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

I found this question in the entry about Weight Watchers:

• Starling Fitness » Why I Don’t Trust Weight Watchers Points System

Laura,

Does anyone have ideas on how to get daily oils? Not sure how to sneak the oils in…ideas on what foods or supplements to take to get the daily oils?

Heidi

Heidi,

I talked about some ideas for getting your healthy oils here:

• Starling Fitness » Ask Laura: Why do we have to eat two tsp. of healthy oil?

Here are some of the recommendations I’ve heard:

• Cooking food in the oil
• Using it on toast instead of butter (canola is good for this one)
• Adding it to smoothies (I prefer flaxseed oil in my smoothies because of the interesting taste)
• Choosing oil on your sandwich at Subway (they use olive oil)
• Eating it straight from a spoon like medicine

I don’t recommend taking a spoonful of oil like medicine. It’s yummy fat! ENJOY it!!

Here are some recipes that I eat regularly where I add one of the healthy oils:

• Starling Fitness » Frozen Grapes: Healthy Diet Staple
• Starling Fitness » Easy Meals: Italian Beans: I add 1 teaspoon of olive oil in the bowl. It adds one WW Point to the total.
• Starling Fitness » Easy Meals: Mexi-Beans
• Starling Fitness » Toad in the Hole: I use 1 teaspoon of canola oil instead of the non-stick spray. It adds one WW Point to the meal.

As far as Weight Watchers is concerned, I’ve heard my leader say MANY times that oil supplements are NOT considered a replacement for the healthy oil requirement, so you can’t take a few flaxseed oil capsules and be done with it.

Why would you?

Adding healthy oil to your food makes it TASTE GOOD. Let yourself enjoy an egg fried in canola oil. Let yourself sop up every drop of that oil out of the pan with a piece of whole wheat bread. Let the artichokes bask in the glory of a teaspoon of olive oil. Enjoy the rich creaminess of a teaspoon of flaxseed oil in your smoothie.

Weight Watchers is all about eating healthy food. FOOD, not pills. Let yourself enjoy the additional fat in your diet. Your body needs it and so do your taste buds!

I found this advertisement for Quaker Puffed Wheat cereal from 1969:

It reads:

You can win the battle of the bulge.
Eat the 56 calorie cereal.
You don’t have to skip breakfast.
Just calories.
Quaker Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice have only 56 per bowl. A satisfying yet frugal way to start the day.
From your friends at Quaker.

In the days before nutrition facts, the statement of “56 calories per bowl” could mean almost anything. What size of bowl? Now that we have nutrition facts at our disposal, it’s VERY easy to see that Quaker wasn’t lying to us back in 1969.

You can have 1 and 1/4 cups of Puffed Wheat for only 55 calories, 0.3 g of fat and 1.4 g of fiber. With nutrition facts like that, Quaker Puffed Wheat is one of the better cereals to choose for breakfast.

Of course, The Battle of the Bulge is a war that not many of us are fighting now. I haven’t heard that phrase for a LONG time…

Photo via: Found in Mom’s Basement: 1969 ad for low-cal puffed wheat cereal

I have been looking for a good iPhone application to keep track of my Weight Watchers Points for a long time. Weight Watchers Online has a page that works with the iPhone, but it is SEVERELY lacking in usability, so I kept looking.

Back when I had a Palm Treo, I used to keep track of my points using WWCalc. It was a GREAT program, but Weight Watchers shut them down. I used to wish that the programmer would alter his program so that it could just keep track of anything and allow me to put a formula of my own in it. That is EXACTLY what Edibles has done for me.

You can download Edibles for your iPhone here:

• Edibles – Diet Journal [iTunes Link]

Here is a detailed guide to setting up Edibles to work with Weight Watchers: (more…)

I’ve talked about Raw Food Vegans before, but here is some information that makes me think that maybe they are on to something.

• Rudd Sound Bites: There May Be More Links between Big Tobacco and Big Food than We Realize

There are many mixed messages about whether certain foods or food preparation methods also contribute to cancer risk. One substance that is particularly controversial is acrylamide. Acrylamide is found in both cigarette smoke and in food products produced by high-temperature cooking. Acrylamide has been found at especially high levels in potato chips and French fries. Rodent studies have shown that acrylamide exposure increases the risk of several types of cancer in the animals, but human studies are incomplete.

Here is more information about acrylamides:

• Acrylamide in Food and Cancer Risk – National Cancer Institute

How does cooking produce acrylamide?

Asparagine is an amino acid (a building block of proteins) that is found in many vegetables, with higher concentrations in some varieties of potatoes. When heated to high temperatures in the presence of certain sugars, asparagine can form acrylamide. High-temperature cooking methods, such as frying, baking, or broiling, have been found to produce acrylamide, while boiling and microwaving appear less likely to do so. Longer cooking times can also increase acrylamide production when the cooking temperature is above 120 degrees Celsius.

I still have my doubts that a raw food vegan diet is the best for humans, but maybe frying food isn’t the best way to cook. We already knew that, but it’s nice to know that we’re closer to the reason WHY.

For more information about the raw food diet:

• Starling Fitness » Raw Food Vegans Thin But Healthy
• Starling Fitness » Living Cuisine Raw Food Bar
• Starling Fitness » Diet Book Review: The Raw Truth
• Starling Fitness » Diet Book Review: The Raw Food Detox Diet
• Starling Fitness » Raw Food Enzymes and Quackwatch

Sometimes it’s unavoidable. Everyone in the group votes on Dairy Queen and you find yourself at a dieter’s worst nightmare. Whenever this happens to me, I feel like there is no possible way for me to eat healthy, so I do one of two things. I throw caution to the wind and eat everything in my path, or I don’t eat at all, feel left out and binge in private later.

There HAS to be a better way, and there is.

You can enjoy yourself AND eat healthy. You have to do some digging, but there there ARE smart choices at Dairy Queen. Here is the complete listing of nutrition facts for their menu:

• Dairy Queen Calorie Counter (CalorieLab)

You might think your best bet is the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, but it clocks in at 340 calories. Ironically, the Homestyle Hamburger has less calories. So does the hot dog. Here is a list of the best bets for eating healthy at Diary Queen:

If I go to Dairy Queen, I definitely want a dessert. There are some low-calorie choices like the Fudge Bar and Vanilla Orange Bar, but I want something GOOD, so I would save my calories for the Small Chocolate Sundae. That, combined with a hamburger and a side salad clocks me in at 630 calories, which is HUGE, but far less than a binge would have done to me.

Next time the group decides to eat at a place that you feel you can’t eat at, don’t deprive yourself and don’t jump in with two forks. Do your research, find the nutrition facts online and choose something that both feels like a splurge AND fits into your calorie allotment for the day. You can do this, I promise you!

Photo via: Found in Mom’s Basement: Old Dairy Queen sign in Benson, Arizona

This poster is from a 1940’s campaign from the American Meat Institute. You can click on the poster to see it full-sized. It reads:

Swiss Steak… put it in the pan… turn on the heat and sniff its steaming fragrance as it simmers, bubbles and browns… smothered in its own gravy.

That’s hearty flavor for you.

But meat offers far more than flavor. All meat, regardless of cut or kind, is a generous supplier of complete protein, the kind of protein that children need for growth – the kind we all must have for life itself.

As silly as the advertising sounds, it’s right. Meat is a great source of protein and gives you more bang for your calorie than even beans. Too many times when I am watching my calorie intake, I tend to scrimp on meat so I can eat sweets. Ironically, I feel so much fuller when I eat the same number of calories in meat than carbohydrates.

Next time it feels like you’re hungry all the time, make sure to add lean meat to your diet. You’ll be surprised at how little you need to fill you up.

Poster via: Found in Mom’s Basement: 1940s posters from the American Meat Institute

Kathy Henderson at Rudd Sound Bites brought up a real concern with no answers:

• Rudd Sound Bites: It’s About Respect

Why is it that people are generally so much more respectful of parents’ food-related decisions due to allergies or religion, but not of these same decisions when framed as nutrition- or weight management-based? Is it the immediacy of an allergic reaction that drives the point home? The apparent severity? And why is religion a more respected explanation than general health? Perhaps it is the idea that one “violation” will have little impact on health, while we see violation of religious tradition as a bigger deal. On the other hand, there is no evidence that one cigarette will cause major health consequences, and most of us would be pretty upset if our children were offered one cigarette. The reality is that many more children are impacted by poor nutrition and weight problems than are affected by food allergies.

This reaction doesn’t just affect parents and children. When I had severe stomach problems, no one questioned when I said that I couldn’t eat something, especially when they saw (or smelled) me suffer through an episode. Now that my stomach problems have subsided, however, people are much less willing to let me say I don’t want to eat something. They say things like:

Come one, just a small slice.

You can have just one, right?

Oh? Are you dieting… AGAIN?

I almost want to make up fake allergies or stomach ailments just to escape from the talk. They are right, just one small slice of pie isn’t going to derail my weight, but it DOES derail my eating habits for a couple of days.

It all comes down to training those around us to respect our eating decisions. The oldest cliche about respect is:

If you want respect, you have to give it.

No matter who you encounter in your life, respect their eating decisions. If they are a raw food vegan, that choice is theirs to make. If they are a junk food junkie, that is also their choice. If you treat others the way you want to be treated, then they will have more respect for you. That includes keeping those barbs to yourself:

Don’t you think you’ve had enough?

I can’t believe you eat that crap.

You know that isn’t cheese, don’t you? It’s just orange-colored congealed fat.

When I eat healthy, I tend to get on my high horse about food and let loose comments like those. For every time I’ve insulted Mike’s nachos, I’ve attracted a “just one bite.” When I am able to keep my food judgment away from other people, they will keep their judgment away from me.

This brilliant advertisement from PruHealth UK shows that they actually get it.

The billboards sit beside the bus stops and dispense oranges at the rate of one per minute. The sign reads:

Help yourself.
Find out how eating more fruit could help lower the cost of health insurance.
PruHealth: It pays to be healthy.

Here are some other photos:

Kudos to PruHealth for creating an advertising campaign that actually provides a positive alternative!

Via: directdaily: Pruhealth “Orange Dispenser”

When I saw that this food was called a Gorilla Sandwich, I immediately wanted one. Who wouldn’t want to be a strong monkey?!

• Gorilla Sandwich : B1-BE Inc.

There was no need to cut the cucumber into the salad, because I could now stuff the salad into the cucumber, and my all raw sandwich was ready to go. I had a great surf session, and afterwards, my first Gorilla Sandwich tasted awesome.

I had overcome the challenge by accident or inspiration. Sometimes the two are hard to keep apart. However, the solution turned out to be the best possible. I was able to get rid of the pulp, the part of the cucumber that was very high in water content, which was one of the main reasons the other ingredients would spoil so easily.

It is supposed to be available at Whole Foods. I was so excited about this that I went to my Whole Foods that evening and looked for a Gorilla Sandwich for myself. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find one.

Have any of you tried this? I’m tempted to make one for myself!

Via: Weekend Link Love | Mark’s Daily Apple

I am just about sick of chocolate bar companies bragging about the antioxidant power of chocolate. I got a promotional email from Hershey’s and The Best Life. Bob Greene has teamed up with Hershey’s to promote their Extra Dark Chocolate bars as approved foods.

• BOB GREENE’S BEST LIFE APPROVED FOOD LIST: Partner Page

They are promoting the chocolate as some great food for health:

Chocolate lovers rejoice! Hershey®’s Extra Dark Chocolate has become the first chocolate bar to earn the respected Best Life Treat Seal of Approval. Designed by renowned health and fitness expert Bob Greene, the Best Life Treat Seal is awarded to products that have a nutrition edge over products in their class and are available in portion sizes of 150 calories or fewer. The Treat Seal appears on select grocery products and is intended to help consumers make healthier food and lifestyle decisions.

The criterion for the Best Life Treat Seal is that it should be available in portion sizes of 150 calories or fewer. Let’s look at the nutrition facts for the candy bar, shall we?

For three squares of the candy bar (most bars have several servings), it’s 210 calories, so the Hershey bar fails the bare minimum requirement for The Best Life.

But what about those magical antioxidant properties of chocolate?

The most important antioxidants are beta carotene (provitamin A), vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and proanthocyanidin (or procyanidin). Of these, chocolate has only procyanidin, or Vitamin P as it is starting to be called. If you look at the nutrition facts, Hershey’s has no Vitamin A or C. The other three antioxidants aren’t listed on the nutrition facts label.

Chocolate is known to have procyanidin, but it is by no means the highest in that antioxidant. That award goes to black chokecherries, but they are a little difficult to find at your local grocery store. A granny smith apple, however, is VERY easy to find. How does it compete against Hershey’s?

A medium apple is only 80 calories, has 2% of the Vitamin A and 20% of the vitamin C you need for the day. It also doesn’t show how much procyanidin it has, but considering that there is zero fat and five grams of fiber, the apple beats Hershey’s hands down.

To me, The Best Life Food Partners just seems like a marketing ploy to sell you processed food. Here is the fine print from their website:

Best Life Partners benefit from use of the “Best Life approved” seal, as well as integrated book content and web site mentions, banner advertising, tour sponsorships and some of the most coveted national and local broadcast media coverage around. We are always looking for great food, fitness, apparel and wellness companies to partner with.

It all makes me a little angry, actually. Now I feel like I can’t trust Bob Greene…

For more information about antioxidants and procyanidin:

• Antioxidant – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• Proanthocyanidin – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia