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

While we were out at yard sales last weekend, we found this great can that used to have MSG (or monosodium Glutamate) in it. It was actually from the famous Ajinomoto Corporation of Japan, who patented MSG in 1909. MSG is a flavor enhancer, so it can make boring food taste really good. Sounds like a dieter’s dream, right? If you’re eating bland food, it can taste wonderful if you sprinkle on some magical MSG.

Unfortunately, many people have reported that MSG is bad for them. Is it something you should avoid?

• Monosodium glutamate – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

MSG as a food ingredient has been the subject of health studies. A report from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) compiled in 1995 on behalf of the FDA concluded that MSG was safe for most people when “eaten at customary levels.” However, it also said that, based on anecdotal reports, some people may have an MSG intolerance which causes “MSG symptom complex” — commonly referred to as Chinese restaurant syndrome — and/or a worsening of asthmatic symptoms.

Subsequent research found that while large doses of MSG given without food may elicit more symptoms than a placebo in individuals who believe that they react adversely to MSG, the frequency of the responses was low and the responses reported were inconsistent, not reproducible, and were not observed when MSG was given with food. Review of Alleged Reaction to Monosodium Glutamate and Outcome of a Multicenter Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study — Journal of Nutrition

While many people believe that MSG is the cause of these symptoms, a statistical association has not been demonstrated under controlled conditions, even in studies with people who were convinced that they were sensitive to it. Adequately controlling for experimental bias includes a placebo-controlled double-blinded experimental design and the application in capsules because of the strong and unique after-taste of glutamates. ScienceDirect – Food and Chemical Toxicology : Monosodium L-glutamate: A double-blind study and review

So, for most people, MSG isn’t a problem. If that’s the case, why can’t you just buy it in any grocery store? Well, you CAN. MSG is an ingredient in MANY spices on the market today. It is hidden under different names because so many people have been scared of MSG for no scientific reason. You can find MSG hiding under the following names:

• Monosodium Glutamate
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
• Hydrolyzed Protein
• Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
• Plant Protein Extract
• Sodium Caseinate
• Calcium Caseinate
• Yeast Extract
• Textured Protein
• Autolyzed Yeast
• Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
• Malt extract
• Bouillon
• Broth
• Stock
• Flavoring
• Natural Flavoring
• Natural Beef or Chicken Flavoring
• Seasoning
• Spices
• Carrageenan
• Enzymes
• Soy Protein Concentrate
• Soy Protein Isolate
• Whey Protein Concentrate

If you would like to make your food taste a little better and you know that you have no sensitivity to MSG, you can buy it in the grocery store or at Amazon.com:

• MSG FRESHLY PACKED IN LARGE JARS at Amazon.com

My new favorite find from the farmer’s market this weekend are Armenian Cucumbers.

Never bitter, you don’t have to peel these cucumbers. All you have to do is wash them thoroughly and slice them for beautiful cucumber chips with naturally scalloped edges.

I’ve been eating them in wraps with Flat Out flatbread and Laughing Cow cheese (both in the Light versions).

First, I lightly toast the Flat Out in my toaster oven. While it’s still warm, I spread one wedge of Laughing Cow cheese. I really like the garlic flavor.

Then, I put about a half a cup of cucumber slices on the flatbread. I want at least one serving of vegetables. You don’t have to use cucumbers, either. You can used any vegetables, either grilled or fresh.

After I put in the veggies, I wrap it up. The flatbread is usually a little stiff from being toasted. If you prefer your flatbread softer, then skip toasting it.

I count this whole wrap as only two points (0 points for the veggies, 1.2 points for the flatbread and .8 points for the cheese), so you can have a REALLY filling meal for only a couple of points.

ENJOY!

Summer and Fall are the seasons for farmer’s markets. They are the perfect places to buy fresh veggies and fruit at lower prices. Mike and I went to the South Jordan Farmer’s Market last weekend and found a bunch of goodies. You can see them all here:

I’ve talked about farmer’s markets before. You can get some great tips here:

• Starling Fitness » Farmer’s Market Season

Find a farmer’s market in your area:

• AMS at USDA – Farmers Markets Query Page

This old advertisement made my blood boil a little.

It reads:

Figures show the modern taste is for light refreshment

One look at this modern hostess’s sillhouette and you can just about guess the kind of thing she keeps in that refrigerator.

You’d know it must be stocked with the lighter, less filling foods that make up the diet of the world’s most attractive people today.

That’s how they keep those slender waistlines. How they stay so young-looking year after year. Why they feel so good, so fit for all the activities, all the fun modern living has to offer.

And it is to suit their modern taste that today’s Pepsi-Cola is reduced in calories. Never heavy, never too sweet, it refreshes without filling.

Have a Pepsi, the modern, the light refreshment.

This old ad suggests that Pepsi is the reason the woman pictured is so thin and “young-looking.” After years of realizing that sugar-filled soda is making people FATTER, this advertisement seems crazy.

Whenever I see ads today saying that their products make you lose weight or appear slimmer, I look at them with my 1940’s eyes. New commercials are lying to me just like they have been lying for years. Don’t believe the products that are advertised to help you lose weight. They are just as bogus as this old Pepsi ad.

Advert via: Carabaas — Pepsi for Light Refreshment

In October of 1907, that was the headline for the New York Tribune:

Overflowing harvests bless the land, yet food prices steadily mount.

The same could be said now. The U.S. produces more food now than we did one hundred years ago, but the cost for fresh food is still skyrocketing.

Why?

Shouldn’t fresh food be cheaper than processed food because it doesn’t have to be processed? Apparently not:

• A High Price for Healthy Food – Well Blog – NYTimes.com

That’s what University of Washington researchers found when they compared the prices of 370 foods sold at supermarkets in the Seattle area. Calorie for calorie, junk foods not only cost less than fruits and vegetables, but junk food prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation. The findings, reported in the current issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, may help explain why the highest rates of obesity are seen among people in lower-income groups.

Junk food can sit on a shelf for months before it has to be pulled, but that’s not the case for fresh fruit and veggies.

If you want to eat fresh food, but are strapped for cash, this is the time of the year to go to your local farmer’s market. You should be able to buy fresh fruit and veggies for a lot less than what you would pay in a grocery store. Some cities have farmer’s markets all year long, but for the rest of us, we have to enjoy the fresh food while the summer sun shines.

Long ago, there was a clothing line called Chubbettes. As if the name wasn’t insulting enough, they ran ads like this:

It reads:

Your chubby lass can be the belle of her class

When I was a kid, Sears had a line of clothing called “Husky.” To this day, I HATE the word. I was so embarrassed that grandma made me try on husky sized clothes that I am still damaged by it even now. The same could be said for Chubbettes, Plus sizes, or Women’s sizes. It doesn’t matter WHAT you call larger sized clothing. The fact that they are isolated from the “normal” clothes is enough to make us feel ashamed.

Some people use the shame to motivate themselves. They say things like:

• I will never shop in the plus sizes again.
• I won’t ever have to buy clothes from Layne Bryant again.
• I’ll be able to wear “normal” clothes again.

None of these mantras have worked for me. Inside, I know that clothing companies are losing out on a lot of business because they insist on drawing lines between thin people and fat people. It’s discrimination and THEY are the ones losing out.

The truth of the matter is, your chubby lass CAN be the belle of her class. It doesn’t take a svelte body to win over hearts. It doesn’t even take a cute dress that fits well. All it takes is being friendly and outgoing. You can be thin and beautiful, but you’re never fully dressed without a smile.

The next time you have to try on clothes in the “chubbettes” section, remember the look on that girl’s face in the ad. THAT is what makes her the belle of her class. That flirty look behind the book, not the clothes and not the body. You can finally get to goal weight, but if you never learn how to look at people like that, you’ll stay a wallflower forever, no matter what size you are.

Advert via: Found in Mom’s Basement: Vintage ad for Chubbettes — clothing for your “chubby lass”

This The Joy of Tech comic made me laugh!

It reads:

Children, today I will show you something you may have never seen before. It’s called, “Real Food,” and it’s the kind of thing our ancestors once ate. It doesn’t come from packages or fast food restaurants!

Whoa! Weird.

Creepy.

You actually expect us to eat something that grew?

Hey! How did these things get dirt on them?!

When I was growing up, I was a big fan of The Jetsons. It was a futuristic cartoon in which the Jetson family enjoyed flying cars and robot housemaids. They also took in all their nutrition directly from machines. If you are unfamiliar with The Jetsons, here is an example of their futuristic fun and how their meals were prepared:

Back then, it seemed like science promised us the best in food. Instantly cooked, ready to eat with little work or preparation. Welcome to the backlash. Instead of appreciating the quick and easy preparation, we have come to realize that food that is fresh and as close to whole as possible is actually better than the stuff that pops out of our machines.

Which is right? The Jetsons or The Whole Food Fadists?

I think there is a benefit to both kinds of food. Whole food TASTES better than processed food, but it does take longer to prepare. Processed food is a quick way to make a meal, but it can be less healthy than fresh. A equal balance of both is probably the best way to go. Planning is key. On days when you know you’re going to come home exhausted, plan for a processed meal, knowing that you have fresh and healthy food to prepare on days when you aren’t so busy.

Processed food isn’t the savior that The Jetsons made us believe it would be, but it isn’t the villain either. It’s up to us to choose our meals wisely.

I have a hard time getting in my dairy requirements every day. I don’t like to drink milk. I cringe at spending my calories on cheese, even though I like the flavor and taste of it. I even doubt whether it is as necessary as the dairy council would have us believe. Yet, I still try to eat/drink three servings of it a day.

The other day, I saw this old advertisement for 7-Up that suggested mixing it with milk:

It reads:

a little TRICK
that makes a TREAT
Seven-Up in milk!

Mix chilled 7-Up and cold milk in equal parts by pouring the 7-Up gently into the milk. Do not stir. The 7-Up adds a light and delicate flavor making a delicious blended food drink.

Mothers know that this is a wholesome combination. The addition of 7-Up gives milk a new flavor appeal that especially pleases children.

“Fresh Up” With Seven-Up!

So, I tried it. Unlike the disastrous combination of Pepsi and milk (like Laverne used to drink on TV), Diet 7-Up and milk tasted pretty good together. The mixture had a creamy and fruity flavor that made choking down a glass of milk a LOT easier.

I’ve long been a fan of steamers. I talked about them here:

• Starling Fitness » Steamer: A Pleasant Way to Drink Milk

Mixing sugar-free coffee syrup with my milk (either warmed up in the microwave, or cold from the fridge) has been the best way for me to get my milk servings in each day. I’m glad that I have another “weapon” in my arsenal.

Who knew Diet 7-Up could make milk enjoyable? When I saw that advertisement, I crinkled my nose in disgust. I only tried it so I could make fun of it. Instead, I have another great way to get my dairy requirements in every day!

Advertisement via: Found in Mom’s Basement: 1950s treat: 7-Up and milk

I love this LOLCat from I Can Has Cheezburger.

It reads:

Your Mama Loves U
even if the other kids calls u fat, she knows uz jes fluffy.

There is something incredibly powerful about knowing that someone loves you just the way you are. So many times, people tell you that you need to love yourself in order to heal. That’s a good way to get to a healthy weight, but it’s not the only way.

You can draw from the love of the people around you, whether it’s your mother, your spouse, a sibling or a cherished friend. Become the person they believe you are. Whenever you are thinking of slacking off on your exercise, eating food that you know will harm you or restricting your food too much, think about them. Don’t let them down because they love you just how you are now and they will also love you when you finally reach your goals.

Rudd Sound Bites has a great article about Dr. Regina Benjamin and whether she is qualified to be the Surgeon General.

• Rudd Sound Bites: Why does Dr. Benjamin’s size matter?

There has been a surge of discussion this week about Obama’s pick for Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin. The focus has not been on Dr. Benjamin’s many accomplishments or qualifications as a health care champion.

No, the focus has been on her body weight, and the criticism that somehow being overweight discounts and discredits all of her impressive qualities and accomplishments.

The truth of the matter is, she is MORE than qualified to handle the job of Surgeon General. When you look at her record, she is freakin’ amazing.

• Regina Benjamin – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The first step toward getting our country healthy again is acceptance. Polarizing weight as a health issue isn’t the best direction for the United States.

The same people who are trying to make obesity a disease are now trying to discriminate against Dr. Benjamin because of her weight. Would it be fair to discredit other Surgeon General candidates because they had a different disease like diabetes? No, it wouldn’t. In fact, it would give them MORE credibility because they have dealt with keeping themselves healthy despite a disease.

They can’t have it both ways. If they want to call obesity a disease or label it as an epidemic, then they can’t discriminate against Dr. Benjamin.