Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

What should you eat? What is healthy? Which foods will help you live longer? It’s obvious that we were meant to eat both meat and vegetables. We are omnivores, after all. What should an omnivore eat?

The science of it all is a little sketchy and the way we look at food (Nutritionism) can make the whole experience of eating very confusing.

Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, explains what he believes is Nutritionism and how to see through the myths:

1. The important thing about any food are the nutrients it contains (i.e. fat, protein, carbohydrates, vitamin, etc.)

2. If nutrients are all that matter in food, and they are basically invisible to the naked eye (you can’t smell, taste or see a nutrient), then you need an expert to tell you how to eat. It’s a little like a religion.

3. Like any religion, Nutritionism divides the world into good and evil. Sometimes, the evil nutrient is protein, carbohydrates, fat, etc. The good nutrient also changes.

4. The whole point of eating is health. Historically, there were many reasons for eating, such as pleasure, community, family, ritual purposes (religious), or to express identity.

Unfortunately, all of this dedication to eating for health hasn’t really helped us be healthier. Michael Pollan’s simple advice is, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”

You can see more from Michael Pollan here:

The truth of the matter is that we haven’t totally figured out how food helps us be healthy and how our digestive system works. Michael Pollan suggests that we take back control over our eating from the corporations that we have allowed to cook for us. We have learned that they don’t cook very well. They cook with lots of salt, sugar and fat because we are hard-wired to like those tastes. Salt, sweeten and fatten up your own whole food and you’ll do a better job of it, even if you’re not a good cook.

Via: Good Food, Eating, and Diet Advice Talk by Michael Pollan: Some random bits scribbled by Jeremy Zawodny

There have been some studies that show that cinnamon can reduce insulin resistance.

• USDA - Cinnamon Extracts Boost Insulin Sensitivity

ARS chemist Richard A. Anderson and co-workers at the Beltsville (Maryland) Human Nutrition Research Center assayed plants and spices used in folk medicine. They found that a few spices—especially cinnamon—made fat cells much more responsive to insulin, the hormone that regulates sugar metabolism and thus controls the level of glucose in the blood.

If it seems like you are hungry every two hours or if you constantly crave sugar or bread, you might have insulin resistance. It has been said that a dose of a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon a day can help reduce your cravings and correct your body’s reaction to sugar.

• About.com: Health Benefits of Cinnamon - Cinnamon for Diabetes and Insulin Resistant

Several studies have shown improved insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control by taking as little as 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day. Improving insulin resistance can help in weight control as well as decreasing the risk for heart disease, so this has a lot of people interested. Although the results of preliminary studies are somewhat mixed, the majority of the research seems to be pointing in the direction of cinnamon being beneficial.

But watch out, it’s possible to eat too much cinnamon. Here are some of the common negative reactions:

• Skin rashes
• Irritation to the tissues of the mouth or stomach
• Mild anti-clotting effect in the blood
• Stimulating effects on the uterus (not recommended for pregnant women)

In an effort to increase my cinnamon intake, I created this cinnamon tea, which I’m rather fond of.

Cinnamon Tea

• 7 ounces of boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream

Pour the boiling water into a coffee cup. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and mix well. This takes quite a bit of time since cinnamon isn’t easily soluble in water, but if you keep stirring, it will eventually mix into the hot water. Add the cream and continue mixing.

I keep the spoon in the cup and keep stirring between sips because the cinnamon will sink to the bottom otherwise.

Calories: 50 Carbohydrates: 0 WW Points: 1

This treat has replaced my evening sugar-free cocoa. Strangely, it tastes a little sweet, even though you don’t add any sweetener. It’s perfect for people following Weight Watchers and Atkins, since it’s low-calorie AND low-carb.

You could substitute 6 ounces of heated skim milk for the cream and boiling water to make a low-fat version with the same amount of calories. I haven’t tried this, so I don’t know how well the cinnamon would mix with milk. If you try it, leave a comment telling me how it is.

Enjoy!

Here is a five part series from Horizon (produced by the BBC) that analyzes the Atkin’s Diet. Does it work? If it does, why? Is it dangerous to your health?

This show spends too much time showing fat people eating huge bites of meat (do any of us want to watch other people eating?) and too much time playing choir music when Atkins is shown on the screen, but it does a pretty good job of looking at the research that has been done about the diet.

Click through for parts 2-5: (more…)

Ward-O-Matic only gave us a glimpse of the Metropolitan Life’s Guide to Good Health that he found in his wanderings, but it’s a fun glimpse nonetheless.

Their helpful tips were barely passable as such:

• Get a doctor
• Don’t worry if your doctor orders a lot of tests
• Get a hobby
• Eat the right foods

Sadly, he didn’t scan in the whole pamphlet, but I would LOVE to see the thing in entirety.

Apparently, there were an entire series of Met Life Booklets. I just wish I could jump in and see the Food for your Family book!

To all those health insurance companies that want to charge people with high BMIs more money, maybe they should read this finding.

• Body Image Is Stronger Predictor Of Health Than Obesity, Says Study

Researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found that the desire to weigh less was a more accurate predictor of physically and mentally unhealthy days, than body mass index (BMI).

It turns out that if you are unhappy with your weight and wish you weighed less, you tend to take more sick days and have more doctor visits than the people who are happy with their current weight. Whether you are content with your body weight is more of an indicator of health than your BMI.

What does this mean to you? Does that mean you should stop trying to eat healthy and keep up with an exercise regime? No. It just means that Inner Workouts are as essential as diet and exercise. This journey takes your MIND and your BODY on a roller coaster ride, so take care of yourself both physically and mentally.

Via: Rudd Sound Bites: Body Image as a Predictor of Health

The biggest problem with patients with Anorexia Nervosa is relapse. They don’t seem to bond with their therapists and don’t do what their therapists suggest. Dr. Nancy Zucker wanted to know why:

• || DukeMedNews || Socialization May Be Key to New Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa

After combing through the literature, she discovered evidence that people with anorexia nervosa often have difficulty reading the emotions of others, and are often anxious in social situations. Published research also demonstrated a link between social dysfunction and poor treatment response.

“The research shows their relationship difficulties are not just a scar of the disease,” she says. “There is evidence that the social challenges predate their anorexia, and persist after they recover.”

According to Treatment Online, there’s hope:

• Researchers Examine Social Interactions in Anorexia Nervosa

Where Dr. Zucker’s efforts will come into play is in longer term treatment. The outlook for anorexia can be poor. Even those who succeed with treatment will tend to stay thin and continue to be preoccupied with food. While all treatments strive to address the psychological underpinnings that motivate the negative behaviors, a greater understanding of the interpersonal difficulties of those with anorexia could lead to more effective treatments of this variety.

Remember a couple of years ago when researchers found the shocking discovery that people who are overweight have a lower death rate than people who are underweight, normal weight or obese? The data has been analyzed, verified and quantified and it’s true.

• Causes of Death Are Linked to a Person’s Weight - New York Times

If you’re more likely to live longer by being a little overweight, is there any reason to eat healthy and exercise? YES.

Dr. Mitchell Gail, a cancer institute scientist and an author of the paper, had some advice, which, he said, is his personal opinion as a physician and researcher: “If you are in the pink and feeling well and getting a good amount of exercise and if your doctor is very happy with your lab values and other test results, then I am not sure there is any urgency to change your weight.”

Keep up the good work and know that you’ll live happier by taking care of yourself.

Via: A group of federal researchers reports that there were 100,000… (kottke.org)

I can tell you the exact day I got black toenail. It was December 20th, 2006. Even though my nails are still a little damaged from that day, I can tell you that they are finally healed. Yes, it took TEN months for my nails to grow back. I spent all summer with ugly feet because I didn’t SLOWLY increase my mileage.

I went from doing one or two miles a day up to doing five and ten miles a day. I figured that since my muscles could handle it, there was no problem, right? Wrong. The weakest link was my toenails and I paid for it for ten months. Fortunately, it didn’t hurt more than a few weeks of that time and when they grew back, they look just like they did before.

Don’t be stupid like me. Take care of yourself. Slowly increase your mileage to protect your muscles, your joints AND your toenails.

I’m just so glad to have my normal feet back! I feel like celebrating!

Previous Entries:

• Starling Fitness » Black Toenail

• Starling Fitness » How I Treated My Black Toenail

• Starling Fitness » Black Toenails: Final Update

• Starling Fitness » Black Toenail: Biggest Fear

I feel a certain companionship with anorexics. I have never been able to starve myself, but I feel like there is some connection between anorexia and bingeing disorders. Recent research shows that anorexics don’t react to sugar the way “normal” people do.

• Anorexics May Have Altered Sense of Taste

While the view of anorexia as an addiction is intriguing, there are other possible physiological explanations for the disorder. Dr. Angela Wagner performed an experiment to study the reactions of 16 recovered anorexics to sugar. Recovered anorexics were chosen to avoid the confounding psychological factors that might be present in still-struggling subjects. Recovered anorexics took the sweet drink without protest, but an MRI revealed that while their behavior may have returned to normal, their brains have not. Compared to the control subjects, there was much less activation of the insular cortex, especially the primary cortical taste region. This suggests the possibility that rather than missing meals to feel high, anorexics don’t eat because they simply find normally pleasant tastes less appealing.

If anorexics don’t find food as appealing as “normal” people, then could it be possible that I find it MORE appealing? This seems like very important research, but the sample size of sixteen participants is so small that I can’t really trust the conclusions.

I’m hoping for more research along these lines.

What do you think? Do we overeat because food just tastes better to us?

SLB+ and I have run many challenges together on Nike+. I had noticed that his mileage had dropped and then he stopped running altogether. Finally, I know why now:

• Quadrathon: The Road to Recovery…Pt 1

“I had a long consult with my Physical Therapist on Monday; essentially I have; through running with insufficient cross training, unbalanced my quadriceps with my hamstrings. My IT Band is so tight it is pulling my kneecap off alignment by about 40 degrees.”

The race he was going to participate in is on hold, but he still has hope for one in October. He has decided to focus on riding his bikes until he is in better health.

It’s times like these when I wish the Nike+ worked with bicycles, because then SLB+ could still participate in the challenges.