within their villages, using their long-used cultures, language, and lifestyle, the lifestyle of survival.

On this trip we were given the opportunity to eat local fare, and mind you back in the states while I like Mexican food, I am by no means a big fan, and so I wasn't looking forward to trying the food. Lo and behold, the food often far exceeded my expectations, as it was always fresh, very healthy, very tasty, and very simple.

In El Salvador, we tried to food of El Salvador in a pupuseria, from the galery of Fernando Llorte. The food was delicious, the tamales, pupusas, even the cabbage dressing was delicious, healthy, and very simply prepared. Pupusas are a lot like tortillas stuffed with either a zucchini flower, or cheese, or some sort of meat.

In Honduras and Guatemala, the common foods were tortillas, black refried beans, and plantanos. Again, all simply and healthfully prepared. The thing that probably shocked me the most was how full I got on small portions, portions that are much smaller than anything you'd find in the U.S., but by the end of the trip I was very full from these foods.

Most meals started with a soup, either a brothy soup, or an asparagus soup, or even a spinach soup, probably the most interesting. Then we had a choice of: Beef, chicken, fish, and sometimes pork. I usually chose the fish, and it was usually tilapia.

Usually it came with a small portion of rice and a small portion of vegetables, also very flavorful.

Then, we usually got a dessert, and it was usually either a very small scoop of ice cream, or a small slice of cake, or pie, or something sweet to satisfy our taste buds.

None of the food was fried, it was all healthy, and I really enjoyed the foods of this trip.

It was so interesting to learn about the mayan cultures and see all these ruins, my favorite being Tikal, one of the largest "mayan kingdoms."

If you you get the chance to go, I highly suggest it, it's educational, it's conscience inducing, and it is truly a not-to-be-missed experience.

Go Soy Go!...

2008-06-12T19:47:00.001-07:00

I'd forgotten I'd even done this interview about the benefits of soy...check it out!

http://209.85.141.104/search?q=cache:IjdiZMdDZAIJ:findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ZRT/is_12_4/ai_n25337765+dana+ellis,+dietitian&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=us

Eating Green

2008-06-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

What does it mean to eat green? Well, I'm not talking about foods that are the color green though they are extremely healthy for you, but rather, I'm talking about the carbon footprint we create when we eat.

I'm currently reading a book entitled "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" about this one family's journey of eating foods they themselves grow on their farm. I've also recently gotten into the t.v. channel "planet green." It is a channel dedicated to helping our planet. It has some very interesting shows about household carbon footprints and practical ways to decrease that footprint, Ed Begely Jr has a show which, he must be one of the greenest Americans around...and a host of other shows I have yet to dive into. I'm so new to this station.

Anyway, as a dietitian, I not only strive to have people eat more healthfully for themselves, but by eating healthier they can help save the planet.

I had previously written a blog about being a locavore, someone who eats close to home. I still want to emphasize the importance of eating close to home.

By eating foods that have been grown as few miles away as possible, you are saving tens of thousands of pounds of fossil fuels per meal. If conventionally, it requires 20 calories of fuel to create 1 calorie of food, this includes traveling costs, production costs, etc, then if you're eating a 500 calorie meal, you're requiring 10,000 calories of fossil fuels to create that meal. If however, you're eating food that was grown say 20 miles from you, allowing a calorie use of only 2 calories to create each 1 calorie of food by doing the same calculation you may only be using 100 calories of fossil fuels to create that meal.

That is not only a savings fuel, but it's good for the world. Also, typically, foods that are grown and sold very close to the farm that made it, require less fertilization and may in fact be grown in an organic manner without being certified for a hefty cost.

Government standardizations for organics is liberalizing constantly because big agribusines does not want so many restrictions. Therefore, even if the food you are eating says it's organic, it doesn't mean it is necessarily any better for you...you can ask the local farmer their farming practices when you see them.

I truly do everything I can to be green...I try to buy local fruits and vegetables when I can, in-season fruits and vegetables. I try to buy sustainable fish that have been wild-caught, I walk to work every day (in L.A. mind you, where nearly everyone drives.) I have a bicycle which I occasionally take out. I have reusable shopping bags. I recycle everything that can be recycled and encourage others to do the same.

My biggest eco-vice unfortunately is probably my frequent plane travel to visit family and my boyfriend all of who live in different states...but I do try.

I urge everyone else to eat green, recycle, reuse, and decrease your carbon footprint.

Check out www.planetgreen.com It's so cool!

When culture trumps health

2008-06-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

Why is it that today, when so much is known about health and disease, so many people continue to eat the way they do? I find it so fascinating that one's culture can hurt their health.

Recently I was giving nutrition education to patient. In her culture it is practice to eat several times during the day, not measure portions, eat until they have no room left and eat basically junk! (She didn't realize it was junk.)

But, I have to ask, when you taste something made entirely of chemicals and nothing at all like it's components, how can you NOT know it's junk?!

A Twinkie may in fact have "corn" in it, and "wheat," but the final product resembles none of those items, hell, it's meant to last though an atomic bomb!

But, I was sitting on a plane the other day, next to this Hawaiian couple, and thank goodness I was thin, otherwise, there would have been no room for a 3rd person! These two people were so obese, and yet in their culture that is readily accepted.

My patient who i was educating, while not obese, she is overweight, though her father, sister, and husband were not, but it sounded as though she had the worst diet, the worst understanding, and was the most accepting of depriving her body of the nutrients she needs rather than the ones that taste good.

I can understand that culture is importnat, but culture will not save you life unless that culture is amenable to change.

Fountain of Youth

2008-05-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

There is no "true" fountain of youth other than how you treat your body. As a dietitian, I frequently get told that I look the part.

What does that mean? "Dana, you look the part of a dietitian." Well, I'm 5'7" and weight 125 pounds. I'm tallish and slim.

I get told...Dana, it's not fair, you don't really have to try!

Well, I would argue that point. I don't have to try to lose weight...I maintain the weight I'm currently at, and perhaps I don't have to try as hard as someone who is trying to lose weight might have to try...but I don't just do nothing!

I look the part because 1) I get exercise every day of the week, whether that be going to the gym, or walking outdoors, or going for a swim...i do something every day to get activity, to burn calories. 2) I eat healthy food. No, I'm not perfect all the time, no I don't eat nothing but vegetables, but I would say that when I do eat, I fill my plate with vegetables, or salad, or whole grains and lean meats. I use very little salt, I eat healthy fats, I eat fish, lean chicken, and few desserts.

I used to not eat desserts, I used to deprive myself, all that made me do was want certain treats more! I craved them...now I allow myself a piece of chocolate daily, I'm a chocoholic.

That's the key though...don't deny yourself your simple pleasures, it will backfire.

Also, do get activity every day...it's key to losing weight, maintaining weight, or preventing weight gain. But, it is so easy to out eat anything you burn off...you can quickly, in minutes eat a pint of ice cream and undo everything you've done for an hour or so of exercise.

The key is balance, the key is consistency, the key is enjoying what you're doing.

This morning when I woke up, the last thing I wanted to do was step foot inside of a gym. Fortunately I'm currently in a location that has a pool about 100 feet from my front door. So, I went for a swim, about 1 mile, and it did the trick. i got my exercise without stepping foot inside of a gym...and now I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day!

From your loving dietitian,
Dana.

The medicine box

2008-05-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

I just read an article on yahoo: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080514/ap_on_he_me/medication_nation

This article discusses how more than 1/2 insured americans are taking some sort of prescription medication. This includes all age-ranges.

The sad part is...children are taking medications that we once only saw adults taking. If they are on these medications now, and constantly need stronger doses year after year, what are they going to do when there are no stronger doses? What are they going to do if they are taking 20 medications, and they all interact in a negative way?

Why do we sacrifice our quality of life?

This goes back to the blog I wrote last week regarding the time it takes to prevent v. the time it takes to treat. Or, the cost of prevention v. the cost of treatment.

It is always less time consuming and less costly to prevent.

Quality of life, productive years, significantly decreases with disease and illness, to the point that, it is no surprise that rates of depression in this country are at an all time high.

It is up to us to change our own lives and to promote change in others lives. If it is your children's lives, it is up to you, their parents to teach them good habits that will give them happy and productive adult years. Let us do right for ourselves, for our families and friends, and perhaps more importantly, for our children so that they may stave off life-long illness.

cheers!

Excuse me sir...I paid for that seat

2008-05-12T15:21:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been on a plane, or in a car, or on a train, or a bus and had someone sitting next to you so overweight or obese that they were partly on your seat as well?

This happened to me a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully it was a short flight. I was flying from Los Angeles to Vegas, next to me was an obese gentleman. He was already sitting down when I arrived at my seat.

The armrest between our two seats was up, and he was partially in my seat. For over an hour I had no use of my armrest, and every time the plane would hit even the smallest amount of turbulence he would bump into me.

I so wanted to ask him with some politeness, "sir, can you please try to stop bumping into me?" I was already as far over in my seat as I could be. But, I kept my mouth shut.

I felt angry, my comfort was infringed upon. I didn't have the full use of my seat which I paid good money for. I only got to use 3/4 of my seat, and only one armrest.

What would have happened had we both been obese and spilling out of our seats?! They would have had to move one or both of us, as this arrangement would not have worked.

I'm sorry, it may seem like discrimination, but I truly believe if someone is too large for their one seat, they should have to pay for a second seat. Or, they should have to pay me partially for the cost of the area of my seat they have used.

Why should I have to be massively uncomfortable?

Anyway, in the future, I may kindly ask a flight attendant if there is a way I can be reseated as I do believe it is not fair that I don't get the full use of my seat. I doubt I will be able to change my seat, but it can't hurt to ask.

I do also think there should be flight penalties for obese people, I doubt it would be an incentive to lose weight, but why should we thin people have to pay extra for the extra weight airplanes have to carry?

I know these are very harsh thoughts, but trust me, the next time you're stuck sitting next to a big guy or gal on a plane and you don't get to use your entire seat...let's see how happy-go-lucky you are.

Thoughts?

Motivation...It's all a game

2008-05-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

Motivation and effort, motivation to exercise, motivation to eat right, motivation to food shop...it all takes motivation.

Why do I say it's a game? Because, like anything in life you have to convince yourself to take various actions. It is all mind-games. You can tell yourself it is easier to sit on the couch and watch t.v. than to get up and go for a walk, or to go to the gym, but, is it easier on your health?

You can tell yourself, it is easier to go through the McDonald's drive-thru, or to Shake & Steak stand and order a (high-calorie) meal, but is it easier on your waist-line? Is it overall-easier on your wallet?

No. The price we pay to treat diabetes, heart disease, and a multitude of other health-related diseases is overwhelmingly more expensive than to prevent them through exercise and healthy diet. The physical and emotional price we pay when our quality of life dramatically declines because of disease is much more than the discomfort we may feel while working out or cooking.

I have so many patients who tell me life is so difficult either with heart disease or diabetes, or with renal disease. Many patients with kidney disease have to come in for dialysis for 4 hours, 3x/wk. So, that person is spending 12+ hours a week to take care of their disease when they could have perhaps prevented it in the first place through 3.5 hours a week of exercise and maybe an additional 3 hours a week of food shopping and cooking.

When you do the math 6.5 v. 12 hours, it takes 1/2 as much time to prevent the disease than it takes to treat it.

Quality of life is huge for people. Yes, we in the United states have a high standard of living, but shouldn't that include a high quality of life? Can quality of life not be measured by happiness? Activity level? Ability to do everything you want to do?

I was hiking this past weekend, the hike started at 7800 feet above sea level and we hiked up 2.5 miles to an elevation of 9500 feet. The hike guide stated that the hike would take ~4 hours round trip. Well, I'll tell you what, we made it up the mountain in 1 hour and 10 minutes and down in 1 hour and 10 minutes, stopping for a picnic lunch.

To me, that is a high quality of life. Being able to do with my body whatever I want to do. Being healthy enough to start hiking over a mile above sea level and do so quickly. I love the challenge. If I were sick or had heart disease, this may not have been possible. If I had renal disease, this definitely may not have been possible.

Let's get motivated...It's a game. Why not win it?

The food of Kaua'i

2008-04-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

So, I've just arrived back from a trip to Kaua'i in Hawaii. I have experienced the most amazing food at the Princeville Resort and The Grand Hyatt in Princeville and Poipu respectively. These dishes were prepared using the best of ingredients and the freshest fish caught off the island oceans.

I've also had some pretty not so good food at a restaurant entitled "Wranglers" in the town of Waimea. The sauce was heavy, and salty, and fishy. Not so good.

Then, I've also had a Luau feast. Considering the place we went to was feeding about 600 people at our particular meal, it was very well done, the food tasted fresh, and was quite good.

My favorite dish in Hawaii is probably their seaweed salad and their ahi lomi lomi salads. Well, also the fresh island ahi tuna is to die for, only $12/lb as compared to $25+/lb mainland side.

We bought a pound of ahi one night, just caught off the ocean, seared it and served it alongside fresh zucchini. Lomi Lomi was the appetizer along with seaweed salad. For desert we had fresh pineapple and some mango...wow, I'm telling you fresh food is delicious when it is locally grown, harvested, or caught.

All-in-all, I had some great food in Hawaii and I had some not-so-good food. Go local, go fresh, go healthy! It tastes great!

Feeling Full on Fewer calories

2008-04-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

I get asked pretty often..."Dana, how I can approach weight loss without feeling hungry?"

I understand it is the dieter's nightmare to feel ravenously hungry while trying to lose weight.

Well, it is definitely possible to eat fewer calories while still feeling full. I promise! Think quality and quantity.

You may have heard of a popular weight-loss method known as "Volumetrics." The idea behind volumetrics is that you eat very low-density foods. You eat foods that are very low in calories, but very high in water-content. That is why the diet is extremely high in fruit and vegetables! You may not have known this, but the average fruit or vegetable is 80% water?

I can gaurantee that your average muffin is not, it is probably less than 20% water, meaning it has far more calories per weight (let's say ounce) than something like a piece of fruit.

When reading a food label, if per serving (and make sure you read that serving size), the total calories in that food is less than the weight of the food (in grams), then you know you have a low-calorie dense food.

As an example: Look at a can of beans, the serving size (4 oz) or 120 grams only has about 100 calories in it. This means that the calories in the food is less than its weight. It is low-calorie dense.

On the other hand, if you take a donut, its weight might be 3 oz (90 grams), but it may have 250 calories in it. This is much more calorically dense.

With this knowledge, you can make smart choices at the grocery store, buy lots of fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, low-fat meats, fish, lettuces, non-animal sources of protein such as beans and soy products, and find that you'll still feel quite full, but you will have a lot less calories. Gotta love water, right?

I've been quoted on Forbes.com again!!

2008-04-09T08:17:00.001-07:00

Hi all...take a look at how i've been quoted on Forbes.com! It's called "How to Pinch the Salt from your Diet." Written by Ms. Allison Van Dusen.

http://www.forbes.com/health/2008/04/07/health-sodium-cut-forbeslife-cx_avd_0409health.html

Ask the Dietitian...cont...

2008-03-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

From my last post, I received a comment/question from my good friend:

"Thanks for this entry. It reminds me of something that I saw recently.

I've been drinking this V8 Fusion stuff for the "full serving of fruit and full serving of vegetables" that it advertises. Then my friend tells me to read the back of the 12oz bottle.

It says: An 8oz serving provides 1/2 cup serving of fruit and 1/2 cup serving of vegetables. The USDA recommends 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit for a 2,000 calorie diet.

So a 12oz bottle provides .75 cups of vegetables and .75 cups of fruit. So what the heck does "full serving of fruit and vegetables" mean??It's so misleading and annoying!!"

Alright, well, to clarify the issue, I shall try to explain:

Basically what they're saying is that a 1/2 cup of fruit juice = 1 serving of "fruit." They can say that because of how the fruit juice reacts in the body, turning into sugar.

Additionally, a 1/2 cup of vegetable juice counts under the same principle.

So, yes, your 12 oz bottle of juice provides you three-4 oz (1/2 cup) servings of juice = 3 full servings of fruit and vegetable.

Every American should really aiim for 9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. But, of course the minimum recommendation is 5. Believe me though, we would all benefit from a more plant-based diet, while cutting back on meats and of course, processed foods.

So, in conclusion, to answer your question. When they say V8 fusion provides "full serving of fruit and vegetable" it is because by USDA standards a fruit and vegetable serving = 1/2 cup juice.

Also, make sure whatever you're drinking is 100% fruit/veg juice. Not juice drink.

Now, according to the V8-fusion website, it is 100% juice. But, also keep in mind, juice does not have fiber in it. Also, I'm very weary of any food that has health claims on it, such as "vit.A, promotes eye health." They are trying to sell you the nutrient vs. the whole food.

For more on this, I would highly recommend reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. Which I still need to provide a review for.

I Dana Ellis, and Michael Pollan have thoughts that align. It really is a great book for a more novice nutritionista with questions about how to suss through all the non-food out there.

Basically, don't eat anything that comes pre-packaged that has more than 5 ingredients, ingredients you can't pronounce, or foods your grandmother wouldn't recognize. Those are his take-away points, which as I said, I agree with, it is my whole motto.

With that, send more questions! I really enjoyed answering them again. :)

Even food gets spin!

2008-02-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

How do you turn a previously known junk food into health food?

Slap a label on it and fry it in different oil.

That's right, Tostitos have now stated that their chips which are fried in a "heart-healthy" oil are good for the heart.

Is that spin? Absolutely. Is that healthy? Are you kidding!

How can a food that is nothing but ground up corn, rice meal, white flour, salt, and unpronounceable words be healthy, or even heart healthy. I guess if they put it in 100-calorie packs and fry it in a different oil, then they can do whatever they want. Who's stopping them?

Unfortunately no one. And, unfortunately no one is getting any healthier.

You want to spin food...put it on a record turn-table. But, don't lie to our faces. Junk by any other word, is still just junk.

McDonald's Rewards?

2008-02-16T11:37:00.000-08:00

While watching the "Colbert Report" last night, one of his segments really caught my attention.

In Seminole, Florida, not far from where I grew up, their school system rewards students who have earned Honor Roll/Dean's list with a coupon for a free McDonald's "Happy Meal."

A mother of a student would not allow her daughter who earned the honor roll to go to McDonald's and get her free meal. The mother spoke out saying that she feels that McDonald's is undermining her role as a mother. The fact that schools in general have to "advertise" a particular fast-food entity or cola companies to have enough money to keep their school fuctioning is an outrage.

It's teaching students to use food as a reward.

Plenty of studies show that students do not perform as well on tests, or in class if they eat sugary foods that provide little nutrition. Is it no wonder so many kids are diagnosed with ADHD?

But besides that, it is showing the influential power the food industry has, even over schools! There is the separation of church and state. Well, I believe there should be the separation of fast-food chains and state (school).

Isn't it bad enough that fast food chains target children at home with their enticing commercials and toys? But, to target them at school?

I understand that cafeteria food doesn't taste good and is often just as unhealthy as fast-foods. That needs to change. An initiative here in Los Angeles has been to get the LAUSD to offer a salad bar and more healthy options.

Why not try to do healthier options in schools all over? Don't contribute to the overwhelming profits big companies like McDonalds and Burger King obtain!

It is bad enough that 16-17% of children are obese, some ten year olds weighing as much as 200 pounds. But now, you can't even argue that schools are helping...they're not! They are conspiring with these companies by even acknowledging their existence. Let alone offering them up as a reward.

Maybe as a reward, offer instead coupons to an amusement park or a movie theater, or offer as a reward for 4 honor rolls over the whole year, a field trip to the zoo or Disney World, (obviously this one can't apply all over the country), or some other local fair. Offer a treat that is not food. If people always look to food as rewards then they start to use it as an emotion squelcher.

Don't even get me started on how often food is used to numb emotion and sadness, anger, pain, and depression.

But, if we are trying to, as parents, teach children healthy eating and healthy living, why then would a school offer a reward of a free McDonald's Happy Meal or even food in general? Yes, it is the responsibility of the parent to say to their child, sure we can go to McDonald's for your reward, but why should a child have the idea put into their head to begin with? Override their parents parenting?

I am offended at the idea of rewarding children with food that is known to be unhealthy. We really need a governmental, lobbyist, school system overhaul.

Separate fast-food from state. Seriously.

The Malnourished Obese

2008-02-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

You're probably thinking to yourself, how can someone who is obese be malnourished? Isn't that an oxymoronic statement?

When you think of malnourishment, you likely have a picture in your mind of gaunt marasmic children in subsaharan Africa, and certainly they are malnourished, they are undernourished. When you look at an overweight or obese person however, you see they have plenty of fat stores, plenty of reserves, plenty of "nutrition."

Still, there is another term called overnutrition, and overnutrition is malnutrition.

The foods that the majority of people are eating are dead foods. Of course their dead! People don't usually eat the leg off of a living chicken. But, the nutrients that are in the foods they are eating are either non-existent, or are so processed as to be unrecognizable.

I'm about to start reading the book "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. The premise being that we don't eat what comes out of the earth anymore. We manipulate it, taking all the nutritional benefit out of it and replacing with lab-isolated shadows of its original content.

As an example. When wheat is pulled from the earth, its outer husk is full of bran (fiber), B-vitamins such as folate, B12, niacin, etc, and very healthy monounsaturated fats. Yet, there are numerous elements, nutrients, and chemicals that have not yet been isolated or discovered. These undiscovered wonders contribute to the overall health of that plant in a syngergistic manner.

When the husk is taken off, and the wheat is hulled and bleached, and turned into white flour, it is only a small fraction of its former self. Nutrients, vitamins, are added back in fortification. So, essentially, we are eating nutrients.

We no longer look at food in a holistic fasion. Rather what we see and what we eat are nutrients. Nutrients. Nutrients. You see a claim on a box of cereal, full of vitamins and minerals, it's practically a multivitamin and of itself. Is that the way that raw ingredient came out of the ground? No...

Basically, in our country, the majority 2/3 of people are feeding themselves nutrient lacking foods with a very high caloric density. Therefore, they may look well-nourished, but take on look at their biochemical assays, their laboratory tests, and they are deficient, malnourished in many areas.

Don't judge a book by its cover, especially when looking at people. Our nation's people, may in fact, be just as malnourished as those in Subsaharan Africa, and I know that is an extremely strong statement. While they die of infectious disease over there, we die of chronic disease over here. Both are diseases that are exacerbated by diet.

Once I finish reading "In Defense of Food," I will be sure to post my thoughts.

In the meantime, I continue my work in designing public health proposals for improving our country's health status and food supply. An ongoing process. One which I look forward to discovering and sharing with the public.

Also, on a side-note, I will now be the cardiac dietitian/heart transplant dietitian at UCLA medical center...leaving my post as the general medicine dietitian after 2 years and 8 months. This will be interesting...

Refusing to serve

2008-02-10T07:27:00.000-08:00

Last night at dinner with some friends, I heard about Louisiana's debates over whether or not McDonalds should be able to refuse to serve food to the overweight and obese.

While it's a novel idea, I don't think it is a good one. I believe it's a bandaid on the true problem of obesity. Besides, how do you think this rule would be enforced? It likely wouldn't be. There would be mass hysteria, riots, and who knows what else.

I do however believe that the government should be regulating what types of foods can and should be served in fast-food restaurants such as McDonalds or Burger King, Subway, or Quiznos, to name a few.

You've heard me talk about these issues before.

Our healthcare system is in a crises. Type II diabetes is running rampant. What used to be an adult disease is now being growing in the population under 15, even under 10. I walk around the streets on my way to work, I see little kids (or not so little kids) whining to their mothers about wanting candy or ice cream, or Burger King. I see parents giving in, I see parents eating donuts and then finishing whatever their child does not.

I see massive health problems.

Working in a hospital, I see patients all the time who have multiple medical problems. Diabetes, if not well managed can lead to End Stage Diabetes, and believe it or not, you can die from this. Your kidneys shut down from diabetic nephropathy, you develop renal failure, if it carries on long enough End Stage Renal Failure, leading to dialysis. Eventually dialysis isn't even enough.

Diabetes can lead to blindness through retinopathy, where the blood vessels in the eye get destroyed from lack of oxygen because the blood is saturated with glucose. When this occurs often enough, eye tissue scars and retina can detach from the viscera of the eye.

Finally there is peripheral neuropathy, the nerves in your legs, feet, arms, fingers, they too die from damage. If this happens you go numb, you don't feel pain if you were to injure your feet for example, the injury worsens, skin can break down, and your body cannot repair itself, again, due to lack of oxygen. When this occurs, you can lose fingers and toes, and feet.

I once had a patient who had such severe diabetes, he had to have both his legs amputated above the knee, was blind, and was dialysis dependent. How did he get here?

Eating habits are at least in part to blame.

This is why I know that having teenage employees working at McDonalds telling a customer he or she cannot order food at their restaurant will never work. Mass chaos would ensue.

Instead, it is high time that the government take action. Action to alter the food environment in which we live.

The government I believe needs to regulate what foods can be produced. Rather than taking money and "research" from lobbyists who work for big business, it is high time that the government really look itself in the eye and say, "It is time for change."

As usual, my soapbox is, the "Fat Tax." Please re-read that post for a review. http://dietarydramasanddrivels.blogspot.com/2006/08/my-soap-boxyou-heard-it-here-first.html

So, while I applaud Louisiana in their desire to avert a continued obesity crisis, I think they would be better to institute a very high tax (embargo of sorts) on the unhealthy foods, so high that it becomes rather un-affordable, and subsidize healthy foods with that money, therey making it affordable, desirable, and the way of the future.

Locavore

2008-02-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

Loca-who, you may be asking?

Well, a locavore is someone who consumes foods that are locally grown, foods that didn't have to travel more than say 50 miles from where they were grown to where they were sold.

To be a locavore in this day in age, you either have to live on a farm, live near a farm, or have a farmer's market near you.

You've heard me talk in the past about the wonderful attributes of farmers markets, the delicious sweet fruit and vegetables, the succulentness and bounty of what there is to offer, and of course, the friendly helpfulness of the growers who are there to answer questions about how they grew their fruit and vegetables.

In no other setting can you learn so much about what you are putting in your mouth. You go to the grocery store, all you learn is, "my apples are from australia, or my grapes of chile." Granted, I don't actually if grapes can be grown in chile, but that's not my point.

In a world where it is critical for us to be greener for the sake of the planet, we must eat greener too. If we are shipping food from 1/2 way around the world so that we can eat them any time of year, we are not observing a green eating habit. We are squandering so many resources to have that food brought here, and I guarantee you, it doesn't taste all that fresh anymore.

By eating locally, you know that the food was likely picked that day, at it's peak of fresheness. You can learn that perhaps a farm has not yet been certified organic, but their practices of growing are organic, if not better than organic.

But, best of all, you're saving the world a lot of fossil fuels to transport the fruit and vegetables, you're saving the world a lot of wasted time, and you might even make some friends in the process and find better produce.

Locavore, it's worth it to eat green and to eat local.

It's Never too Late, to Lose the Weight

2008-02-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

As I sat in spinning class this morning, you know, the indoor cycling class, I noticed some old faces I hadn't seen in a while. Mind you most of these people were not new to the class, but some of them had babies 3 months ago, or occasionally slept in. Some are even in their 60s.

Hell, the instructor is even 42! Though, she doesn't look a day over 32.

But, my point is, we also have some new people in the class, some are 20, some 30, some probably even 50 or 60, and they're there to better themselves and their health.

It is never to late to lose the weight and become healthy...it is never too late to start on a good path. The longer you stay on the bad path, the worse your health will be.

With that in mind, as I was eating my breakfast this morning, eggs, kashi go lean cereal, and silk no sugar added (green) soy milk, I thought to myself, this was a yummy breakfast with tons of protein, fiber, and healthy carbohydrate. I'm doing my body good. I've already worked out, I'm eating a good balanced meal, and then I'm set for the day!

I try to make at least one meal vegetarian every day. I usually have tofu for lunch, and either fish or chicken for dinner. But for the whole, my meals make me feel good, make me feel clean and healthy. Not weighed down by the grease, or salt that is used to "make food taste good."

If food is good for you, it doesn't need all those extra fillers to try. Trust me.

Anyway, I just wanted to post a positive message for anyone who does think it's too late to be healthy...

It's Never too Late, to Lose the Weight.

Hostess, does not a healthy lunch make

2008-02-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

Today, as I sit in the break room at work, watching those around me eat lunch as I eat, I notice several people pulling out a cinnamon bun, or a cupcake, or some other sugary sweet food.

I then take a brief view of the persons pulling said foods out of their lunch sacks/trays/bags. The vast majority of these people are overweight if not obese.

I think to myself, how can someone who is that overweight eat something that provides them absolutely no nutritional value? Something that will spike up their blood sugars and then leave them feeling hungier, and more lethargic than before they ate it?

I find it sad that people believe by eating sugar they will feel better. It is either the marketing of these companies that make these "edibles" so appealing, the lack of knowledge from those who eat these items, or just the whole giving into our "need" to feel good, and sugar, makes us feel good, for a few minutes...right?

Well, I cannot believe it is a pure lack of knowledge, I have to believe that people know what they're eating is not good for themselves, nor their wastelines. I have to believe that if it doesn't look remotely like something that might come out of the ground, there is something in the brain that would trigger one to believe this isn't somethning we should be eating.

Yet, I still find it remarkable how the human mind can play tricks on people, telling them, just eat me, just eat me...i'll make you feel better.

Perhaps it's the quick fix notion of "i want to feel better now" that has allowed such a vast majority of people to turn down the road of overweight and obesity. Perhaps it is the "i don't want to cook and use time" mentality that has turned us down the road of overweight and obesity. Or perhaps it is just like being a kid in a candy-store. When you want it, you want it now. Consumerism and disposability at its best.

We live in a rich nation, why not make our nutrition rich, not just the pockets of the food companies.

The Thin Minority

2008-02-03T22:02:00.001-08:00

This weekend I travelled to Salt Lake City, UT to go cross country skiing and snow-shoeing. I have to say, I was impressed by the "slim" appearing Utah-ians. In a country where the girth is ever growing, I feel that I am a part of a decreasing minority.

With 2/3 of the population overweight or obese, with 75% expected by the year 2015, I am in fact the face of the minority.

Will people some day start to point in my direction and laugh because i'm thin? Will kids start taunting the thin students in class?

Why is that to be accepted you should be part of a majority? I feel it is a crime on humanity to show plus size models as a healthy image. They may be healthy, and their plus size may be considered in the overweight range...but, by propagating this image, I fear we are saying, "it's ok to be fat, it's ok to be unhealthy."

Perhaps I go to far as to equate fat with unhealthy, you can be fat and fit, you can be thin and unfit, but all too often in this developed country, fat does equal unhealthy and unfit.

People have forgotten what food is, and I don't mean the crispy things that are hermetically sealed inside of boxes, each containing 100 calories...I mean, people have forgotten how to cook, how to eat, what fruit and vegetables are, and what they should taste like in their natural form.

I plan to start posting again, more frequently, on what food really is. I want to discuss the "real food diet." I hope you have qusetions and will send them my way.

I want to re-teach people how their bodies want them to eat for health.

With that...my last thought is...don't let my minority dwindle to nothing.

Excuse me sir...there's a bug on my plate.

2008-01-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

So, I realize it's been an awfully long long time since I last wrote a blog...so here we go.

Remember how it all started? I wrote about my eating adventures and mishaps, hence the dietary dramas and drivels? Well, anyway, the other night, my boyfriend, myself, and another couple went to this interesting restaurant at the Santa Monica airport, called Typhoon.

Needless to say, the food was delicious, but I could not get myself to try one dish that was ordered...the crickets.

The plate came, and on it sat probably 100 crickets mixed with a fried potato hash or sorts...now, my boyfriend and the other couple kept on trying to convince me that the crickets tasted like french fried potatoes, but the sight of crickets on the plate was just rather overwhelming, and I was not a fan of them there.

Had this been any other restaurant, we would be calling a waiter over to complain about the fact that there was a bug in our food. At this restaurant, the bug was the food. Ironic?

Anyway, it was a very fun night, lots of good food, i'm sure lots of good crickets, but I for one will never know because I did not try them even after being cajolled, pressured (in a nice way), and asked. I held firm to my beliefs, I did not give in...and I'm still terrified of crickets. If I never see a cricket again, it will be fine.

Anyways, happy eating...send me questions if you have any! I'm looking for topics to write on!

Freak Out!! It's the holidays!...

2007-11-19T19:37:00.000-08:00

Alright, well, please, don't really freak out. It is an oddity however that it seems to me as though everyone starts freaking out that it's the holidays and that they'll pack on tons of pounds.

My spinning instructor keeps reminding us that we're all going to gain 10 pounds at Thanksgiving and the other holidays if we don't keep working out.

While I applaud her desire to work out and to inspire us to workout, I am a little tired of hearing we'll all gain 10 pounds. You know what? I have never ever gained 10 pounds during the holidays. I have never even gained 5...in fact, I occasionally lose weight during the holidays.

Huh?

I know you're thinking I must be completely the opposite of normal, I probably am...but there are things you can do to thwart the holiday weight gain.

1) substitute lower-calorie foods for the high fat ones...you certainly don't need to rub a delicious turkey with a whole stick of butter, nor do you need to create desserts that are nothing but fat and sugar masked as the most fattening pumpking pie in the world.

Instead...why not roast a turkey and use chicken stock to baste it with...or substitute mashed bananas for the fat and sugar in your pumpkin pie recipe...I promise you it tastes just as good.

2) Walk, bike, or get active. There's no reason to just sit on your behind all day after Thanksgiving and enter the infamous food coma. Instead, why not eat a small breakfast and have a later lunch in the 3-4 range which is your Thanksgiving meal. In the meantime, go for a family walk or bike ride while the turkey is cooking, or go after the meal, after your food has digested some. I promise you, it's worth it.

These are just two easy ways to prevent weight gain during the holidays, encourage yourself to get into a healthy lifestyle, perhaps even lose weight, and by all means, avoid waiting until Jan.1 to start your healthy new year...why not make the healthy year start tomorrow??

With that said...have a great, healthy, delicious, and thankful Thanksgiving.

The Human Powered T.V.

2007-11-01T05:24:00.000-07:00

I was thinking the other night, wouldn't it be interesting if we had to supply the power to feed our t.v. habit? I wonder if we did if people would desire to watch less? Or if they didn't want to watch less, I could almost guarantee you, they'd be skinny minnie people.

This is the concept...attach a bicycle or a stairmaster or whatever your favorite workout machine is to the power supply of the t.v. Then, the energy you expell riding your bike would generate electricity much like water and a turbine would.

This energy would then allow you to watch t.v. for as long as you like, so long as you're still moving. Do away with idle t.v. watching that makes us fatter and more stationary. If you want to watch t.v. at least exercise and burn calories while doing so!

No more excuses for "I don't have time to exercise." Many people spend upwards of 2, 3, even 4 hours a day in front of the t.v.

I say, you want to watch t.v.? Great...but you have to move to keep it going...you have time to exercise now! Sometimes I love my ideas...now if only I could figure out how to do this.

Any thoughts?

I'm quoted on Ediets.com !!

2007-10-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

Check it out...I've been quoted on Ediets.com, read it!

http://www.ediets.com/news/article.cfm?code=24426&cmi=2429963

Go further...faster

2007-10-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

So I just read an article about the obesity epidemic in England. By the year 2050 they estimate 60% of men, 50% of women and 25% of children will be obese. Something must be done about it.

Same in this country, perhaps only worse. It is a function of the fact that our bodies were made for hunting-gathering type lives...Constantly moving and on the go, having the capability to store calories in the form of fat for when food was not available.

Well, basically we live a society where we no longer need to store calories as fat since we hardly move or expend any energy...

I am an oddity in L.A. I not only only go to the gym daily, but I walk to work every day. I live close enough that I don't need a car to get around and walk to and from work every day, rain or shine, cold or hot. I also don't gorge myself with unhealthy food. I may have treats from time to time, but otherwise it's healthy eating.

So, what are we to do? So far, policy has looked at educating the public, encouraging them to make healthier choices, putting decisions in their hands.

Believe me, I believe in autonomy and self-discipline and the need to be competent to make health choices for yourself. But...I also think the situation has become so dire that not only are obese people paying for it, but we healthy people are paying for it too in healthcare dollars.

Just because we don't have socialized medicine, we're paying way more than we would if we did...We pay high insurance rates, taxes for medicare, and much much more.

So, I think it's time the government step in with regulations. People cannot do it alone. There needs to be some sort of agency that sets strict rules about what products food companies can make.

You know what? I'm sure my ideas are not going to be popular, I'm sure that they'll never happen because they're far too radical, but I am of the belief that people need this. I'm tired of seeing sick people in the hospital who if various foods had never been invented, designed to become addictive and alter our minds would be healthy, living long productive lives...instead, they keep eating junk because they're mental capacity has declined so far it's all they know to eat. Perhaps I'm not giving people enough credit, they're choosing these foods, but sometimes I don't know if they are.

Soometimes I think people eat what they eat because it's what is available, it's what they can afford, it's what the government is subsidizing.

Well, you know what? It's time the government stop subsidizing corn, and milk, and soy beans, and subsidize organic farms, whole fruits and vegetables and enforce regulations that companies can no long produce crap foods.

It's not popular, but it must be done, or else people will continue to die slow, painful, uncomfortable, and expensive deaths.

Finger Food

2007-10-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

I ate lunch yesterday (Sunday) at an Ethiopian restaurant in Little Ethiopia in Los Angeles. The interesting thing about ethiopian food is that it is meant to be eaten with your hands. You do not receive serving utensils or much in the way of dishware or flatware.

They bring out a large plate of food, the plate itself about the size of the table. We of course went with another couple, so there were four of us together. They then bring out this very spongy, airy, light bread-like substance, almost like a pancake, where you rip off pieces, and use it to scoop up food and eat.

Very much a finger-food type of meal.

Anyway, lentils served up every which way, full of spices, doro-wot which is a chicken dish, and potatoes and carrots made up the bulk of the food items. They are very healthy, but at the same time, very heavy and very filling.

Anyway, this was a fun experience, one I would do again, but perhaps I need to learn the art of being cleaner about it...my napkin was dirty by the time I was done. Meanwhile, the other couple had impeccably clean napkins...I just don't get it!

All American...

2007-09-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

So, I learned something interesting this past weekend. According to my boyfriend, nearly all red-blooded American men have a grill, know how to grill, or desire to grill at any moment.

Well, I would like to be the first to say...I think grilling is a spectacularly healthy and delicious way to pack both a charry, depth of flavor while minimizing fat and thereby keeping your meal low-fat and low-calorie.

We made shish-kebobs this past weekend. Dark meat chicken for him, white meat chicken for me. Peppers, onions, and zucchini.

We marinated the chicken for several hours in a greek yogurt, garlic and citrus sauce. Homemade of course with fat-free greek yogurt and fresh lime juice, zest, and garlic. We then skewered up our delights, took them to the grill, he of course doing the grilling while I was enjoying the pool nearby.

We then took a taste, and WOW...flavor galore. No added fat! I'm telling you people, this is one great way to enjoy a meal.

With that...I bid you all to be red-blooded Americans and buy yourself a grill, or borrow one.

Cheers!

Like a Kid in a Candy Store...

2007-08-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Huh? Candy store? Dietitian? Something is not making sense, right?

Well, let me start out by saying, this is no ordinary candy store...but it is as colorful, as vibrant, as fun, and as delicious.

I am referring Farmer's Markets. (Ahh, now it begins to make sense).

This past weekend while visiting the Santa Monica promenade, the gorgeous, vivacious, and delicious farmer's market happened to be present. I was walking the streets with my boyfriend's family, and we were looking through various windows and stores, and mind you, I dislike shopping, so I was starting to get a little worn out from that.

crossing Santa Monica Blvd from 3rd street Promenade all of a sudden I see..."Santa Monica Farmer's Market", and I"m not joking when I tell you I literally jumped 5 feet in the air and lit up like a light-bulb after a long dark night. I went from tired, to so excited I turned into a child, entering her candy store.

I said to my boyfriend at one point..."Wow...a dietitian's dream!"

This has not been the first farmer's market I've ever been to, but it was a large one, and it seemed like every third kiosk had free samples of some of the sweetest most delicious fruit and vegetables you have ever tasted.

In fact, after one sample of a mouth-watering peach, I started to say..."Oh my g-" and the man who offered me that piece of fruit yelled out to the crowd..."From her own mouth, we have an Oh my G-d, you hear it here first folks, a testament!", and it's true! It really was worthy of my effusive commentary.

Now I remember why I so enjoy eating fresh fruit and vegetables straight off the farm as opposed to those that have been sitting in store warehouses for weeks. The intense sweetness, juiciness, and freshness of the fruit at the farmer's markets was just so powerful that you knew whatever you were eating HAD to be good for you.

No piece of candy (save for chocolate) can ever replace the satiating power of a ripe yellow-red peach that oozes with flavor.

There had been an initiative in LA county to provide Food stamp coupons that could be used at the farmer's markets...the families who used these incentives ate much healthier well-rounded diets with more variety, ate seasonally, and had the best vitamin and mineral intake of any family in that social class. Here was proof in the proverbial pudding that this type of program can work.

I urge the government to subsidize farmers markets and make the more readily available, with fruit and vegetables that are affordable, because you know what?

Nothing tastes as good as health, unless perhaps...it's farmer's market fruit and vegetables.

Sicko...

2007-07-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

So, a couple weeks ago I went to go see Michael Moore's movie, "Sicko."

I had heard good things about it, and well, after Fahrenheit 9/11, how could I not want to see his movie? That was a great movie, and this is a better movie even.

The thing about the movie Sicko is...I work in the medical field, I work at the 3rd best hospital in the United States, and I see patients that at times, for one reason or another are denied coverage by their health insurance companies for life-saving surgeries, such as a heart or lung transplant. These patients are basically sent home to die because they cannot receive the care they need long-term.

Why should health insurance companies, businesses, be telling doctors who know health care, what they can and cannot do? What kind of a sick country do we live in where this is deemed OK?

Why is it that hard working single-parents sometimes can't get health insurance, and their children suffer, or that they can't get the basic preventive care that would in the end save everyone dollars? None of this makes sense! (sorry for the pun).

I think, if we just stepped back, saw the movie Sicko, and let it tell its story, far better than I can do in this snippet blog, I think everyone, like myself, would walk away rethinking everything they o nce thought to be true.

Granted, I walked in agreeing with Michael Moore, and already knowing a lot of what he was going to discuss in the movie, but when I walked out, I was crying, I was sad, and I was furious.

I'm one of the lucky people who has health insurance...I feel so grateful for that.

On a different note:

My great uncle, Albert Ellis died this morning, he invented REBT psychotherapy, and was an amazing historical figure, I got to know. His legacy will live on. But, I wanted to point out what his wife said about loving Albert, and I think it's a very important lesson and take-home message for everyone.

Debbie Joffe Ellis on Al

It is very hard for me to find words that adequately describe the strength and solidity of the relationship between Al and I – it seems strange that finding apt expression for something so natural and real is difficult to do.

I suppose I have an aversion to limiting greatness, and for a force as powerful as our love – words may be inadequate. Well – I’ll do the best I can for now …….

As Al said, we have tremendous love and respect for one another. Our values and beliefs are, with very few exceptions, the same. Both of us care more about helping others and contributing to others than in material gain.

We both enjoy the funny side of things, and I love Al’s humor. I enjoy his cheerfulness – Al essentially has a very happy nature, and I also greatly enjoy his brilliance, his warmth, his compassion and his care towards me and for others.

We truly listen to one another – and if we differ or disagree about anything , which happens only rarely , neither of us is interested in putting the other one down. Neither of us wants to be right in order to make the other one wrong. We really think about how we contributed to the situation, and each of us wholeheartedly works on him/herself and takes responsibility for however we may have contributed to the disagreement.
We don’t damn or abuse the other one. Even when we don’t like something they said or did. If any effort is required to ease difficulties – each of us wholeheartedly and unquestionably makes that effort.

There is a natural rapport and connection between us, a strong attraction that has not lessened over time, and for me – if anything – gets stronger.

We both are passionate by nature, with strong willpower, and the ability to commit-to and persist-with anything we put our minds and hearts to.

We enjoy each other. Just being together in the same room – Al doing his work, I doing mine – there is pleasure in just being together. Talking, working, reading, touching, relaxing – or none of the above - we simply love being together.

I love looking at Al – enjoying his handsomeness, his beautiful hands and the elegant way they express, his absorption in his writing, the dreamy way he gazes upwards at times whilst he is thinking of the next sentence to write, or the way he holds his pen in his mouth whilst he uses his hands to busily turn pages or reach for notes, and he way he smiles at me.

I love his sweetness, his outrageousness, his daring, his brutal honesty. I would say that I absolutely love the majority of Al’s qualities and characteristics.

His determination inspires me. Even when he is not feeling too well, he pushes himself to do his work to which he is greatly dedicated. At the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference, held at Aneheim, California in December, 2005, very few people knew that he was suffering from agonizing back pain. He gave 8 major presentations, and 2 presentations which were spontaneously arranged, presenting brilliantly and receiving heartfelt standing ovations. He never complained about his suffering.

His courage is remarkable. At the time of writing this, there is a brutal situation at the Institute that bears Al’s name, with much bad behavior against Al and me. This has been going on since late 2004. To watch how consistently Al practices his philosophy, to see how he endures the situation with dignity and acceptance, whilst still spending hours of his precious time making effort to fight the injustice, is a great privilege.
Another area in which Al’s outstanding courage is seen is that of the physical ailments which he copes with stoically and bravely. Nearly 3 years ago he had his large intestine surgically removed due to massive infection there, and now has an ileostomy bag. He is a brittle diabetic, he has painful arthritis, hearing difficulties – but never does he waste time on self-pity or complaint.

Al is a person of such deep humanity, integrity and authenticity. My mind, heart and spirit feel fulfilled when I am with him.

Time does not bring complacency – my fulfillment grows deeper and I feel fortunate each day of my life to be with him.

Some people may wonder about our age difference – me in my 40’s, Al his early 90’s. To me Al is not, has never been, an age. I don’t think of him as an older man, or of me as a younger woman. To me he is the vital magnificent man I love. That’s it.

Others wonder what it is like to be with someone so famous. Whilst I of course acknowledge his fame, and am in awe of the massive contribution he has made and continues to make to countless people, I don’t think to myself - “I am with a famous person”. Fame doesn’t mean much to me – it’s fleeting – can come and go – so what.It is not his fame that excites me – it’s the character of the man, and his uplifting and ongoing contributions. But even without these contributions – I’d love him just as much.

I love his humility, his lack of ego, and his way of doing the thing that represents his truth, rather than doing that which will make him more popular.

When people attack Al and/or his views, usually defensively because they don’t like the truths Al reveals, Al tolerates their view, but will not change himself just to appease them. Al is THE most honest person I know.
Al is misunderstood by some who wrongly judge his colorful (at times) language and humor, his daring and audacity. Al graciously tolerates these people too.

There are days, at this present time of dispute with the Albert Ellis Institute, where the circumstances are very brutal and difficult. Real concerns abound. And yet we still regularly feel fortunate.
We still have life and the will to keep fighting for justice, and in addition to that, we feel fortunate to be together. Even during the really dark days. We feel grateful grateful grateful for one another.

So – hopefully in these words I have revealed some of the aspects that contribute to our unusually strong closeness –

Love

Respect

Shared Values

Gratitude

Enjoyment

Cherishing

Being

~Debbie Joffe Ellis~

2007-07-07T06:13:00.000-07:00

But...There's nothing to eat!

what a dilemna. Have you ever walked into your closet which is most likely overstuffed and overfilled with clothes and have literally said to yourself...hmmm, I have absolutely nothing to wear! It's not only an ironic statement, but beyond that, it's a ludicrous statement.

We as American and other industrialized people are saying the same things about our food.

We have grocery stores and food marts, restaurants, and even our own kitchens, stuffed to the brim with food and foodstuffs, and yet, when it is time to eat, we either usually revert back to the same old standby, or we look at the offerings and say, wow, there's nothing to eat!

How is this possible?

How did we go from a nation which valued a big hearty breakfast, but had little knowledge, and little chronic disease to one that is scared to eat, doesn't know what to eat, or how to eat, and yet, there's so much more knowledge available to us now than there was in the past? How is this possible?

Where did the messages fail?

Where did we go wrong in educating or developing technology? And what can now be done about it?

We now live in a food environment that is poisoning our bodies, and not in an "immediate" sense that it would be if we drank some arsenic, but the food we eat which is full of additives, flavor enhancers, chemicals, hormones, and has been changed, warped, and metamorphosed into a completely new form is in fact...poisoning out bodies.

Every day we are putting toxic substances into our body, and these substances do not go away slowly, they are stored in fat, they contribute to heart disease, they poison our cells with too much sugar and other chemicals that do not belong.

So, what is there to do about it?

Eat close to the earth, eat like a hunter-gatherer, urge your congressmen to demand healthier food supplies with regulations against big agro-business that they cannot poison our foods with unhealthy fats, sugars, and chemicals just to make money.

I can't promise you, but I'll bet, the makers of these foodstuffs don't eat the food themselves, because they know it is unhealthy, they probably sit at home eating organic foods and laughing at the fact that we make them rich by eating their foods.

Sure, they're not maliciously saying, hmmm, let's hurt people, but they are saying, I don't really care what's in the food (until it's popular, such as "new whole grain General Mills" unless it helps sales, and let me tell you), they just want it to sell.

So, the sad part is...we have more knowledge, more food, and more access and availability to find out good inforamtion...yet...there's nothing to eat!

Procastination Inspiration

2007-06-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

So, it is June 10, officially it's been nearly 2 months since I last wrote something, and I don't think that's good...so, today, the last day before I take my last final exam for my master's, I wanted to procrastinate and write a new blog...I was as you can read by the title...inspired.

What has got me so inspired? Other than the desire to procrastinate and occupy what little time I have left? None other than..."The Biggest Loser"

Mind you, I am not a reality show buff, nor do I usually even like them...but about a week ago, after a long day of work, I came home and was watching a little t.v. flipping channels, bored. Then along came reruns of the show "The Biggest Loser."

What caught my attention most about the show was how emotional and inspired I felt from it.

The two trainers, Bob Harper and Kim Lyons were talking to their teams, the blue and the red respectively...telling them they could do it, look how far they had come from where they started, giving them insightful tips and just words of encouragement.

I was in awe of their words.

Then came the weigh-ins. They showed before pictures of all the contestants, where they were on day 1, and where they were now, the transformation is just so dramatic, but then again, they are exercising fanatically, they are eating healthfully, and so, as one would expect, after reading my previous posts on nutrition, they were losing weight, but they were doing so in healthy ways.

One show that caught my attention was one where this couple, it was the battle of the engaged couples, started off and together weighed over 500 pounds (if I recall correctly). They could barely walk up a flight of stairs.

Anyway, by the last show, a few months later, together they had lost over 200 pounds, they lost ~45% of themselves! They looked better, they felt better, they had better sex lives, they had better emotional connections, and perhaps even more importantly, they had taken control of their lives and were healthy.

They could now run marathons, fast paced, knew what to eat, they in fact, were ready to go out and inspire and motivate others...

They were also of course, ready to get married!

I will say, watching this show has re-inspired me to make my dreams come true, to continue my quest to help others eat healthfully and exercise, and for someone who doesn't like reality shows, I HIGHLY recommend this one to anyone who ever felt like they didn't know if they could do something that they wanted to do.

You can do it, mind over matter, if you want it, you CAN and WILL succeed.

With that, I continue to bid you happy and healthy eating, cooking, living, exercising, and love.

Question of the week

2007-04-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I've done a question of the day, week, month, or year...so here goes:

How do you best maintain a wt loss? Diet? no diet? What do you do???

You've probably heard over and over that “diets do not work.” One of the major reasons diets do not work is that they are a short term quick-fix to a long-term long time in-the-making problem!

You did not put on the weight overnight, perhaps as slowly as 3-4 pounds per year, but after 10 years, it is easy to easy why someone could potentially be 30-40 pounds overweight or more at that point. It is a slow process that is based on learned eating habits, habits that are not easy to break. By going on a “diet”, you’re asking your body to try and lose a certain amount of weight in perhaps an unrealistic amount of time.

If your body likes “its set point” it won’t want to give up those pounds without giving up something else as well, that could be a slow-down of your metabolism, or hunger pains, or cravings.

Unless you are willing to change your lifestyle habits, and learn new behaviors that you will permanently stick with, it’s going to be extremely difficult for your body to maintain that weight loss. If you go on the diet, you're saying “I’m only going to do this short term” and go back to the way I was eating before I went on the diet. Therefore, when you go off the diet, you should expect to also have your weight go back up to where it was before you went on the diet.

It is true, there have been some diets that have proven to be “effective” at weight loss, The Zone, Weight-watchers, Atkins, anything that forces you to watch what you're eating, eat less, and cut out specific foods. On many of these diets, if you follow these people out several years past the diet, they end up where they were or worse off, many of these popular diets don’t mention that fact, otherwise, why would they be popular or sell??

However, I think certain popular diets have gained more favor with the public over time, and others have had to revamp themselves to receive more notice in an ever changing fast world.

I once had someone say to me they went on the ELF diet and the EM plan. When I asked what they were, he said…”the Eat Less Food diet and the Exercise More plan.” I thought it was pretty funny when I heard that.

The ELF EM plan. It makes sense, if you eat less food overall, “ and move your body more, (too many people are far to sedentary), then you will burn more calories than you take in! That’s what it boils down to, energy in minus energy out.

Eat more than you burn you gain weight, eat less, you lose it. So, if you want to lose weight and maintain that loss on a long-term basis, the best thing you can do for yourself, is: start by eating less, get your doctor’s approval for exercise and start slow. Even if you ate 100 calories a day less by leaving a few bites at each meal and burned 100 calories extra a day by walking even one mile, you’d have a deficit of 200 calories a day, and you would lose 2 pounds a month. Ramp that up, eat 200 calories less a day and walk 2 miles ~200 calories, you’ll burn 4 pounds a month! It’s about doing the math.

I would say though, that anything more than 1-2 (max) pounds a week of weight loss, you will have a much more difficult time maintaining that loss, simply because your body gets too uncomfortable with the change in the status quo. If you do it slowly, your body has time to adapt to the changes and then you can not only lose weight, but maintain it.

Eating Disorders: Silent Sad Suffering

2007-04-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

Never in my professional life as a dietitian have I seen such a silent, sad, suffering disease as that of anorexia nervosa. This is truly an all-consuming mental and emotional disease that not only consumes the person who it attacks but also everyone he or she comes into contact with.

The problem with anorexia nervosa is that it is not a loud disease, it is not an acute disease, one which brings you into the hospital quickly like appendicitis might, nor is it necessarily immediately obvious that someone has this disease. It is he exact opposite of obesity, and it too can be a killer.

I currently have a patient at the hospital, she is 5'1" and she entered weighing a miniscule 55 pounds, or approximately 52-53% of her Ideal Body Weight.

She is 20 years old.

What you don't see when you walk into her room is a happy go-lucky girl, what you won't see is a smile, what you won't see is color or joy.

No, what you will see when you walk into her room is a girl who says she is 20 years old yet appears as though she is 100. Her eyes look far larger than should be "humanly" allowed, eyes that stare at you longingly and fearfully.

As the dietitian, to her I am both the devil and best friend.

I am the one person in the hospital who can sympathize with her desire to know how many calories are in various foods, how much fat, and how much salt. I am the one person who understands how to put a meal plan together, and for that I am her best friend.

Yet, I am also the devil, because to her I represent everything she does not want. She knows I can recommend to doctors that she be forced to eat at least 300 calories per meal for a grand total of 900 calories a day, or that if she can't, then I can devise a plan to feed her through an IV the calories she so desperately needs before her body decides to end its life completely.

What she sees when she looks in a mirror is a "fat" girl, someone who if she eats is not perfect, is not loveable, and is a failure. She sees someone who needs to lose ALL weight. I have never seen anyone so afraid of a calorie, of a grape, of life-providing water.

What I have is a girl before me, refusing to drink even 1 cup of water, because she knows if she does and steps on the scale, she'll have "gained" weight.

While most of us could eat or drink 50 calories, about the equivalent of 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of grapes, or 1/2 cup of applesauce in a matter of seconds, could take her all day, a full 12-24 hours to eat or drink.

Now, I understand I have just described the worst of the worst of anorexic behavior, yet, it's a downward spiral.

Silent Sad Suffering.

This disease typically begins during purberty when a girl normally puts on a significant amount of weight because of hormonal surges and of course well, puberty. This is scary and if someone does not understand what is going on can become extremely devastating, what with the harsh words other kids and teenagers say.

So, to feel better, a boy or girl may decide to lose weight and begin to cut back on foods, food groups, or exercise a little more. For parents, it is hard to decipher normal teenage behavior from behaviors that slowly become more dangerous. Also, as a parent, what role should you have in determining what or how much your child is eating? These are difficult questions.

But, it is so devastatingly sad to walk into a room with a girl who is on the brink of death and cannot cognitively see that, all she can focus on is the number on the scale, the size of her wrists, the circumference of her thighs, and the image she sees in the mirror.

What happens when the number gets too low? Silent Sad Suffering, and eventually death.

Handy Healthy and Delicious recipes...

2007-03-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

Since I often get asked..."Dana, do you have any delicious, somewhat simple, definitely healthy and yummy recipes??" Well, since I love to cook, I do! Here are a few for you now!

Oh yeah, and some healthy nutrition tid-bits and mind-snack for you to ponder on:

Turkey Bean Chili/Stew:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion diced
1 cup shredded carrots
1 8-oz container sliced mushrooms
1 can chickpeas (low-sodium)—rinsed
1 can black beans (low-sodium)—rinsed
3 small cans diced no-salt added tomatoes
1 pound chopped skinless turkey breast.
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
3 cloves of chopped garlic.

Instructions:
· Over medium heat bring olive oil to temperature, add diced onion, carrots and mushrooms. Saute until browned.
· Next add chickpeas and black beans. Cook until any extra liquids are cooked off. This is not a pure science, so I cannot really give you good “times.”
· Add diced tomatoes, vinegar and sugar. Continue to cook until “boiling.” Once boiling turn heat down to low-medium and cook until stew begins to thicken.
· Finally, add chopped skinless turkey, stirring quickly so chunks of turkey form and spread throughout the entire dish.
· Add pepper to taste. I personally eschew the salt-shaker. Surprise yourself, you may like it as is without any salt added!

Note: If for some reason you find that bits of tomato or onion, or turkey are sticking to the pan, you may need to lower the heat, or realize that there’s sugars in the tomato, this can happen, and will lend a delicious flavor to your dish…mmmm.

This will give you several days worth of meals. I got about 4-5 generous servings out of this with about 400-500calories per serving depending on how many servings you make.

This can also double as a delicious “taco or tortilla” filling, just add a few more spices such as cumin, chili, or your favorite hot-sauce.

Taco/Tortilla, based on the above recipe:

Use above recipe, adding in cumin, coriander, chili spice, hot-sauce, or your other favorite taco seasonings. Buy whole-grain tortillas.

Chop some lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, avocado for guacamole, and buy yourself some low-fat sour cream or low-fat plain yogurt. You get 2 different types of meals for the price and time of one!!!

Twist on our favorite “Ants on a log”

2 stalks of celery
2 tablespoons of almond butter
2 tablespoons of dried currants
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed

Gives you fiber from flax and currants, fat from almond, protein from almond and flax, carbohydrate from currants, it’s a perfect balance of nutrients with a little twist. Plus, you get that much needed, healthy omega-3 fats from flax, and other healthy mono-unsaturated fats from the almond butter. This is truly a match made in delicious heaven.

Breakfast-to-go:

¾ cup rolled “old-fashioned” oats.
1 cup low-fat/skin milk, or soy-milk
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Up to 1 tablespoon brown sugar.
1 tablespoon ground flax-seed.

Instructions:
· In a to-go Tupperware type (microwave safe) container add the oats, milk or soy milk, and if you prefer a “soupier oatmeal, add water”. Add cinnamon and microwave on high for 2 minutes, watch for overflowing.
· Once out of microwave, add cranberries and walnuts, no need to stir until ready to eat. Add flax-seed, and sugar as desired.

This meal provides healthy whole-grains in the oats, protein in the milk, fiber in the flax seed, cranberries, and walnuts, and omega-3’s in the flax seed and walnuts. Perfectly balanced, quick and easy-to-go breakfast or snack.

Cinnamon is also known to have blood-sugar regulating effects.

So, there you have it...something to Whet and Wet your appetite and cooking gene!

Food and Fodder For Fantastic Flights (F^5)

2007-03-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

Inspired by a recent flying flurry and bitten by the "hunger-bug"...I decided again, with a little assistance from a little birdie, that I would write about healthy fodder for flying.

Given the still relatively ridiculous FAA rules, you cannot bring food in from outside, unless it is clearly solid, such as a sandwich.

So, the question begs...what is one to do whilest at the airport or on a plane, where they no longer give food on flights.

Here is a short laundry list of suggestions I have amalgamated along my recent travels of decently healthy fare:

1) Sandwiches--turkey breast, chicken breast, roast beef, any lean meat w/ vegetables, and if possible, no mayo.

2) "Granola"--let me clarify...not granola that is made up of entirely chocolate m&m's, coconut, and those "fake" yogurt bites which are nothing more than palm-kernal oil that has been hydrogrenated to make it even worse for you. Meaning...I would recommend, raisins, nuts, and other dried fruits...Just be careful not to overdo them...as the calories add up quickly.

3) Fruit--ahh the beauty and delicious sweetness of "natures candy." What more can you ask for?

4) Sushi anyone?--If there is a sushi stand, grab yourself some of this healthy balanced fare. It's got protein, carbohydrate, and fat all wrapped up in a beautiful nori package.

5) At the same sushi stand...try edamame--that's the green "pea" looking thing...deliciousness and "meal" in one little bean...eat 'em up!

6) Water/tea--antioxidants in tea, plus the hydrating power of water, can't beat that one-two punch. Make sure you buy it after you've gone through security though.

7) If all there is is a little pizza joint, aka "Sbarro", I'd recommend if possible a salad, they tend to have caesar salads in their cold cases,. Or at least a vegie pizza and several napkins to sop up the extra few teaspoons (aka 120 or so calories) of oil on each slice.

8) If it's just one of those "news" stations, again, I'd go with the prepackaged, no salt added trail mixes, water, and perhaps a low-fat crunchy granola bar. They tend to be rather filling, and because there are oats...they actually do have some fiber!

9) Finally, if all there is are fast food restaurants, ya know what i'm talking about...try your best and aim for a grilled chicken breast sandwich, or a small single burger. Forget the artery clogging fries.

It's for your own good, and the ever increasing prices we have to pay for the use of more fuel to go the same distance, because airlines are having to carry heavier planes with heavier people on them.

Anyway, good luck, and safe flights.

B.Y.O.L.

2007-02-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

Inspired by a recent conversation with my boyfriend, I'm writing about the virtues of: say it, "B.Y.O.L." also known as..."Bring your own lunch."

Why am I writing such a *cough* inspirational piece on the wonders of brown-bagging it? Well, because, lunch is 1/3 of your meal-time intake. Lunch is the mid-day meal, one where most of the time we "go out" to lunch, or buy lunch, or go for whatever happens to be in the nearest vending machine down the hall.

So, I encourage you to bring your lunch to work with you!

We spend approximately 40% of our waking hours on the job, and we need good food fast, generally something that will energize us, leave us feeling good, and tastes good too. We want something that is healthy for us, especially if we are trying to maintain our current weight, lose weight, or just be a little healthier.

By bringing your lunch with you to work you have control over that meal, and it will likely save you money as well.

When you go out to eat, you may typically spend 10 dollars. If you go for fast-food, sure, it will cost less, but the cost to your heart and waist line will surely be higher.

However, if you make your own lunches, and it doesn't have to be complicated or gourmet, then you know exactly what you are eating, what you are putting in your mouth, where it came from, how it was prepared, what ingredients it was prepared with, and best of all, there's nothing hidden it. You can't argue, well it was just a "sandwich" that the sandwich shoppe-man squeezed a 1/2 cup of mayonnaise on!

Rather, you can purchase lean cuts of meat, low-fat condiments which you can measure and use sparingly, the brand and type of bread you like and know that it is whole-grain.

Or you can prepare a salad and use your own dressings and know that they're good for you! Not a source of a hidden 800 calories.

So, I urge you to B.Y.O.L. Who knows, you may actually lose weight, feel better, look better, and best of all, impress others with your desire for a healthy lifestyle.

Cheers, best eating, and best brown-bagging!

Ultimate debate: Farmed v. Wild

2007-01-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

Is farm-raised fish any less healthy than wild? While there is much debate about this very subject, the reality is that farm-raised fish, especially salmon provides you with power-packed nutritional benefits, much like wild fish for a fraction of the price.

In a 2006 Harvard School of Public Health study, printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association (10/06), it was shown that the consumption of fish, all fish, including farmed-fish, may reduce the risk of coronary death by 36% and total mortality by 17%. A similar report was released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

These studies all concluded that the benefits of eating fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, trout, and tuna, far outweigh the risks from contaminants in the water they are fished from, and that these “risks” are greatly exaggerated.

Fish is one of the most important foods you can eat for your health. Both wild and farm-raised fish provide you with the same lean healthy protein and essential fatty-acids, such as your omega-3 fats. Salmon happens to be a very common farm-raised fish, but, it is still one of the healthiest and richest-sources of omega-3 fats of all fish.

By the year 2040, because of high-volume fishing in the oceans, most wild-fish species will actually be extinct, and farm-raised fish will be our only source of these heart and brain-healthy omega-3 containing fish. These fish are essential, because we cannot make our own omega-3 fatty acids, and they are essential for maintaining cellular and structural health in addition to their heart health benefits. Therefore, a way in which to maintain a sustainable population of fish for our future and our children’s future is to have fish hatcheries, also known as fish-farms.

It is true that farmed fish may contain higher concentrations of PCB’s and dioxins than wild fish, but, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), still recommend for us to eat at least six ounces of a variety of fish each week, preferably fatty-fish, those that are high in omega-3’s!***

The confusion that arises from mass media about fish and nutritional health is just that: Confusion and panic. Do not be afraid to eat farmed fish, its health benefits are far greater than risks incurred from their consumption. The fact of the matter is, farmed fish is healthy for you, just like wild fish.

***Note: Women of childbearing age and children under 12 should not eat swordfish, shark, tile fish, or king mackerel, and should limit their intake of albacore (white meat) tuna to no more than six ounces a week to avoid mercury.

Healthy Eating, Healthy Cooking, Healthy You

2007-01-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

Nutrition, sometimes can feel like a daunting task. You know you want to eat well and healthfully because it will help you feel better, look better, and prevent disease. But what can you do to make your life a little easier? You may run into cookbooks with recipes that are long with many ingredients, or they make too many portions, or worse yet, they take such a long time to make it hardly seems worth it. Additionally, many cookbooks are written without health and nutrition in mind, just taste.

The good thing about me is that I am a Dieitian. Dietitians are known “foodies.” Dietitians, like you, enjoy good tasting food, food with flavor, food that is fun, and since we work full-time as well, we like food that is fast and easy to make. As Dietitians, we have extensive training in health and disease prevention, and one of the most important ways in maintaining and improving health, while preventing disease is through your diet.

By cooking your meals, you are in control of exactly what goes in your mouth. You buy your own ingredients, you know exactly what is going into each dish, and you know it is not full of chemicals and preservatives.

Healthy cooking is so important because it is a life-long skill that you can pass onto your family and friends. A kitchen is often a central place in your home where people gather for every day meal times, for social periods, and for fun, to share an experience, and is vital as a place to gain some control on your health.

Food is one thing we cannot live for long without. That is why it is vital.

A painter cannot paint without his proper tools, ie. Paint-brush, paint, easel, or canvas. Likewise, you, a healthy cook cannot cook without your proper tools, including your cookware, flatware, knives, but perhaps most importantly, your food and ingredients. When planning out your meals and menus, it is important to have your ingredients, know where to find them, how to find them, and how to be able to substitute, simply because you have the knowledge and know-how around your neighborhood grocery store.

For your healthy diet in general, your shopping will keep you near the outside perimeter of your grocery store. This is where you will find the most healthful and least processed foods and ingredients. The perimeter is where you can find your fresh and dried fruit and vegetables, the dairy and meat areas, fresh baked breads, fresh fish and seafood, and at times your bulk-food items. This covers a large proportion of the overall foods you will need for healthy meals. Occasionally you may want canned or frozen goods, or packaged goods such as oats for fresh-cooked oatmeal, or vinegar for a salad dressing, or perhaps some canned tomatoes for a homemade low fat, low sodium, or low calorie tomato sauce.

It is important for you to have the basic understanding and know-how to navigate yourself through your grocery store. It is up to you to get yourself the raw materials you need and want by learning how to employ your healthy shopping techniques.

Resolutions Schmezolutions

2007-01-01T20:12:00.000-08:00

That's right, Schmezolutions:

I'd like to say, Happy new year first of all, may it be a good one. But secondly, I'd like to just write a brief commentary on the to-do's and not-to-do's of resolutions.

Not-to-do's first off:
1) Do not say you want to lose weight...uhhh...ok? There's no true goal there.
2) Do not say you will start exercising every day...because honestly, if you've never exercised before, you'll burn out and stop...tomorrow.
3) Do not say you will give up all junk food...same reasoning, it's too much too fast too soon.
4) Do not say you will only eat 1000 calories a day, or some cockenanee like that, because again, your body will go into starvation mode, and you'll end up worse off then you are now.

Now, the to-do's...much more positive!:
1) Say you will start moving your body...even if it is only 10 minutes a day.
2) Say you will park your car further from the entrance because it means you have to walk more.
3) Say you will leave 1-2 bites of food on your plate at every meal, or cut out a little portion of something, you will be amazed at how many calories a bite can be.
4) Say you will be kind to yourself.
5) Say you will try and lose no more than 1-2 pounds each week, because frankly folks, you did not put the weight on overnight, you cannot expect to lose it overnight. 1-2 pounds each week is sustainable and doable.
6) Say you will involve your friends and family in your goals because it's both support for you and a nice thing to do.

Above and beyond all though. Respect your body and your health. Do yourself a favor and by the healthiest food you can and move your body a little bit more.

From my new year's to yours.

Your Resident Dietitian. --Dana

Healthy New Year to you too.

2006-11-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, I realize I'm a tidge-bit early...but deal w/ it.

It’s almost January, the time for new beginnings, the time to put your health first! If it’s a healthier heart, mind, body, and soul you are looking for, this article will give you plenty of helpful hints and insights on what it takes to be a healthier you.

January is about you, about making healthy life choices. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the healthful eating and exercising tips and tidbits provided to you by your dietitian.

Keep a diary:

When trying to lose weight, eat more healthfully, or keep up with your New Year’s Resolutions, it is recommended that you keep a diary. By doing so, you increase your awareness of what, how much, and when you are doing various activities. By keeping an exercise, food, or well-being diary you can track the frequency and duration of exercise, feelings about daily life, and how much and when you’re eating. This will also help identify problems in any of your plans. A diary helps keep you honest and motivated!

Move more:

Increasing your activity levels by doing both continuous exercise and “lifestyle” exercise is key to staying healthy and losing that extra holiday weight. Continuous exercise, like walking, jogging, biking or yoga, is vital to keep you fit. “Lifestyle” exercise, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to the store instead of driving, or doing yard work, will keep you moving and active to help burn calories throughout the day!

Eat out less:

With the holiday season over, you can really begin to see your mind and body transform when you stay at home and make a healthy meal! By cooking and eating in, you know exactly what you are putting in your food and in your body. You can buy fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, chicken, fish, meat, and pastas, rice, and whole-wheat breads. With these healthy items on hand, you’ll have dinner ready, before you can say, “I’d like to order…”

Schedule exercise and “me-time” into your day:

If you don’t schedule your exercise and “me-time” then it won’t happen! Make these times a priority and daily habit. Don’t let these two vital activities be the first things to go when you get busy. If your plan doesn’t work for you, simply change it. Have a back up plan in case of bad weather or schedule changes so you don’t have to cancel. Remember, it’s better to exercise a little and take care of yourself, than to give up entirely.

Relax and Savor your meal times:

Eating should be about tasting your food, enjoying its textures and flavors, and allowing it to recall memories of places visited long ago, childhood memories, or other lovely experiences. By doing this, you will also give your body time and sustenance it needs to know that you are full! This one act, can significantly help you to eat better and lose those holiday pounds!

Remember that sustainable weight loss is attainable (even if it is not the new year):

Weight loss occurs as a result of moving more and eating less. As you get older, you lose muscle mass which decreases your daily calorie burn. By putting in a little extra effort, you can enjoy the New Year, enjoy your friends and family, and also be in good shape! Long-term weight loss will require you to be vigilant in taking time for your exercise, eating healthfully, and becoming more self-aware and caring for your well-being.

Don’t think of the New Year as a dreadful list of “things you want to do” simply because it is a New Year. Think of it as a renewal, a time to take back control of your exercise, eating, and mindfulness habits. By doing a little bit every day, it won’t feel like a burden, or feel draining and daunting. Instead, it will become a new habit, one you look forward to, one that brings a little more happiness into your life, simply because you’re giving a gift, the greatest gift of all to yourself: The gift of health.

Thwarting Holiday weight gain

2006-11-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

I often get asked this time of year...''Dana how can I avoid that dreaded holiday weight gain?"

Well, I realize for many of us, this is the time of year where we throw our eating habits to the wind, call it a day, say well, the new year is coming up what's the point in doing anything now?

The point is, yes, you can both enjoy the holidays and not gain weight. You may not lose weight, but you can certainly do much to not gain it.

1) You can still exercise...ie. take a family walk! Get everyone up and moving! Before you eat. By doing this you'll spend time together, time away from calorie-laden food, you'll all burn some calories, and in the process be able to chit-chat, and who knows, it may even dampen your appetite just enough to keep you from eating that last piece of 500 calorie pecan pie.

2) Alter recipes. I'm not saying don't have that green bean casserole, or don't have that pumpkin pie...but, you can certainly make healthier versions that are still delicious! Instead of using a whole stick of butter in a green bean casserole, you can reduce that to a couple tablespoons, right there you'll save over 700 calories in the whole dish! For pumpkin pie, substitute some sugar with either a sugar substitute, or for bulk, use bananas, you won' taste them, but they'll add a delicious bite. And, who needs the crust!! Cook it long enough, the bottom carmelizes, becomes cripsy, and crust-like...again, you'll save a couple hundred calories!

3) Eat a little bit of everything and really savor...by not overdoing it, you can enjoy the holidays, the company, and not a thickening waste-line.

4) Eat a little earlier in the day than you might otherwise...ie. if you would normally eat a 6 o'clock thanksgiving dinner...why not make it a 4 o'clock dunch or lincher...yes, that's the time between lunch and dinner...that way you may not need to eat two large meals before it in addition to Thanksgiving dinner...but, rather, you can have a regular breakfast, be hungry for supper, and then go into your food coma for the evening!! You save calories right there.

Well hopefully, I've given you some help and advice with that...

Remember...be happy, be healthy...move your body, and enjoy the tastes of what is my absolute favorite holiday of the year.

Now that's what I'm talking about! Progress in Action

2006-11-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

I read an interesting article this morning in the NY Times about the grocery chain Hannaford Brothers. I have to give them major kudos, major points, stars, thumbs up, any other type of praise that is imaginable, I give to them...

Why you ask??

Because, they are taking a stand.

They are raising the bar. They actually have dietitians analyzing there thousands of food-products that they sell, rating them with stars, and no, they are not just subjectively doing so.

This grocer is actually analyzing 100 calorie-size portions of each food item, measuring calories, fat, saturated fat, trans-fats, sodium, and sugar. With this, they have set criterion which states, that any food-item within a certain level receives a star-rating.

Zero stars = unhealthy
One star = could be worse
two stars = improvements
three stars = decently good for you!

Ok, so I made up the actual commentary on what each star represents, but, the point is, they're making progress, and they're doing so in an unbiased fashion.

They are rating their own store-brand products in the same way.

In general, fruits, veggies, low-fat meats, low-fat dairy products, and other natural food-items receive three stars.

Zero stars are usually given to items I tend to shun, such as bacon, full-fat milk, butter, cream, potato chips, cakes, cookies, etc. Zero stars just means that, it's not that it's a bad food, because I strongly disagree with labelling foods "good" and "bad" that just gives them too much power.

Rather, it means, don't eat this food on a regular basis.

Anyway, why this is so valuable is because it gives consumers more information.

This is what I am working on for my masters degree over with UCLA. In the med-cafe, we're trying to employ a similar method of consumer information.

We have a new logo/icon sticker which we place on foods that "healthier" and therefore better for you.

Look, people can still choose to eat whatever they want, they will, and they do, because changing behavior is far harder than providing information, but hey...at least it's a start.

Exercise exercise everywhere!

2006-11-02T15:45:00.000-08:00

An article I worked on with one of my co-workers:

Long-term weight loss requires both exercise and eating less:
If you’re interested in losing weight or keeping the weight off, simply dieting is not enough. You must also exercise daily and keep active to successfully lose weight. Exercising also offers many benefits in addition to weight loss, including heart health.

Move more:
Increase your activity levels by doing both continuous exercise and “lifestyle” exercise. Continuous exercise, like walking, jogging, biking or yoga, is vital to keep you fit. “Lifestyle” exercise, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to the store instead of driving, or doing yard work, will keep you moving and active and will also help burn calories throughout the day.

Keep a diary:
When trying to lose weight, it’s recommended you keep a food diary to increase your awareness of what, how much, and when you are eating. Consider also keeping an exercise diary to track the frequency and duration of exercise, as well as help identify problems in your exercise plan. Keeping both diaries will keep you honest and motivated.

Schedule exercise into your day:
If you don’t schedule your exercise then it won’t happen! Make exercise a priority and a daily habit. Don’t let exercise be the first thing to go when you get busy. If your exercise plan doesn’t work for you, simply change it. Have a back up exercise plan in case of bad weather or schedule changes so you don’t have to cancel. Remember, it’s better to exercise a little, than to give up entirely.

Work out smart:
Get help from an exercise video or if possible a trainer at your gym when first starting out. This will allow you to get the most efficient and effective calorie burn for all your hard efforts. Exercising correctly will help you see results sooner and make it more rewarding.

Weight gain is not an inevitable aging process:
Weight gain is a result from moving less over the decades. As you get older, you lose muscle mass thereby decreasing your daily calorie burn. This can be avoided simply by putting in a little extra effort. You’re never too old to be in good shape!

Vitamins...do we need them?

2006-10-31T05:40:00.000-08:00

Question of the day:

"Do you generally recommend that adults take a multivitamin??"

Yes, I always recommend that anyone take a multivitamin (MVI) as a reassurance mechanism.

As we age, we start to lose some ability to absorb vitamins and minerals as we are getting a somewhat impaired intestinal tract, and therefore have more difficulty in extracting vitamin and minerals from their foods.

In addition, our food supply has become less abundant in vitamins and minerals, ie. fruits and vegetables have lost some of their potency.

Therefore with those two factors playing...the first being absorption impairment, and the second beling the reduced bioavailability of vitamins and minerals, then it is insurance, and a good health idea to take an MVI every day.

But, please do watch out if you also are eating cereals that are vitamins in a box, as many foods are fortified.

Supplements supplements everywhere...it's all HYPE!

2006-10-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

So, I realized, I'm always asked about supplements, antioxidant pills, "miracles in a bottle".

Well, it's all hype.

Granted, there are some vitamin and mineral supplements that truly are beneficial to take, such as folic acid (if you're planning on becoming pregnant), vit.C, Calcium, vit.D, and of course a multivitamin. I say that, because unfortunately, our diets have become lax in providing adequate amounts of these nutrients, and therefore, it doesn't hurt to have the reassurance or insurance of taking these.

But...when it comes to such as herbals, and antioxidant powders, pills, and drinks, I become extremely leery.

The best and most natural way to obtain antioxidants is by eating the whole fruit or vegetable. When you're taking the compound in pill form, you're just receiving the antioxidant or herb. Yet, when you're getting it from its little package of the fruit or vegetable, you're also receiving tens of hundreds of other nutrients that interact in a synergistic way to make that nutrient more bioavailable, more accessible for your body.

Additionally, you're obtaining so much more by eating the whole fruit or vegetable including the color of the fruit or vegetable which in itself contains thousands of healthful phytonutrients (plant nutrients), and fiber.

Also, not enough information is known about the interactions of a single nutrient on the body, nor are these supplements regulated by any governmental agency (as are drugs), which means that they may not even contain what they say they contain.

So, don't fall for the "hype" of the pills, or the advertisements, or the gimmicks...you'll be opening your wallet, and making their bank accounts a little "healthier,"...but yourself? Well, that's subject to questioning.

Buyer beware

We've missed the boat...the gravy boat.

2006-10-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

So, I was at the gym today reading a magazine, and I know this topic has actually been in the news lately...Trans fats and restaurants. Especially in New York City.

There's been publicity about the desire, perhaps even requirements to get trans-fats out of all restaurant foods, or at least this information must be disclosed to the patron.

While this is great news and all, you know, "power = knowledge," and by removing trans-fats from foods you remove the atherosclerotic-inducing deleterious food-substance from the food supply. A "mal-nutrient" which raises LDL cholesterol, the Lousy unhealthy cholesterol, while lowering HDL cholesterol, the healthy cholesterol which is actually beneficial for heart health.

Yet, I am far more concerned that the "true" boat has been clearly missed, and it is sinking.

Rather than submit that these restaurants improve the overall health of the food they produce, they are merely substituting a different fat-source for the trans-fat source.

Sometimes, it is with a healthier fat source such as monounsaturated fats like olive oil or canola oil. Or sometimes to preserve the overall "texture" of the food, it must be replaced a fat source that is nearly as bad as trans-fats, such as the highly saturated palm-kernal oil, or an animal fat, schmaltz for you chicken-lovers out there, lard for your porcine lovers.

The real "heart" of the matter (pun intended) is that overweight and obesity, caused by ingestion of TOO MANY CALORIES is the real problem.

So, while I applaud the desire to rid the food supply of heart-damaging trans-fats, the real heresy is that the real problem is just being brushed off. People will still be eating just as many calories, just as much sodium, just as many calories as previously, and so, the issue that really needs to be addressed is portion sizing, pricing, and overall meal-planning.

Restaurants would be helping their bottom line, and the customer by making smaller portion sizes, using less salt, more herbs and spices, only healthy oils, and providing nutrition information to the consumer.

It would likewise, benefit the consumer to demand that only the best ingredients be used, and that they have access to healthy delicious and nutritious fare.

Again, it's time we stop sitting back, get up, get active, demand change, one that can help you.

Dana's Diatribe--atical Laws

2006-10-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

Law #1: Only eat foods your mother, grandmother, or great-grandmother would recognize as food.

This means, eat as close to nature as possible. Fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, chicken, fish, meat, and pastas, rice, and whole-wheat breads. If it looks like a neon-sign, or colors that are unnaturally “pretty,” then dearest ma or grandma, would not approve.

Law #2: Avoid foods containing High-Fructose Corn Syrup.

Read your food labels, it’s hidden in more things than you would fathom. This sweetener not only is cheap to make, and fattens the wallets of those who make it, but it also unfortunately fattens us.

Law #3: Spend more, eat less.

This means, buy quality foods. Buy fruits and vegetables, lean meats and fish. It’s worth it. Plus by eating less of it, to save a buck, you’ll help your body out too!

Law #4: Stop reading the “health” messages on packaging.

It’s all hype and advertisements to lure you in. Quit reading that sugar-laden frosted flakes will help your heart because it’s a “whole-grain” made with corn! It makes little sense! Start reading the actual food-label, and see what’s really in your food!

Law #5: Shop at the farmer’s market.

Not only is it home-grown and local, it also provides you with the most nutrient bang for your buck! Plus, it usually tastes that much better! You can also talk to the farmer who grew it and ask them about their product! What’s better than knowing where your food comes from?

Law #6: Relax, eat food, and savor it.

Besides the occasional contest, eating should be about tasting your food, enjoying its textures and flavors, and allowing it to recall memories of place visited long ago, childhood memories, or other lovely experiences.

adapted from an article I read in "Time Magazine"

Exercise extraordinaire

2006-10-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

I had a conversation the other morning about exercise.

Is 1 hour a day extraordinary? No, absolutely not.
Is it the norm? Unfortunately not.

Exercise is one of those things we know we should do for our health, because it is good for us, plain and simple. So, why is it that so few people are actually doing it?

Why is it then, that someone like myself, who does go to the gym 6-7 days a week for an hour a day, why am I considered extraordinary?

Nature v. Nurture...environmental backlash

2006-10-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in class I heard something similar to as follows:

"If our genes are the gun, the environment is pulling the trigger." Or something to that effect. After reading and hearing that statement I did some thinking about it as related to diet.

With so many people overweight and obese, you have to see the reality of the statement. Genetically, we are nearly identical to our ancestors who were hunters and gatherers thousands of years ago. At that time, we were lean, muscular, and had to move A LOT.

We still maintain the same genetic code as back then, however, our environment has drastically changed. Granted, at that time, our ancestors only lived 30-40 years at best, and so couldn't die of the same diseases people die of today, however, the point is, the environment we live in now is killing us, it is the trigger to our gun.

It is far too easy to buy outrageous portions of food. Honestly, who needs 64 ounces of soda at a movie theater? Who needs to go to Starbucks and be able to purchase a $4.00 Frappaccino which provides you with the same number of calories as a steak dinner?

If our genetics are still the same then it is clear that we should be able to once again maintain lean, muscular, healthy bodies, we just have to be able to adapt to our environment, or rather, fight against the harm it inflicts on us.

This gets back to my soapbox. It is time that we demand changes, it is time we demand that healthy food be readily available, easy to prepare, and inexpensive to purchase, much like the "fast-foods" people buy on a regular basis. I become quite frustrated when I walk down the street and see a young child who is already inflicted with a heavy burden of obesity. It is the duty of her parents, and it is the duty of our nation to take this problem seriously. If companies can push for wellness initiatives, ones which incentivize healthy living in order to improve the health, well-being, and overall cost-effectiveness of their employees, we should push for a nation-wide program which offers the same benefits.

I realize this goes against the notion of "every man for himself," and we cause our own problem, but, our genetic code cannot stand for our killing environment any longer.

I get angry when I read in the newspaper, "question about whether or not juice drinking among children can lead to weight gain." When these "juices" are high-fructose corn syrup, and nearly 1 in 4 children is obese, how much more proof is needed?

Quit pulling the trigger, respect yourself, your health, and your genes.

Dietitian vs. Nutritionist

2006-09-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

I frequently get asked what is the difference between a Dietitian (RD) and a nutritionist?

To begin with...yes:

1) A dietitian must have completed a 4 year Bachelors degree in Nutrition, and dietetics. These classes are similar to pre-med biology classes, we must take anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, organic chemistry, along with a host of other nutrition classes which are all very scientifically based.

2) additionally, we must complete a year-long internship in a hospital/clinical setting. This is very similar to how physicians do residency in hospitals. It is our training.

3) We do not just deal with diet.

4) Every day we examine patients, look at blood labs, understand their chemistries. We must understand their disease states, and how it affects their internal organs.

5) For patients on respirators, they cannot eat. Therefore, we must be able to determine what their needs are and determine how to best feed them, whether that be through a feeding tube or through an IV.

For me, I enjoy doing IV nutrition, because it involves understanding the breakdown of the different nutrients into their most basic components:
1) Carbs = dextrose, which breaks down into two glucose molecules
2) Fats = lipids, which are essential for the structure of cell membranes and other body functions.
3) Proteins = Amino Acids, build muscle, hair, other building blocks.

Therefore, we must know FAR MORE than what one eats.

However, there are dietitians who do not work in the hospital, they may work in outpatient programs, or in schools, or in their own private practice, and more often do deal with food.

The thing I want people to understand is that...just because I'm a dietitian, it doesn't mean I just focus on what people eat, or how they can lose weight...or I'm not just the lady behind the counter dumping food on your plate.

There is a lot more schooling that is involved...and there are registration exams that we must take to be credentialed. These exams are like the boards physicians take (albeit not as long or as involved.)

Meanwhile, any Joe-schmo can call himself or herself a nutritionist. Thanks!

Hope that answers that common question.

Portion contortion

2006-09-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

So, the other day in spinning, I was again asked by a concerned friend:

"Dana, why is it that 3/4 pound of steak is considered too much? I don't understand, that seems like a reasonable portion to me."

Well, first I would like to qualify my next statement first by saying that for someone who exercises most days of the week, is of a healthy body weight, and has few medical problems, 3/4 pound of steak once every few weeks will not be dangerous for you.

But, for the average person, who, let's face it, with 2/3 of American's overweight and with 1/6 Americans with diabetes and heart diseases, 3/4 pound of steak on a daily basis, IS TOO MUCH.

I'm not going to just talk about steak, though that was the question, because the same information applies to many different types of meats.

Too much protein of any kind, especially protein that is marbled with fat, has skin on it, or basically is not lean poses risks.
1) Too many calories, which we are not burning off if we don't go to the gym, or are sitting at a desk all day, or are in traffic.
2) Too much saturated fat, the artery clogging kind. The white stuff you see on meat, or in the skin of chicken and turkey, well, not to gross you out, but it looks that way in your arteries as well.

Thus, the problem of eating too much of it is that it floats around in your arteries, thinning them out, making it harder for blood to pump through. Additionally, it increases the amount of triglycerides floating through your blood.

Too much fat over long periods of time not only wreak damage on your heart and arteries, but also your liver. If you have too many triglycerides floating in your blood it affects your liver, the cleansing system of your body.

Ok, back to the other reasons.
3) This is sort of a combination of the other two reasons, but too much total fat and too much to eat in general, just increases the total calories in, and again, if it's not being burned off then it can lead to weight gain, this if of course assuming this is a regular occurence.

I can understand feeling "starved" with small portions of 2-3 ounces of chicken/fish/meat. And, frankly, I agree that may be a bit on the small side. That is why I am a proponent of the 5-6 ounce portion for most healthy people.

If you have kidney diseases, liver diseases, diabetes, or other medical problems then restrictions may in fact be necessary.

I suppose I also should have qualified my answer by stating, I write my blog toward a general healthy audience, not for specific disease states.

If you have renal failure, chronic kidney disease, cirrhosis, diabetes, or any other host of heart diseases, please feel free to email me, leave a message, and I'll be happy to address your concerns, because those are critical and require special dietary changes.

This leads me to my next post...stay tuned...

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DIETITIAN (which is what I am) and a NUTRITIONIST.

Those gosh-darned food labels!

2006-09-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Food Label Reading Primer

One key way to know what you’re getting from your food is to be able to read food labels.

Have you ever looked at a food label and wondered to yourself, what do these numbers mean, there’s so many of them? What should I be looking for? Which numbers and values represent healthier choices? Here is a guide to help you out.

The first thing you want to look at is the Serving size. Why do I say that? Well, you need to know how much you are eating. You need to know how much of what you have in front of you is considered one serving. Therefore, you also want to pay close attention to # of servings per container.

For example, when you buy a 20 oz bottle of coke, do you realize that whole bottle is more than one serving? You’re really drinking 2.5 servings. The reason that is so important is that if you’re going to drink the whole bottle, then you need to realize that you’re drinking more than what you might think you are. This means that you have to multiply every number on that label by 2.5. Therefore, instead of 100 calories in the bottle, because there are 2.5 servings, you’re really drinking 250 calories. This may make you think twice before deciding to drink that whole bottle.

The second most important thing to look at after serving size and number of servings per container is the number of calories per serving. As I described before, the number of calories you eat in a day minus the number of calories you use or burn in a day determines whether you will gain or lose weight.

The food label is a tool that you can use to help you to calculate how many calories you are eating from a food. This can help you decide what to eat, and will help you shape your eating habits around your desired weight outcome.

One pound of fat contains 3500 Calories. This means, if you want to lose weight, eat one less portion than you might otherwise. That might be 100 or 200 Calories less! You can also calculate how much less to eat based on the amount of calories that you need. So, if you want to gain weight, do the opposite and eat a smidgen more.

The way you can calculate the number of calories you need when you are at rest, completely sedentary is by this simple method:

MEN: 66 + 6.2 (weight in pounds) + 12.7 (height in inches) – 6.8 (Age)

WOMEN: 655 + 4.4 (weight in pounds) + 4.6 (height in inches) – 4.7 (Age)

If you are overweight you will want to calculate your Ideal Body Weight. One method of doing this is as follows:

MEN: 106 pounds at 5’, then add 6 pounds for every inch taller than 5’.

WOMEN: 100 pounds at 5’, then add 5 pounds for every inch taller than 5’

Therefore if you are a male who is 5’9”, your ideal body weight will be 106 + 6x9 = 106 + 54 or 160 pounds.

Back to the food label now...yay!

On the food label, Cholesterol content is dietary cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol is found mainly in products made with animal fat. Dietary cholesterol may affect your blood levels of cholesterol. Therefore, it is recommended that you consume no more than 300mg of dietary cholesterol per day.

If you have had a heart attack or stroke in the past you would be better off limiting your dietary cholesterol intake to no more than 200mg per day. As a reference level for you, 1 egg-yolk contains 213mg cholesterol. This is why eating whole eggs is something you want to try and limit.

This is an example of choices you face:

Egg whites – no cholesterol, lacks the yellow color and flavor of yolk.
Whole egg – 213 mg cholesterol, has the yellow color and flavor of yolk.
Egg substitute – 99% egg whites, 5 mg. cholesterol, has the yellow color and flavor of yolk, plus salt and chemicals.
Or, you can also use smaller portions of yolk, such ½ of a yolk or less.

With all the talk on carbohydrates, low-carb this, less-carb that, I recommend that you look at carbohydrates next, especially if you have diabetes. I urge you to look at carbohydrates for several reasons, one of which is to stress that not all carbohydrates are “bad.”

Carbohydrates come in 3 main forms:
1) starches, cereals, grains, breads and starchy vegetables,
2) fruit, and
3) milk and yogurt.

Each of these groups has approximately 15 grams of carbohydrate in each serving (remember the food label!). For example, 1 slice of bread has 15 grams of carbohydrate, just like 1 small apple has 15grams of carbohydrate. Milk and yogurt typically contain between 12 and 15 grams of carbohydrate per serving.

Milk and yogurt also contain 8 grams of protein per serving. This is a great source of protein, and depending on type, may contain milk-fat which adds some balance to this source of carbohydrates. The added protein, and at times fat will slow down the rate at which they are digested.

Since each of these groups has about the same number of carbohydrate grams per serving, they can be substituted or “exchanged” with one another. Therefore, they are called carbohydrate exchanges.

The more you know about your eating habits, and the more aware you are, the better. Plus, counting your servings of any food will keep your total intake lower, and will aid in weight loss or maintenance.

Now that I have described the importance of carbohydrate counting, I will go into more detail about carbohydrates.

One form that carbohydrates come in is in the form of sugars, both natural and added. Natural sugars are lactose found in milk and yogurt products, fructose found naturally in fruit, and maltose found in starch, and they are perfectly healthy for your body. It’s the added sugars, such as the powdered white stuff you find on the dinner table, or the high-fructose corn syrup in soft-drinks that your body does not like so much, and that will rust and tarnish your precious body.

When choosing the type of carbohydrate exchange you want to eat at a given meal think about it like this. Which is going to leave you feeling fuller longer? A small brownie that contains 30 grams of carbohydrate as sugar and flour, or a large salad with vegetables which have minimal carbohydrates and a small apple? I’m betting that the meal containing the latter will keep you feeling fuller longer, and it probably contains fewer calories.

Unfortunately, when reading a food label it is not always easy to know when the grams of sugar are added sugars and when they are natural sugars. One easy way to tell is comparing “like” items. I like to recommend comparing a plain-flavored yogurt with one that is fruited. If the plain yogurt contains 12 grams of sugar in 1 cup while the fruited yogurt contains 27 grams of sugar in 1 cup, you know that 15 of those sugar grams come from the added sugars. Those extra sugars will also add a lot of extra calories to that yogurt. Once you know that, you would be better off choosing a yogurt without all that added sugar. You would be able to have twice as much plain yogurt for the same number of carbohydrate grams, and calories as fruited yogurt!

Carbohydrate also comes in the form of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber, also known as “roughage,” is something your body craves. That is not to say that you should down the stuff as if it were water and you were parched in a desert; but rather, dietary fiber is your body’s way of cleansing itself by moving waste out of your body more quickly. For objects in the outside world, we’ve got the “dust buster.” For our intestines and blood vessels we have fiber which we get from food.

As a helpful hint, drink plenty of water when eating foods with fiber, as it will help to move it through your body, and decrease your risk of constipation and passing gas. If you eat too much fiber without water to help it along, it can form a solid mass in your body and create a blockage. So if you add lots of fiber, make sure you get lots of fluids. A good way to get fiber is to eat foods that naturally contain the fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, because they have the fiber, nutrients, and water all packed together in the food source the way nature intended it to be.

Carbohydrates also happen to be your body’s favorite source of fuel. Carbohydrates break down into the most easily useable form of energy for your body and are thus the first things your body wants to burn up for energy. Your body does not have to do extra work to get energy from carbohydrates, whereas it does if it wants to get energy from fat or protein.

To get energy from fat or protein, the body has to break them down into small molecules. Inside of the cells, these molecules get transformed into precursors for glucose. This requires an input of energy from your own body first, requiring extra work. Also, molecules that are attached to the protein or fat get discarded as waste products. This process is therefore much less efficient. It would be like trying to run your car on very dilute gasoline rather than the full-strength kind you purchase at gas stations.

When you go for a walk, run, or swim, your body uses carbohydrates for energy. Your body breaks it down and burns it up. This is why when you exercise, your body requires less insulin to be pumped out to take care of straggling glucose in your blood.

When you look at the label, total fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and any other fat designation that can be found on the food label is important.

Your body yearns for the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that are in foods, and detests the saturated and trans-fats that are found in baked goods. Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, and have been shown to improve your HDL or your “healthy” cholesterol while lowering your LDL or “lousy” cholesterol.

Ingredients to look for in the foods that are monounsaturated fats include: olive, canola, sesame, or peanut oils. Another delicious and nutritious source of monounsaturated fats is avocado. An added perk to choosing these types of oils other than their health benefits, is that they also are full-bodied with very distinct flavor which can add an extra element of excitement to your cooking.

Polyunsaturated fat is also liquid at room temperature. An easy way to remember which fats are good for you is, if it is liquid sitting on the table, then, it is also liquid flowing through your blood. Also, anything with the word “unsaturated” will be “un-hard,” or liquid at room temperature. Some examples of polyunsaturated fats are corn, safflower, or other vegetable oils.

Types of fat that you want to limit or avoid are saturated fats. Saturated fat is typically found in foods of animal origin, such as milk, cheese, meat, lard, or butter. There are two types of plant fat that are also very highly saturated and that you want to avoid as much as possible. These are Coconut and palm oil.

Another type of fat that you want to limit or avoid is hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. These are trans-fat. Trans-fat hurt your arteries and blood vessels just like saturated fats do, and perhaps in a worse way.

I recommend that you consume the most of monounsaturated fat. Then polyunsaturated fat is acceptable to consume in moderation, and then, as best as you can, avoid saturated and trans-fats.

Finally, other types of very healthy, beneficial, and delicious fat that your body needs are the Omega-3 and the Omega-6 fatty acids. These are fats that our body cannot make by itself, and therefore requires from food.

Excellent sources of Omega-3 fats are fish, such as salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, and tuna. Yes, that’s right, that canned tuna that your mother insisted on you eating when you were a kid, is chock-full of heart and mind-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. It has been shown in numerous studies performed in hospitals and clinics that Omega-3 fats support positive emotion, and help prevent or decrease the incidence of depression. Omega-3 fats also aid in the development of a baby’s brain. So, if you are a mother to be, get your Omega-3!

If you do not like fish, or choose not to eat fish for any reason, that’s OK, mother nature came up with an amazing solution. Another excellent source of omega-3 fats are found in flax seeds. These seeds are approximately the size and shape of sesame seeds, except they are dark. You can grind them and sprinkle them on top of your favorite breakfast cereal, and they’ll provide you with a delicious, yet nutty crunch. Not only that, but they add a little bit of extra fiber, and we can all use fiber!

Yet another important number to look for is the Sodium content of your food. While sodium in and of itself will not cause you to gain weight since it does not provide calories, sodium is a mineral that can wreak havoc on your body if you consume too much of it, especially if you have ever been diagnosed with kidney or liver disease, or hypertension, also known as high blood pressure.

The current recommendation set by the American Heart Association for a healthy individual for sodium intake is about 2400mg per day. The government is considering reducing that number to no more than 1500mg per day.

Sodium may cause you to retain fluid. You know how you might sometimes wake up after eating a heavily salty meal and you feel bloated or your rings feel a little tighter than usual? This is extra fluid flowing through your veins due to a high sodium intake. Because there is more fluid to pump through the same thin blood vessels, this can increase your blood pressure.

An intake of 1000mg of sodium per day can cause your body to retain up to 1 cup or 8 fluid ounces of water. Therefore if you eat foods with a lot of salt In them you may be eating somewhere around 5000 or 6000mg of sodium in one day! That means you will retain five or six cups of fluid, nearly three pounds! Therefore, if you have kidney or liver disease, or even hypertension, this fluid makes a greater strain on your arteries, heart and veins, and your organs.

Normal blood pressure is a value of 120/80. If either of your numbers is higher than those values on a consistent basis, your doctor may have told you that you have “Hypertension.” This means that your blood pressure is elevated.

Having elevated blood pressure puts you at an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Additionally, increasing your fruit and vegetable intake and increasing the amount of time you spend being physically active every day can help you lower your blood pressure. You don’t need drugs!

The apple doesn't fall far...

2006-09-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right, I'm talking about apples.

Not apple-bottoms, not apple-blossoms, not apple-juice...but pure and simple...apples.

Whether you like them green, red, brown, or striated...an apple can provide you with a multitude of healthy nutrients. Fiber, phytochemicals (those plant chemicals), and well, that crispity crunchity sweet yet tart bite you're craving. (If you're a health-a-holic like myself).

I was having this discussion this morning about apples. It's interesting, like bananas, everyone has an opinion.

Some like them real sweet and (mealy?? why?), aka red-delicious.

Some like them real tart and crispy, aka granny smith.

And some, such as myself, like a lovely combination of sweet, but not sickeningly so, tart, but not puckeringly so, crispy and crunchy without feeling like your teeth will fall out, and certainly not mealy...which leads me to the Fuji apple, the Gala apple, and the Macintosh apple.

Lovingly round and delicious, they just scream, bake me, cut me up, eat me raw, do what you like; because i'm the perfect specimen of an apple.

Now, I will just say, shall you choose to make a pie out of an apple...please make it worth it and do the double crust.

To keep it health-ier use a vegetable oil.
To keep it traditional, use a shortening (however, soooo not goood for you), but a couple times a year will not a healthy diet break. (I digress).
And, to keep it delicious, use love. (wow, that was so cheesy.)

So, remember, an apple a day...and healthy you stay, assuming the rest of your fine fare is also in that same category.

Can you smell it?? (the warm apple pie baking that is)

"Help!!"--for the time crunched.

2006-09-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

So, I was asked point-blank at spin class the other morning...

"Dana, what can us busy people, (yourself included) who work long days do about dinners during the week, when we get home and we're too tired to cook or having something healthy?"

Well, as a dietitian I am often asked this question.

Since, I work full-time and I am a full-time graduate student, believe you-me, I understand what this is all about. So, for those of you who are looking to simplify your life...let me tell you what I do...I'm a "practice what I preach" type of gal.

1) I food shop once each week, usually on Sundays.
2) Whilest at the grocery store, I purchase these staples:

bagged lettuces
pre-chopped vegetables such as bagged broccoli
wash and pour fruit such as grapes, blueberries, strawberries, bananas

3) As far as meats and proteins go...KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid/Silly--whichever you prefer)

a pre-roasted chicken from the deli counter is usually far cheaper than buying raw chicken that you then have to flavor up and cook yourself during the week. plus it's cooked.
A side-of salmon
and for those of you who are meat lovers...you can get lean cuts of meat (that's fine.), grilling/baking/quick pan-sauteeing is very fast and easy.

4) I usually buy some type of starch whether that be bread, pita-bread, or pasta/rice. Keep in mind, the smaller the grain of pasta or rice the faster it cooks. Brown is healthier than white.

But now, onto the meat (no pun intended) of this helpful hint hipster sheet:

When I get home on the weekends, I tear apart the roasted chicken(s), take of the skin, and store it in tupperware.

With the salmon, I leave it whole, it's easy enough to cut off a 5-6 ounce portion and cook it in minutes in the oven. By mid-week though, it's important to take the leftover salmon and freeze it in pre-sliced portions.

Dinner time rolls around this is what I do:

1) open bagged lettuce, pour to desired amount...stop.

2) add cooked protein of desired choice.

3) add pre-cut chopped vegetables of choice, such as pre-cut carrots, or seasoned salad-bar items such as cherry tomatoes, water chestnuts, baby carrots, beats, etc etc. Whatever you desire.

4) add fruit if you like, and then dress with your vinegar/choice of dressing. Dessert can be fro-yo, fruit, or a home-made blenderized smoothy (yummmy!)

Alternatively, if you want a hot-meal.

1) Open bagged pre-cut veggies, saute/microwave/steam (whatever you like).

2) Toss herbs/spices.

3) Cook your favorite protein (10 minutes)

4) remember to have heated a pot of boiling water at the start, for starch of choice. There ya go another fast-speedy dinner!

Anyway, just rinse, repeat, all week long.

I hope that these tips have been helpful. Remember, the grocery store is your friend. Buy easy prepackaged fruit/veggies. Pre-cooked roasted chickens, healthy-quick-cooking fish, and other lean meats. You have yourself, a fast, home-cooked/prepared meal without all the detriments of processed, canned, or boxed meals.

Plus, You'll save yourself a bundle if you buy this rather than eat take-out all week long!

Cheers!

Obese-onomics

2006-09-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

So...interestingly enough, I had quite the conversation today with the facilities department managers at UCLA. I met them in the cafeteria at work today, and sat down with them to discuss nutrition and wellness within their department.

Their concern..."We have several employeess (of our 1400) who are overweight and obese. This poses a problem when it comes to using ladders, and moving objects and working in general."

They also stated to me..."we love what you have done with the cafeteria here, and we're trying to get our employees to come here. The problem is not that they don't understand that the foods they eat are unhealthy, but it's a matter of price and convenience."

This gets back to my whole issue about the economics of obesity.

Why is it that unhealthy, convenience food is cheaper and easier to come by than healthy foods? Why?

It should be the other way around. Healthy foods should be less expensive.

When it comes to obese-onomics, this is no longer a game. People know that what they are doing to themselves is unhealthy. Why is it that we place a higher priority on big agribusiness and subsidizing the food industry to create unhealthy foods for such cheap prices???

What is the incentive? I just don't understand the driving forces behind this deceptive sales pitch. The price we pay now, is not reflective of the price that WILL be paid in the future.

We need to take charge and set a precedent for promoting health, saving costs both now and for the future. Healthy food NEEDS to be less expensive and JUST as convenient if not more so than the unhealthy foods. This will snow-ball and allow future costs to life, to health, to happiness, to be far less than the present environment allows for.

I'm but one small person, on a quest to make a difference. I can teach to my heart's content, I can speak to all the ears in the world...but, until my voice is heard in Washington D.C. along with the voices of hundreds of millions of other people, all fighting for the same cause...I have to ask. What will or can be done?

Who wants to help me in this fight?

If you do, I urge you to please post a comment with an email address, and I will happily add you to my cause!

Thanks.

Tell me something new

2006-08-31T17:32:00.000-07:00

"News Bulletin"--High weight shortens lives--

This is said as if it were a new concept. Why is it that "news" is merely regurgitated over and over again?

The more weight a person has on their body, the more likely they are to develop diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. It's a proven fact of science, medicine, and nutrition.

Diabetes in turn leads to other problems including kidney disease, peripheral neuropathy (aka possible need for amputation), and a host of other problems. It also leads to increased incidence of heart disease. Anyway, my point is, quit harping on the same old facts...just quit it!

Start by telling us and the government the changes that need to be made, and start doing something about it. I'm just getting rank with anger about this.

Anyway, I apologize for my emoting. To answer a reader's question:

"Dana, are there any benefits/risks to grazing?"

The benefits of grazing eating 4-5 small meals per day is that it keeps your energy levels, your blood sugar levels, and your hunger levels all on an even keel. It's like always having fuel in the gas-tank.

The risks of grazing eating 4-5 small meals per day, is that for many people, they don't decrease the amount of calories they eat at each meal.

Therefore instead of consuming 4-5 small meals of about 300-400 calories each, they will end up eating 4-5 regular sized meals of about 500-600 calories each. This sets them up for weight gain.

Therefore, if someone is truly going to graze and eat 4-5 small meals per day, it's wise to limit those meals to "snacks" and to keep each one to no more than 300-400 calories.

Excellency and Diligency

2006-08-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you to A. Manasa (I know who you are) for leaving me a comment on my last post...I shall address it now...

Comment: In a culture that is so obsessed with money, $$, money, we relegate personal health to the back burner. How can we overcome this obsession and refocus our priorities?

The best way at this point in time to address the issue is to focus on the economics of personal health. You are very correct on your point that personal health is relegated to the back burner versus money or in many cases (as well), looks.

Because so many people care about money, and that is a determinant of many factors in one's life...we must come at the issue of obesity and improving health from a cost-benefit analysis. If we can prove to folks that they will save hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes, in health-care costs, in Rx drugs, in every aspect of their life by being healthier, then we can perhaps condition them to understand that health and life is of the utmost importance.

It's like in the movie "Inconvenient Truth" when Gore shows the diagram of earth versus money. Well, it's not really about Earth versus Money, because frankly without Earth, no one will make money anyway...

Hence, it's not really about Health versus money.

yet, if we can show people that their life will improve and be less expensive by placing a priority on their health status, we may just hit the jackpot in both ways.

I hope that addressed your question.

As far as specifics go...If the government can just understand that by making healthy foods less expensive, and increasing the cost and decreasing the desirability of unhealthy foods, that will be one step in the right direction to improving health...on SO many levels.

Til next time, the burners are turned off...

Changes need to be made

2006-08-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

When looking around me on a daily basis, I see a lot of problems.

Problems in the world.

There are too many overweight and obese people. Sadly, the average weight person is now "thin" and seen as an aberration.

When will we stop making excuses? People...this is a calamity, this is a problem, we are killing ourselves. Our children will not live as long as we do...It's time to do something about it.

Significance

2006-08-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

It's better to be a significant part of one person's life, than insignficant in everyone's life.

My Soap-box...you heard it here first.

2006-08-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

"Fat-tax"In the United States, overweight and obesity are increasing in both the adult and children’s populations. According to results published from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), an estimated sixty-five percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, while approximately sixteen percent of children and adolescents ages 6-19 are classified as overweight or obese.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to maintain or lose weight in our current environment, because we live in a society which promotes overeating and at the same time discourages physical activity. Additionally, we live in a society filled with “all you can eat” buffets, and we spend hours sitting in a car going to and from work, sitting in front of a computer, or watching television, making it easy to have high caloric intake and at the same time, decreased caloric expenditure.

We live in a country where the food industry produces nearly 150% of our caloric need each day. This means that after everyone consumes their daily quota of calories, there are still enough calories available to feed another 50% of our population. We live in an environment of plenty, where finding food or drink is as easy as walking into a convenience store, Starbucks, or gas-station.

“Obesity is a socioeconomic issue, in that limitations of social and economic resources are related to disparities in access to healthy foods.”--Journal of Nutrition 2005.

“Grocery stores are unable to adequately house and store fresh fruits and vegetables.” In fact, in these hard-to- reach, low-income, and possibly unsafe areas, it costs the manufacturers and distributors more to bring food in, making the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables higher than in more affluent neighborhoods which are easier to reach, safer, have better and cleaner grocery stores, with better storage capabilities, and have more food choices available.

As it stands now, it costs less to purchase the foods of an unhealthy diet than it does one that is rich in fruit and vegetables, fresh dairy products, soy products, and fresh meats, fish, and meat alternatives, foods which do not get much in the way of “air-time” on television or in propagating their nutritional benefits.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and its co-sponsor, the Produce for Better Health Foundation, have a one million dollar annual budget to advertise the importance of eating “five a day” fresh fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, McDonald’s, Coke, Pepsi, Kraft, and other food industry giants are able to spend tens of millions of dollars on advertising chips, cookies, high-sugar cereals, and other snack-food items, including beer.

Despite the need, there are too few programs designed to promote healthy diet and physical activity. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) only has funds to spend about one million dollars annually on its media component of its 5-A-Day campaign to encourage greater consumption of fruits and vegetables.In addition, it is the food industry which create these high-fat, high-sugar foods, and create the market to attract consumers.

In order to make it worth their while to create these products, they must sell them. To do this, they advertise the taste, cost, and novelty of a product, promoting its consumption. It is time to reverse these trends, tax foods which deliver too many calories, too much fat, too much sugar, too much sodium, and too few micronutrients, and in turn subsidize programs which promote the consumption of healthy foods which are micronutrient dense, in their most natural state, and which add to the health of the diet; not fight against it. In trying to alleviate the nutrition problem of overeating and over-consumption which lead to overweight and obesity, it is my goal to change the environment in which we live.

I want to go beyond lifestyle behaviors and personal choice, because all too often, these factors are just not strong enough to make a larger impact on society as a whole. Overweight and obesity affect the whole country, and one way this occurs is through the increased cost of health-care. In order to truly impact a nation-wide change within the U.S., it will be necessary to change laws that govern food cost, thereby changing the availability, accessibility, affordability, and desirability of purchasing unhealthy foods. For the health of our nation, it is prudent that the government be called to action to make healthy fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, and lean meats less expensive and easier to obtain, make fat-promoting foods more expensive to obtain, and make it easier and more affordable to be physically active.

It is necessary that this action be taken sooner rather than later. One can argue: By placing a tax on certain food items, or certain food types, we are intruding on an individuals’ right to choose which foods he or she eats, or that we would be punishing individuals who do want to eat high-fat foods. Yet, we tax cigarettes, liquor, and gasoline, and we limit the selling of alcohol to individuals over age 21, so, I pose the question: Why not impose a fat tax and classify certain foods as a health hazard, just like we do with tobacco and cigarettes?

There is a tax on tobacco products because tobacco products have been shown to increase health-care costs by increasing the incidence of lung cancer and emphysema. Additionally, cigarettes are known to kill. Granted, food is needed for sustenance, for life, while cigarettes are not.

However, food, if used improperly, also causes adverse health consequences in the form of overweight and obesity and its associated diseases, which may also lead to death.It is naïve to think that personal responsibility is the only factor that must be addressed in trying to reduce overweight and obesity.

Personal responsibility is so easily trampled on by the inexpensive cost and convenience of unhealthy foods. Therefore, my policy proposal is to increase the cost of unhealthy foods with taxation, making them appear less desirable, taking the money raised from the taxes and redirecting that back into food assistance programs, marketing of healthy foods, advertisements and education for healthy-food initiatives, and fruit and vegetable subsidies.

My goal in establishing the “fat tax” is as follows: The “fat tax” is a tax on the product itself, not on the individual who chooses to consume that product. The “fat tax” is not designed to target individuals who fit the anthropometric, height and weight parameters for overweight or obese, as that would be discriminatory.

Rather, the goal of the “fat tax” follows a similar conceptual framework as that of the tobacco tax. It is a tool designed to deter the purchase and use of health-damaging products. It is time to demand change and active participation from our government in health promotion, and the “fat tax” is one way of achieving that change.

Snack Attack comes Back

2006-08-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

Yes yes yes, I'm a Rhymer, get over it: Today's subject shall be a tidge-bit more serious...

And here it goes: it's mainly because I'm always asked what to eat when someone's in a rush.

Because many of us are very busy with work, travel, and life in general, having quick but healthy and appealing foods on hand is very important. Many of us grab a quick-fix sugar rush such as an energy bar, candy bar, or get hyped up on coffee. The important thing is to supply your body with good fuel, and balanced meals, snacks, or nibbles.

To have balance, it is important to consume protein, fat, and Carbohydrates all at the same time. This keeps your body fueled the best, and minimizes dips in blood sugar, energy level, and hunger.

Some good examples of quick-fix healthy foods include:

1) oatmeal—can be cooked in the microwave in minutes. Or if it is instant and you have access to hot-water can be ready in minutes. A bowl of oatmeal with a small handful of unsalted walnuts will provide you a good source of protein, healthy unsaturated fat, and whole-grain carbohydrate, all in one fell swoop.

2) Whole-grain bread with peanut butter or cream cheese. Both peanut butter and cream cheese are good sources of protein and fat, especially mono-unsaturated (with peanut butter). With Cream cheese it is better to go with low-fat to avoid too much saturated fat. Of course, the whole-grain bread will provide a good source of carbohydrates with fiber.

3) Boxed soy-milk with a piece of fruit (ie. Banana). The soy milk (any soy product) is an excellent source of protein and unsaturated fat. Fruit is a source of carbohydrates, and fruit contains fiber and other antioxidants which are healthy for the body.

4) Low-fat yogurt and high-fiber cereal. Dairy products are an excellent source of well-digested protein. A little bit of fat in low-fat yogurt will help maintain satiety. High-fiber cereals will provide crunch, carbohydrate, and satiating fiber.

5) If you are a sushi fan, sushi or edamame make excellent quick on-the-go meals. Sushi is a perfectly balanced meal wrapped in one, because it has protein from the seafood, carbohydrate from the rice, and a little fat, also from the seafood. Edamame, is soybean, which is one of those "perfect" foods, contains the perfect balance of protein, carbohydrate, and fat. In one nice tiny bundle.

6) Finally, a throwback to the 80s, "ants on a log," ie. Vegetables, such as celery, with peanut butter and raisins. Again, you get your healthy vegetables for fiber and bulk, raisins for carbohydrate and fiber, and peanut butter for protein and fat. We knew our mothers made these treats for us for a reason!

As far as frozen meals go, if it has the word "healthy" on the label, it has to meet certain nutritional requirements. Such that it cannot have more than 3grams of fat, no more than 650mg sodium, and no more than 1 gram of saturated/trans fats. Additionally, it has to have a certain percentage of vitamins and minerals in it.

While I wouldn’t go as far as to say these frozen meals are "good for people." I would go as far as to say that if someone does not like to cook and has to make the choice between ordering take-out which has an unknown amount of fat and calories and other nutrients in it versus buying a meal made by Kashi or Healthy choice. I would be much more encouraging of them buying the frozen "healthier" dinner.

Kashi brand in particular is known for its healthier foods, and using the best ingredients…so I am fond of Kashi as a brand.

As far as cheese go. String cheese is one of the lower-fat cheeses and is a decent source of protein, with a little fat, and low amounts of Carbohydrate. This makes a good on-the-go snack if refrigeration is a problem, as it does not really go bad.

Soft cheeses such as brie and camembert, or other aged cheese such as parmesan or blue cheeses are typically very high in fat, saturated fat especially, high in calories, low in protein. Therefore, they do not make good well balanced snacks. But, they’re ok for occasional eating purposes.

And on that note: Question of the moment: "Which is better? fruit or juice?"

Dana's Discourse: Fruit...ya get the fiber, the mouth feel, and the taste...mmmmm.

Organic Manic

2006-08-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

So...I often get asked...what's the big-whoop with organics?? Why buy organic?

Well...it supports the farmer, no pesticides are used, and it even, believe it or not, helps make the planet just a little bit greener.

How do I know this? Well...tuche, please read on.

These days, it's too easy to go to the grocery store and buy foods that come from halfway across the world, ie. if you're from NY, buying watermelon "made in China." (for the record, I just couldn't resist that one..., though it's true...Watermelon is the fruit of China...remember, a meal isn't over until they bring out the watermelon.)

Anyway, by buying organic you're buying locally grown foods. Therefore, it requires far less energy, ie. gas and coal to bring it to your store and to your mouth. So, you're not only getting healthier, more nutritious foods, more bang for your calorie buck...but you're also getting greener, more environmentally friendly food.

Fewer fertilizers, natural growth processes, provides better growing conditions, provides more vitamins and minerals, and fewer toxins to your body...ooh, la la, we love that don't we.

anyway, there ya go...organic in a nutshell...cold, dark, dank, and cramped, but oh so delicious.

Question of the moment: How do I know if I'm drinking enough water?

Dana's Discourse: Take the number of times you typically go to the bathroom in a day, divide by 2, add 3 and multiply by a factor of 1.3333...that's how many glasses of water you need.

Or, the simple answer...approximately 8.

Seriously salient soy

2006-08-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

Sooo...I get asked many questions about soy..."Dana, what is soy, what is edamame? Is soy good for me? how do you cook with soy? if I'm vegetarian and I eat soy, am I getting enough protein?"

and the questions just go on and on and on...

Ok, not really, but i had to come up with a topic du'jour.

Actually, today at work, I had the opportunity to take a menu, the "healthy" menu and describe its foods in a healthy yet entertaining manner.

examples as follows:
Chicken--A deliciously delicate balance of lean, muscle-building protein, which can pack a nutritional punch if it's white....

Oatmeal--A low-fat, whole-grain, fiber-packed punch of smooth creamy goodness.

yeah, that's what I thought too...but hey, sex sells.

Anyway, how do you like this one for funny? I recently wrote this for an interview with Forbes.com

Ants-on-a-log: A mixture of healthy fibrous-packed vegetable, the creamy smooth texture of protein and fat in peanut butter, and the sinful sweetness of raisins...we knew our mothers made us this delightful treat for a reason!

and...well, for the final one-two punch:

Edamame--a complete meal...in a bean.

I crack myself up sometimes.

Anyway, cheers, happy eating, and hopefully I've added some humorous delight to your otherwise dreadfully decadent day.

Question of the moment: "how do i lose weight?

Dana's Discourse: Eat less, move more. Simple mathematics.

Yet another question

2006-08-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

A question posted by a good friend of mine in Boston:

"So, you'd eat Kangaroo and Apes? Those are bipedal animals, although perhaps those could be classified as "cute." "

--Ahhh, stipulations stipulations...Jen, you're a funny one. No, I would not eat Kangaroo or Apes because yes, they are Cute. But, perhaps I should add another stipulation for clarification's sake.

I don't eat 2 legged mammals. Birds (ie. chicken/turkey) are not mammals, but they are two legged. So, I eat them. However, ducks are among the cuter of the two-legged birds, and therefore, I don't eat them.

Perhaps you could then ask...well then why don't you eat pigeon?

answer--they fly. I don't eat two-legged birds that fly.

I'm coming to the realization that my Dana's Dietary Laws is not without problems. It is not an exhaustive list...so, if I should be asked about other dietary dispersions...well, then so be it.

Now, with regards to eating out. Please refer to the following article I have written in the past: It's informative and actually helpful.

Question of the moment: Fish...good or bad?

Dana's Discourse: Heart-healthy fats...good. Fishy smell...bad. Buy your fish fresh and cook early and often.

My first "ask the dietitian" session

2006-08-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

Wowee...a new experience from my blog...my bestest friend has personally asked me a question, as opposed to those "questions of the moment." Let's see what kind of answer I come up with:

K--"Ok, dried lizards? I'm sorry I am trying to be understanding, but that just sounds gross. I do not see any nutritional benefit from eating/drinking dried out reptiles. Do you know anyone that has done this and could explain the history behind it? "
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First, off, thank you for your question K...ya know I love you.

While I personally do not know anyone who has eaten or drinkin' the drippings of lizard lollipops, historically, the "Yellow Emporer" of China along with the principles of traditional chinese medicine (TCM), have found that certain animals and herbs have medicinal properties.

Many medicines used today are derivatives of plant extracts. As an example which I'm sure many of you who read this will likely find enjoyable is as follows.

As a dietitian, I frequently see patients who have little appetite in the hsopital. At times it is necessary to give them an appetite stimulant. We often give one called megace. However, this is where it gets interesting.

There is another appetite stimulant called "Marinol." In fact, I was on the phone the other day with a patient's sister and was explaining that marinol is in fact, a derivative of Marijuana. So, case in point, today, yesterday, even hundreds of years ago, even thousands of years ago, people have been using plant and animal extracts as medicines.

Biologically/evolutionarily speaking, these compounds found in these things provided defenses and protected the plants/animals.

Soooo...there ya go!!! Now, doesn't that make you want a lizard lollipop or snake kebab?!

Question of the moment: "How do I eat out?"

Dana's Discourse: Open restaurant door, sit, order, eat. (More nutritional info to come in my next post.)

My Favorite things

2006-08-04T16:11:00.000-07:00

Raindrops on Roses, and Whiskers on Kittens...

oh, sorry, this is not the Sound of Music.

Here are a few of my favorite edible delights, either because i really like the name...the way it tastes...or the sound of it in general.

1) Falafel--this delicious delicacy is an Israeli classic...may look like terd, but tastes like heaven.

2) Schwarma--while I don't actually love the taste of this other Israeli classic, I lenjoy the name of it.

3) Schnitzel--essentially fried anything...chicken schniztel, eggplant-schnitzel, weiner schnitzel...and you didn't think it was possible to make a weiner any less healthy?! However, I don't eat schnitzel...refer to my first posting ever which lists my do's and don'ts for eating.

4) Kebab--anything on a stick. So, in case you were wondering what another name for a corn-dog is...it's hot-dog kebab.

5) Molten-chocolate cake--no explanation required...a vacation for your mouth...mmmm mmmm mmmm.

Ok, i'm bored with this topic.

By the way...for those of you who read my do's and don'ts of dana's dietary laws...I should have added another stipulation.

While in general I will eat 2-legged creatures. I do not eat Homo sapien. No human on my menu. This includes me...I'm not edible, for those of you who maybe thought that I was.

Question of the moment: "Hey Dana, what about 10 day juice fasts? Why or why not?"

Dana's Discourse: Don't do it...slows your metabolism, starves you, and makes you cranky, crabby, and curmudgenous. Plus, when it's over...you'll just gain it all back.

Lizard Lollipop

2006-08-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

Today's adventure will begin in an outdoor Chinese traditional herb/medicine market. Granted this is not the typical gastronomic fare or gastronomic journey, but nonetheless, this stuff does end up inside the internal orifices of the mouth and stomach, commonly known as the Gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

So, in these herb markets, they sell lizard lollipops, basically dried out lizards on a stick. They dry snakes, snailes, fur, skin, and other animals you'd likely see on "Fear Factor."

What do they do with these fine delicacies? They boil them in water and make tinctures. You go to a traditional Chinese Medicine doctor and they prescribe a concoction for you to make. You steep it like tea and then drink it. Doesn't the idea of Lizard Lollipop just enthrall you??

Uh, so yeah...it was an interesting adventure crawling through the market place and seeing animals and other extraordinary things sold in bulk bins, think of it like costco for dead dried up animals!

On that note...gotta go make myself some tea...herbal tea...not snake, snail, and lizar tea.

Question of the moment: What does an antioxidant do? And, where do you find it?

Dana's Discourse: Prevents your body from the "rusting". They're found in fruits and vegetables, so...eat them up! not cause your mom told you to, but because they're good for you! and I told you to!!!

Freaky Fried-day

2006-08-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

Get it? Freaky Fried-day? yeah yeah...ok.

So...why is it that when you travel to foreign countries, they think ALL Americans want friend food?! Why?!

Do people not realize that if they are skinny in they're own country, maybe, perhaps it would be a good idea to feed us their food?

So, what's my point? I don't technically have a point. But, on a strange note. For those of you who know me, which I'm assuming is many of the people reading this, I work in a hospital, a big medical center really, "The Best in the West." That's our motto! Kinda cute eh? Cheesy maybe...

Why is it that a major heart transplantation hospital serves fried foods? Not only fried foods, but fried foods, fried in oil containing trans-fats? Uhhh...maybe we're actually trying to get more business by creating more coronaries, though I shoud certainly hope not.

No actually, I'm on this task-force that is designed to improve the health of our employees, and that's a good thing. (no I'm not Martha Stewart). But in a world where the health of our people is declining, and where our children will not live as long as we do, we need to make a change. Eat like the Chinese (except for their little fishies.)...well, actually maybe not, the Chinese eat everything...seriously.

Our guide said..."Chinese people, we eat everything with four legs except the kitchen table, and we eat everything that flies, except for airplanes."

Oh, speaking of eating things that fly...whilest in China, I noticed some locals cooking things that looked like a pigeon over an open flame. It was this little dinky bird, shoved on a stick over coals. How would you feel if someone shoved a stick up your ass and through your brain?! Oh, yeah, and then ate you...

Anyway...good times...good times.

Question of the moment: "Dana, what are trans fats?"

Dana's Discourse: Think oil (no, not the oil our President is fighting a war over...), pumped with hydrogen, becomes hard (looks like butter if you use your imagination).

The catch is...what you see is what you get...so the hard stuff in the silver wrapping, looks like that in your arteries...blockage blockage anyone?!

mmmm, sounds delicious, break me off a piece of that.

Caution: Handle with Care

2006-08-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

I realize, for those of you who don't actually know me...I should have put a disclaimer on my postings. So...here I go. This will normally not happen. I will normally not post 3 times in one day, because face it...that's just a bit excessive. But anyway, here we go.

The opinions expressed in these postings are solely the opinions of the one Dietitian Dana who generally says things that will only make sense if you pay no heed to them.

These posts are in no shape or form meant to dissuade you or persuade you to eat or not eat a food item. They are merely the discombobulated decisive dealings of my take on food.

So, with that I bid you adieu and good eatings.

Question of the Moment: What type of water should you drink?

Dana's Discourse: Distilled, flat, or fizzy, it's all great...so long as it's not Chinese Tap Water that has been boiled, just not quite long enough.

Duck...Duck...Duck...Goose!...and more Duck.

2006-08-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

Today's topic will be Duck. I realized that while I left you in suspense...I also needed to be kind and give up some more little juicy tidbits, or else no one would come back...but, you're back, so, we're all good.

Ok. Duck.

As you will recall in China...by mouth I stated I do not eat cute animals. Duck applies.

However, when in Rome, you do as the Romans do...when in Beijing/Peking, you do as the Pekings do. Hence...Peking duck.

Peking duck. A specialty of Beijing, capital city of China. Requires the capture and beheading of an innocent little adorable ducking by the name of Donald, or Daffy, depending on which gender you find more appealing.

Once little Donald or Daffy has been captured and beheaded, the duck is then defeathered, and left naked in a cold, salty brine...it is then left to air-dry in the hot-humid air of Beijing for 2 days, yes, 48 hours.

Can we spell E. coli much? However, E. coli does not inhabit poor little dead ducky because dead ducky is so salty that no bacteria could grow on it. Ducky is then roasted over hot wood chips, brought to the table and dissected in front of us.

Needless to say, I did not want to eat dead ducky, but because you're only in China once, I broke my steadfast rule of not eating cute duckys and I ate some of Donald. I'll tell you this much. If you don't take off the skin and 1/2 inch layer of fat...it's basically like eating chicken and then sucking on a big piece of rubbery lard.

Have I enticed you yet?

Speaking of enticements...how would you like to go to a restaurant, they bring out this dish, looks really delicious, you think to yourself, look...something healthy! Eggs, bean sprouts, rice. Mmmm...then you're tour guide comes up behind you, says, as you (by you, I mean me) are placing heaping tablespoons of this delicate concoction on your plate..."Look at the little fish!"

"Little fish?!"

"Little fish. They're a specialty!"

I take a cautious, yet closer look...these beansprouts are indeed little teensy weensy fishies with black eyes staring up at you! How disgusting!

I then proceed to take my plate, and dump all the eggy, fishy, goopy (hey look at that, "e, f, g" yes I'm cool.) stuff and put it back and swallow my vomit.

Ok, so I take it back...maybe not such a funny story...but, welcome to my world!!

Question of the moment: "Hey Dana...what about carbs? Yes/No/Maybe/Screw it?"

Dana's Discourse: Yes to whole-grains, No to whites, Maybe to fakes, and Screw it to Atkins.

Til next time, the restaurant is closed.

China...by mouth.

2006-08-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

With the urging of a close friend of mine...Ted...I am now starting a blog...one that will take you through the gastronomic trials and tribulations of a dietitian.

No no, don't worry, I will not bore you with dank, dark, soap-boxy schpiel about why people in industrialized nations are getting overweight and obese, and what they need to do to prevent this...oh wait, I guess I already did. Well, I can't help who I am. I will likely do it from time to time.

Anyway, let the games begin...welcome to blog number 1: A tour of China...by mouth.

Ok, well, given the fact that I just got back from a lovely vacation in China, it is fresh in my mind. And, given the fact that China is a huge country...this may 1) take a long time to get through...or 2) may take several entries...you in suspense yet?!

Actually, rather than take you on a tour, I'm just gonna have to give the highlights...and by highlights, I mean things that were delicious, disgusting, dramatic, or just plain drivel. (Don't you just love all the aliteration?)

Let me first start off by telling you what foods I am willing to try, and what will never ever, I repeat, never enter my mouth.

Dietary Rules of Dana:

I'll eat any plant substance...ie. fruit, vegetable, root, bean, legume etc.
I'll eat an animal so long as it is:
Bipedal (only has two legs)--hence this means, I will not eat a cow or a pig that has had a leg cut off, or even two legs cut off...these stipulations do not negate the bipedalness factor.
It is not cute--this means I don't eat dogs, (please also reference rule 3), or ducks (unless it's a very special occasion, this is one exception which I will further explain).
A fish--by this I mean it has fins, and swims. Therefore I don't eat shrimps, lobsters, crabs, mussels, or anything else that does not look like a fish.
However...and this is a big however...I will not eat a "fish" that is the size and shape of a bean sprout and has little black eyes that stare up at you. (Funny story to come later.)
I have to know what it is first.
I don't eat bugs, worms, or other slimy things. This includes snakes and centipedes.
I don't do dairy.

Alright...so, now that I've gotten the dietary laws of Dana out of the way, let's begin our extravagastroganza.

To be continued...

I mean c'mon if I told you everything now, what would make you want to come back for more?! It's all in my plan...all in my plan.

Finally, to end each post, I'll answer a dietary question...

Question one from Ted: "Why are Asian people so skinny?"

Dana's discourse: They move more and eat less.

Cheers, Chows, and happy eating!!