September 2011
35 posts
5 dumbest things said about food (recently)
From Eat This, Not That! (2012 edition)
“Fat makes you fat” – University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Fat contains more calories by weight than carbohydrates, true. But fat is also filling, and certain fats-like those found in nuts, olives, and fish-are really good for you. When will so-called experts learn: Eating fat won’t make you fat any more than eating money will make you rich.
What they should have said: “Eating too much-of any kind of food-makes you fat.”
“If we’re supposed to go out and eat nothing, if we’re supposed to eat roots and berries and tree bark and so forth, show us how.” – Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh
In our ridiculously partisan world, Michelle Obama could save Washington by catching a nuclear bomb in her teeth and Limbaugh would find fault with her dental work. But by criticizing Obama’s crusade against childhood obesity, the rotund radio ranter just looks silly. Nobody’s recommending a menu of tree bark, least of all the burger-loving Obamas.
What he should have said: “As someone who’s struggled with my own weight related health issues- from a heart scare to painkiller addiction caused by back pain – I know firsthand that overweight children carry a heavy health burden into adulthood. Trying to change all of that sounds like a good idea.”
“High-fructose corn syrup…provides many consumer benefits.” – SweetSurprise.com a publicity front for –you guessed it– the Corn Refiners Association
Besides changing the group’s name from “Sweet Surprise” to “Nasty Surprise,” this corn syrup flack attack would be much more honest if they admitted that HFCS has allowed the food industry to cheaply oversweetened legions of our snacks and staples, accelerating our junk-food-fuled descent into obesity.
What they should have said: “High-fructose corn syrup is not that different from sugar. And neither one is good for you.”
“No consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking Vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.” – Attorney representing the beverage’s maker, Coca-Cola
Really? “Vitaminwater” doesn’t sound like “a healthy beverage”? What’s their next marketing strategy, renaming Fanta “Nice Shiny Teeth Drink”? In reality, Vitaminwater is nothing more than the latest slick sugar-delivery vehicle. The minor benefits of the vitamins mixed in are vastly outweighed by the damage these sweetened drinks can cause. We were relieved when a federal judge ruled the packaging misleading.
What they should have said: “Vitaminwater? Oh, we meant to call it ‘Sugarwater.’ Our bad!”
“I am eating a health diet.” – Ninety percent of the 1,234 American adults surveyed by Consumer Reports
Two out of the three women and three out of four men in America are overweight or obese. We have become so fat that even contestants on The Biggest Loser look somewhat normal. In reality, only about 33 percent of Americans eat enough fruits and 27 percent eat enough vegetables every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What they should have said: “Eating a healthy diet is very difficult in America today.”
Even though the number on the scale doesn't show progress, the fact that you haven't given up is progress in itself.
"Healthy is the New Skinny" →
collegemagazine.com
“More than 30 percent of college students have an eating disorder, with many more developing significant disturbances with body image and preoccupations with weight and diet. Whether it is the influence of parents, peers, the fashion industry or the images in the media, young men and women cannot seem to escape the pressure to be “skinnier” and attain “perfection.” In addition to these socio-cultural influences, the college environment can exacerbate the development of an eating disorder, as the adjustment to college and the challenge of finding new friends can be stressful. Despite its prevalence, many college students do not seek treatment and spend years in denial about their condition, which can lead to permanent health damage and even death. The founders of the Perfectly Unperfected Project(PUP) are trying to replace this distorted image of beauty with one that is more authentic.
PUP is a nonprofit initiative trying to transform how young men and women think and feel about their bodies by giving multimedia workshops. These informative presentations give young people insight to the images used by the beauty and fashion industries, and help to change the way that people think about the images they see on a daily basis. It was founded by model Katie Halchishick and Dr. Hugo Schwyzer and is the outreach arm of Healthy is the New Skinny (HNS), a campaign that aims to change the way young adults think about beauty, health and happiness.”
(Click through for full article)
Please note that you should read the article before assuming from the title that it is discriminatory against skinny women. Also, thank you to thevegiactress for this link!
It Takes 110 Chemicals To Grow A Tomato In Florida →
stumbleupon.com
There is so much wrong with Florida tomatoes it’s hard to believe that anyone will touch them. One farmer tells author Barry Estabrook “I get paid per pound. I don’t get paid a cent for taste.”
His quote pretty much sums up the state of our food industry.
“Saying everybody needs to be the same weight is like saying all people should be the same height." (via cynflr) →
education.nationalgeographic.com
The Health at Every Size group was encouraged to eat when they were hungry and to appreciate the feeling of fullness, to make healthy food choices, and to find a style of physical activity that was most enjoyable for them. They were not given a list of “forbidden foods,” nor were they told to exercise to lose weight. They were also given techniques to build their self-esteem and to increase the confidence they had in their bodies.
After two years, both groups weighed approximately the same. The women in the weight-loss group lost some weight after six months, but regained it after two years. The women in the Health at Every Size group had healthier blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and were more physically active than the dieting group.
The study’s results came as no surprise to Linda Bacon, researcher and author of Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight. Bacon holds a Ph.D. in physiology with a focus on nutrition and weight regulation.
“Health at Every Size is about taking care of your body without worrying about whether you’re ‘too’ big or small,” she says. “People might think they can tell who’s fit and who’s not by looking at them, but in fact, it’s trickier than that. Lots of people are fat and fit—many avid dancers, runners, lifters, and sports team members are big to start with and stay that way. They tend to be far healthier than thin people who don’t move around much or eat a nutritious mix of foods.Click on the link to read more! Very interesting read.
My experience with PCOS
September is PCOS awareness month. Even though I decided months ago that when it rolled around I was going to take the opportunity to talk about it, I still kept going back and forth on the issue. My symptoms are a huge reason this blog is anonymous. Many of the people I know have no idea what I go through and I’d prefer to keep it that way. I get sick of the pity and being treated differently but I also worry that nobody wanting to talk about it is what’s taking so long for the disorder to get the acknowledgement it deserves. So I think this is as good a time as any to open up and talk about the things I have to deal with. It might even help shed some light on some posts or help someone else.
“You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet.”
—Robb Wolf, Paleo Solution podcast, episode 91 (I think!). LOVE it, although I’m not sure he originated the phrase. (via f-words)
Just a short rant
I seriously have a strong dislike for men right now. After 1 week of following my diet my younger brother has already lost 6 pounds. You can even see a difference in his face, he already looks so much slimmer and healthier. I want their secret! It’s not muscle mass like they claim, I put on muscle easily and work hard to maintain it. It’s not testosterone, otherwise women with PCOS (who have their insulin under control) would lose weight like there’s no tomorrow. No, they’re holding out on us. Guys must have some secret hormone they release by skipping sugar. I think with the way our government likes to throw away money on pointless research, one of us needs to set up a study to identify it once and for all.
If you've lost one pound. If you've lost a hundred pounds. If you've kicked your junk-food habit. If you've eaten a vegetable today. If you walked a block today. If you ran a mile. If you put down a glass of Coke. If you drank five glasses of water. If you've cut 1000 calories or if you've cut 100, take a second to marvel at how far you've come and how far you're able to go.
August 2011
54 posts
Sorry to everyone who left messages days ago and Tumblr pals I haven’t been visiting. I’m just getting over a nasty stomach bug that took about a week to finally start going away. I still feel nauseous at even the thought of food, and of course, the only thing I’ve been able to keep down is high starch products; I’ve been practically living off saltine crackers for days. Which come to think of it might be aggravating my stomach even more, but I chose to deal with the nasty side effects of foods sensitivities rather than starve. I’m hoping it’ll be completely gone in a couple more days, until then lots of rest and more quere posts.
6 Reasons Why You're Not Losing Weight →
wannabevamp.tumblr.com
Tips and tricks articles tend to relay the same information as other articles and sites, wording things differently to try and sound unique. However, I found a few tips which I believe are worth passing along that I have not seen elsewhere recently.
1. Eat real food. Read labels of pre-packaged things you plan on purchasing. If you don’t recognise an ingredient, try to find something more natural or organic.
2. Take the time to relax and de-stress. Your body does not differentiate between types of stress, so breaking up with a significant other recently means the same thing to your brain as being worried about a shortage of game to hunt on the plains. Your body produces a hormone called cortisol which worsens insulin resistance and promotes the storage of fat.
3. Remember that if you are working on strength training while losing weight, the number on your scale might not be as low as you’d hoped. This is because while you may be losing fat, you’re gaining muscle.
4. You might be working your body too hard. If you force yourself to stay above 75% of your maximum heart rate for extended periods of time, you can lapse into what’s known as chronic cardio. This state begins to burn glycogen causing your body to crave more sugar and produce more cortisol.
5. You might not have fully purged your cupboards. If you keep junk in your house, you’re more likely to eat it and that means weight plateaus, or gain. If you feel badly about throwing things away, see if your local shelters or food banks will take the stuff as a donation.
6. Remember that you’re in this for the long haul. Don’t expect results right away and stay consistent to better your chances at reaching your goals.
“When friends tell you how awesome you look, drop the “I still have more to go” crap. You worked hard and you deserve the compliment!”
—Jillian Michaels (via food-fitness-fun-dance)
FDA attacks walnut and cherries but is chummy with processed food manufacturers →
thehealthyadvocate.com
The Healthy Advocate has wrote a detailed entry about the US Food and Drug Administration’s latest hypocritical behavior. As of June of this year they have told walnut and cherry distributing companies that they’re no longer allowed to promote their products by advertising its health benefits. Even giving them an ultimatum of removing the claim or risk having their products seized. Yet they continue to allow many processed foods such as Cheerios and Frito Lay to do just that and even allow them get away with claiming their products are “all natural” in spite of containing genetically modified ingredients.
