Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category
Week 3 Challenge
I am writing to you from Denver Colorado….where we are watching the Women’s Final Four Basketball Tournament! Did I mention that we were on TV (only because we sat in front of Condoleezza Rice….I thought maybe it was my bright yellow shirt and my sunny personality). That doesn’t mean I am not thinking about your fitness!!!! Are you ready for the WEEK 3 CHALLENGE??
In week 3 our challenge is to get 5 cups of Veggies and Fruits per day-
Preferably 3 cups of veggies and 2 cups of fruits. Check out these recipes and more information about the benefits of eating vegetables and fruits.
Remember we are keeping up with the following:
Week 1 Challenge- 60oz of H2O daily
Week 2- 500 Temple Crunches per week
Week 3- 5 cups of veggies and fruits per day
Keep up the great work everyone!!!!!
Signing off now….need to make sure Orion’s form is good on her temple crunchesJ
H2O CHALLENGE!
Ok, everyone Spring Training is underway…..today was the first day of our 4 week session of Seattle’s Best Boot Camp. We will be having a different challenge each week…..our first challenge is to get a minimum of 60 0z (approximately 8 8 oz glasses) of water daily for 7 days…..If you already do this bump it up to 80 oz. I’m challenging my boot campers to drink WATER not a sports drink, or spirits…..just plain old water!!! WE CAN DO THIS…..the key is to have a water bottle or a cup of water at your desk or with you at all times! Try to drink consistently during the day. For more information about the health benefits of water check out this article from the Mayo Clinic . If you are training for a specific endurance event and you are working for longer than 90 min you should be drinking a sports drink with electrolytes and taking in more fluids……how much depends on how much you sweat etc.
Stay tuned for next week’s challenge!
Nuts vs Potatoes!
Now that Summer is officially here it is time to hit the farmer’s markets for some healthy snacks!! My neighborhood market, the Wallingford Farmer’s Market is awesome! I came across an interesting article in the Washington Post about a Harvard Study which details foods that keep weight off and foods that cause weight gain over time. CHECK IT OUT! I live a block from Dicks where people line up to get there fries and shakes…..maybe the lines will be shorter after people read this article!!!!
Confused by Carbs?
Oh those carbs….they sure have gotten a bad rap over the last decade! I remember the good old days when ‘white rice’ (which happens to be my people’s food and the bad mouthing of it would make my Japanese grandma roll over in her grave) was a not a bad word. What about bread and pasta?…..Yikes more bad words!
I don’t know about you, but I am confused and need to fuel my body efficiently for my training. So for those of you who are training for running events, triathlons, parenthood, roller derby, boot camp, cycling, and skiing how should you fuel your body? What if you are trying to keep your body fat down, stay strong and eat healthy? What do you eat?
If you are thinking about eating a carbo-free diet to get strong and lean….think again.
I came across an article by sports nutritionist Nancy Clark. Check it out
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/nutrition/nancy/carb_confusion.html
Ding Dongs are a Deal!
After months, I finally saw the film, Food Inc. Wow…..I actually did lose sleep from it….very difficult to do for me as I am up at the crack every morning!
I think everyone should see this film…..why?- because it gets us to think about where we get our food. It also illustrates the alarming rise of obesity and type 2 diabetes- two diseases that have driven health care costs into the billions of dollars. Certainly there was some bias but I felt Kenner did a good job of raising awareness and addressing some of the problems in an enormous industry with powerful political allies.
A couple of points that I thought were glaring:
1. The meat industry makes me want to hurl. Most of the people who might be tempted to see Food, Inc. likely already knew that. But injury rates for workers are high and animals and workers are treated terribly. Competition drives companies to cut corners in order to attract and keep customers. In the food industry, those effects can be pretty bad. Most of us know these things but it is good to actually get a picture of our food source.
“A culture that just uses a pig as a pile of protoplasmic inanimate structure, to be manipulated by whatever creative design the human can foist on that critter, will probably view individuals within its community, and other cultures in the community of nations, with the same type of disdain and disrespect and controlling type mentalities.” Joe Salatin
2. The corn subsidies in the U.S. are off the hook! Those subsidies result in overproduction of corn (and also of High-Fructose Corn Syrup). We know this is not healthy for us and the result is that bad food is more affordable than nutritious food. Politically powerful food companies love the subsidies (since they keep the price of ingredients down) so the food-buying consumer goes on being subjected to all the wrong incentives.
To illustrate this point, Dr. Adam Drewnowski, Director, Nutritional Sciences Program at the University of Washington and world-renowned leader in research for the prevention and treatment of obesity distinguishes between “energy-dense” and “nutrient-dense” foods. For energy-dense, think of a package of Ding Dongs — 360 calories, 19 grams of fat, and an liberal amount of high-fructose corn syrup. For nutrient-dense, think of a three-ounce serving of wild salmon, delivering high-quality protein and essential fatty acids, among other nutrients, in a 185-calorie package. The former will run you about a buck at any supermarket in the country. For the latter, prepare to shell out $5 (keep in mind that 3oz is not even a ¼ lb) at the Whole Foods fish counter. The Ding Dong is a deal!
According to Drewnowski, cheap and abundant additives such as HFCS allow manufacturers to sweeten food liberally without adding much to their production costs. For people on a tight budget, these additives can also make cheap food the most efficient way to get calories.
So how do we change all of this?…..Well it is up to us. Consumer pressure and the legal system changed the tobacco industry, don’t you think we can change a crappy food industry? For a list of 10 things you can do to change our food system go to:
http://www.foodincmovie.com/food_inc_5×7_v3.html
My favorite character in the film, Joel Salatin, an American farmer, said it best….”You, as a food buyer, have the distinct privilege of proactively participating in shaping the world your children will inherit.”
For all of you reading this out there…..your homework is to see Food Inc.
Check out a few reviews:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31126198/
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1904144,00.html