As I mentioned the other day, calorie counting is not really something I love. But having gotten to 204# and knowing from experience that it worked, I've committed to it for a month. This time I am using an app (Cronometer) that has really made the worst parts of it much easier while providing a wealth of previously hard to ferret out information about my diet.
Here are a couple of things that I have learned so far.
1. I eat when I eat, not when I am hungry. A lot of my eating was nothing more than habit. Sure I love nachos and ice cream (not together!) but am I really hungry? Many, maybe most, times no.
2. My diet was not as perfectly balanced as I thought it was. For example, I am falling about 15% short of the protein I need every day, while consuming almost 800% of the iron. It's taking some thought to change this, but awareness was the first step.
3. I have re-discovered portion sizes. Its amazing how our perception of a normal portion of food creeps up over time. Even if you are eating all the right things, eating too much of them is going to add pounds over time.
4. Calorie counting motivates me to exercise. You want that pizza for dinner tonight? You can have it! But you have to go burn off 500 calories first. For me that is about an hour and forty minutes of brisk walking. Don't feel like walking today? No problem. But no pizza. It makes these choices explicit and the trade-offs become decisions. I look at exercise as extra calories to eat now rather than an annoying thing I need to do.
5. Success feels pretty good. In my first two weeks I have shed over 6 pounds and am already 2/3 of the way toward meeting my goal for the month. I definitely do not feel hungry all the time, I have tweaked my menus a bit but eat mostly the same foods I had been eating anyway (just a little less), I've not missed a single day exercising and I don't spend hours obsessing over the whole thing.
I also feel more in control. When and what and how much I eat are becoming conscious choices that I make with a goal in mind.
I've still got a way to go, and I also know from experience how easily such progress can be reversed. But so far, I'm feeling pretty good about it all.
17 February 2020
14 February 2020
5 Myths About Food Safety
According to the World Health Organization, every year 600 million people are made ill by contaminated food. That is 1 person in 10 worldwide. Four hundred twenty thousand of them die. In the United Stated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that each year 87 million Americans are affected, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.
Food poisoning is the result of consuming food that has been contaminated by bacteria, viruses or parasites. In the US, bacterial contamination is the main cause but all are a concern. Here are five commonly held food safety beliefs that turn out to be myths.
1. If it smells ok, it is.
Odds are that if you have food in the fridge that fails the "smell test" it gets tossed. But according to the US Department of Agriculture, the bacteria causing that spoilage may make the food taste bad, but they won't make you sick. The bacteria that will really make you ill grow at room temperature and they will not cause your food to smell or taste bad.
Don't rely on your nose to detect harmful bacteria.
2. If it's past the "best by" date, throw it out.
The "sell by", "best by", "enjoy by" and "expiration" dates on food packaging are nothing more than the manufacturer's best guess as to how long the food will taste fresh. So they are quality estimates and have nothing to do with how safe the food is to eat. It is not time that makes foods unsafe, it is that they become contaminated with bacteria - most of which originate in raw meat and poultry.
Part of the confusion stems from most people's belief that the government regulates expiration dates. It doesn't. That may change. The Food Date Labeling Act currently under consideration in Congress would require foods to use one of two regulated labels. ""Best If Used By", which is similar to today's labeling and indicates taste and quality. And "Use by", which will indicate if the food is safe to eat.
3. Sanitize kitchen sponges and dishcloths when they start to smell.
In a recent study by NSF International (a non-profit that certifies appliances, food processing equipment and water filters) 86% of household sponges and dishcloths contained yeast and mold and 77% were contaminated with coliform bacteria. Again, don't trust your nose. Sterilize sponges daily by zapping them for 2 minutes in the microwave or soak them in a dilute chlorine bleach solution. Replace sponges frequently (they are cheap).
4. You can't refreeze thawed meat.
Yeah, you can. As long as it was thawed in the refrigerator and not allowed to sit out at room temperature. While it is perfectly safe to refreeze raw or cooked meat that was thawed in the refrigerator, refreezing will make it less tender.
5. Using a hand sanitizer kills nearly all germs.
Despite what it may say on the bottle, alcohol-based hand sanitizers will not kill many parasites and bacteria, including the Clostridium which can be life-threatening. Nor are they very effective against viruses. Washing your hands with soap and water for 30 seconds is a superior preventative to any hand sanitizer. So do so often when preparing food, especially when handling raw meat or poultry.
Most bacterial contamination comes from letting food sit too long at room temperature or from transferring bacteria from raw meat and poultry to other foods. Use a separate cutting board for meats, wash your hands often and don't let foods sit out for more than an hour or so and you greatly reduce the odds of any problems. When to toss it? If you don't use leftovers within 4 or 5 days either freeze them or dump them.
Food poisoning is the result of consuming food that has been contaminated by bacteria, viruses or parasites. In the US, bacterial contamination is the main cause but all are a concern. Here are five commonly held food safety beliefs that turn out to be myths.
1. If it smells ok, it is.
Odds are that if you have food in the fridge that fails the "smell test" it gets tossed. But according to the US Department of Agriculture, the bacteria causing that spoilage may make the food taste bad, but they won't make you sick. The bacteria that will really make you ill grow at room temperature and they will not cause your food to smell or taste bad.
Don't rely on your nose to detect harmful bacteria.
2. If it's past the "best by" date, throw it out.
The "sell by", "best by", "enjoy by" and "expiration" dates on food packaging are nothing more than the manufacturer's best guess as to how long the food will taste fresh. So they are quality estimates and have nothing to do with how safe the food is to eat. It is not time that makes foods unsafe, it is that they become contaminated with bacteria - most of which originate in raw meat and poultry.
Part of the confusion stems from most people's belief that the government regulates expiration dates. It doesn't. That may change. The Food Date Labeling Act currently under consideration in Congress would require foods to use one of two regulated labels. ""Best If Used By", which is similar to today's labeling and indicates taste and quality. And "Use by", which will indicate if the food is safe to eat.
3. Sanitize kitchen sponges and dishcloths when they start to smell.
In a recent study by NSF International (a non-profit that certifies appliances, food processing equipment and water filters) 86% of household sponges and dishcloths contained yeast and mold and 77% were contaminated with coliform bacteria. Again, don't trust your nose. Sterilize sponges daily by zapping them for 2 minutes in the microwave or soak them in a dilute chlorine bleach solution. Replace sponges frequently (they are cheap).
4. You can't refreeze thawed meat.
Yeah, you can. As long as it was thawed in the refrigerator and not allowed to sit out at room temperature. While it is perfectly safe to refreeze raw or cooked meat that was thawed in the refrigerator, refreezing will make it less tender.
5. Using a hand sanitizer kills nearly all germs.
Despite what it may say on the bottle, alcohol-based hand sanitizers will not kill many parasites and bacteria, including the Clostridium which can be life-threatening. Nor are they very effective against viruses. Washing your hands with soap and water for 30 seconds is a superior preventative to any hand sanitizer. So do so often when preparing food, especially when handling raw meat or poultry.
Most bacterial contamination comes from letting food sit too long at room temperature or from transferring bacteria from raw meat and poultry to other foods. Use a separate cutting board for meats, wash your hands often and don't let foods sit out for more than an hour or so and you greatly reduce the odds of any problems. When to toss it? If you don't use leftovers within 4 or 5 days either freeze them or dump them.
12 February 2020
Try Cronometer for Diet Tracking
Every once in a while my weight gets a little out of control. I'm not talking about packing on 50 pounds or being noticeably overweight. I eat obsessively well. I exercise. But at 6' tall, anything much over 195 pounds is too much. And at this time of year, after the holidays are over and the winter has started in earnest, I seem to be prone to gaining more weight than I am willing to carry. Also, I have learned from experience that the longer I let it go, the harder it gets to fix.
So when I got on the scale about two weeks ago and it flashed 204 at me, I knew it was time to do something.
When I say "do something", I mean count calories. No matter what you may hear, losing a little weight is nothing more than burning more calories than you consume. It is as simple as that. But there is often nothing easy about it. Because I hate counting calories. HATE!
The last time I had to do it was several years ago. I was successful and got to my target weight, but it was miserable. So once I accepted the need to do it again, I went searching for a tool that would make it less awful.
The last few times I used a web site to track what I ate and the exercise that I got, calorie by calorie. I knew the net calories (consumed less burned) I had to live with each day to lose weight at a healthy 1 or 2 pounds a week and the site let me record and track it all. In about 3 months I was back down to my goal weight.
But it was a pain. I mean a real pain in the ass. A lot of the foods that I was eating were not listed in the site's database and it was rare that the portions they used matched the way real people (e.g., me) ate. I was spending a lot of time creating food and exercise entries, converting units to match their pre-set idea of a portion and generally finding it annoying. I really, REALLY wanted to avoid that this time if possible.
And it was possible!
It turns out that technology, especially smartphone technology, has improved a lot in a few short years. There are dozens of apps to choose among now. Some of them sync with your FitBit and Apple Watch. Others create meals and menus and shopping lists for you. All of them allow you to track what you eat, your exercise and where you stand as you go through the day.
But I wanted something dirt simple, and I found that too.
I wanted to know my calorie target day by day, to quickly see where I stood against my targets, to be able to very simply and easily enter the food I ate and the exercise I did without having to create it all myself or use a calculator to translate portions. I also wanted a good summery of the nutritional breakdown of what I was eating.
I found everything I wanted in an app called Cronometer. (Full disclosure: I am not a marketing affiliate of Cronometer and receive no financial or other compensation from them. I just really like it.) It did everything I wanted, and syncs automatically with my tablet and computer as well. In almost 2 weeks I have had to create only 3 custom foods (my nutrition shakes and a "dinner salad"). The portion drop down menu has exactly what I need 95% of the time. I keep it current in just minutes a day.
And I lost 3 pounds in my first week using it.
It also taught me a lot about how I eat. But that is for next time.
If you are looking for a convenient, easy to use, comprehensive tool to help you lose a few pounds, Cronometer is worth a look.
So when I got on the scale about two weeks ago and it flashed 204 at me, I knew it was time to do something.
When I say "do something", I mean count calories. No matter what you may hear, losing a little weight is nothing more than burning more calories than you consume. It is as simple as that. But there is often nothing easy about it. Because I hate counting calories. HATE!
The last time I had to do it was several years ago. I was successful and got to my target weight, but it was miserable. So once I accepted the need to do it again, I went searching for a tool that would make it less awful.
The last few times I used a web site to track what I ate and the exercise that I got, calorie by calorie. I knew the net calories (consumed less burned) I had to live with each day to lose weight at a healthy 1 or 2 pounds a week and the site let me record and track it all. In about 3 months I was back down to my goal weight.
But it was a pain. I mean a real pain in the ass. A lot of the foods that I was eating were not listed in the site's database and it was rare that the portions they used matched the way real people (e.g., me) ate. I was spending a lot of time creating food and exercise entries, converting units to match their pre-set idea of a portion and generally finding it annoying. I really, REALLY wanted to avoid that this time if possible.
And it was possible!
It turns out that technology, especially smartphone technology, has improved a lot in a few short years. There are dozens of apps to choose among now. Some of them sync with your FitBit and Apple Watch. Others create meals and menus and shopping lists for you. All of them allow you to track what you eat, your exercise and where you stand as you go through the day.
But I wanted something dirt simple, and I found that too.
I wanted to know my calorie target day by day, to quickly see where I stood against my targets, to be able to very simply and easily enter the food I ate and the exercise I did without having to create it all myself or use a calculator to translate portions. I also wanted a good summery of the nutritional breakdown of what I was eating.
I found everything I wanted in an app called Cronometer. (Full disclosure: I am not a marketing affiliate of Cronometer and receive no financial or other compensation from them. I just really like it.) It did everything I wanted, and syncs automatically with my tablet and computer as well. In almost 2 weeks I have had to create only 3 custom foods (my nutrition shakes and a "dinner salad"). The portion drop down menu has exactly what I need 95% of the time. I keep it current in just minutes a day.
And I lost 3 pounds in my first week using it.
It also taught me a lot about how I eat. But that is for next time.
If you are looking for a convenient, easy to use, comprehensive tool to help you lose a few pounds, Cronometer is worth a look.
10 February 2020
Are You a Sugar Addict?
There is a fast growing scientific consensus that consuming too much sugar is a leading cause of nearly all of America's largest health problems, including obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes. In his book "The Hacking of the American Mind", Dr Robert Lustig lays out a compelling case for how the effects of excessive sugar consumption on brain chemistry makes it addictive as well as damaging to your health.
As is true with sodium, some people are more sensitive to sugar's effects than others but for all of us it lights up the same areas of the brain as cocaine. If you have an admitted sweet tooth, a history of depression or have ever abused alcohol or drugs, it is likely that sugar has a powerful affect on dopamine levels in your brain.
Regardless of whether or not you are especially sensitive to sugar's mood altering magic, cutting down on it is probably a pretty good idea for just about all of us. Here are a few recommended tactics for doing to.
1. Eat Breakfast, but Thoughtfully.
Its not just a matter of eating breakfast, but of what you eat. A doughnut or a white flower bagel probably does more harm than good. Build breakfast around protein. That means eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese or even last night's leftover chicken. Cottage cheese is high in protein and relatively low in calories so it is a great choice. Round it out with some complex carbs (whole grains like oatmeal or 100% whole wheat toast). This approach will minimize that "11 am crash" that white flour and sugar treat us to.
2. Eliminate "Added Sugar" as Much as You Can.
Sugar has become ubiquitous (that means it is in everything), so avoiding it entirely is probably impossible. Besides, some sugar is not a bad thing. It provides ready energy. But go for the naturally occurring sugars found in fruits, vegetables and dairy (mostly glucose and fructose) and try to avoid the sugar that is added by the manufacturer to make the food sweeter (mostly sucrose and high-fructose syrups). This is a lot easier since January 1, 2020, when the FCA began requiring added sugar to be listed explicitly on nutrition labels.
3. Go Brown.
Instead of white flour, rice and processed grains, make the switch to whole grains. Don't be fooled by the word "Wheat". Most flour is going to be wheat flour. Make sure it says "100% Whole Wheat" or that Whole Wheat Flour is the first listed ingredient.
4. Be Deliberate.
Don't eat on autopilot. Are you really hungry or does the very idea of those soft chew chocolate chip cookies in the cabinet set off cravings? There is nothing wrong with enjoying a cookie or a bowl of ice cream. But take a look at what a serving is (1 or 2 cookies or 1/2cup of ice cream) and stick to it. Make sweets a treat and not a habit. I know this is easier said than done. Limit what you have in the house if it is too challenging at first. It gets easier.
5. Ease Into It.
Curbing sugar consumption can be as difficult as quitting smoking for some people. Some people can go cold turkey. Most cannot. Don't beat yourself up over it. Take it step by step. Whatever you CAN accomplish will be an improvement and in time you will be able to do more. Its take some time to "re-educate" your taste (a couple of weeks) so be patient with yourself and celebrate your progress.
As with any change, the two most difficult steps are getting started and keeping going. The good news is that, perhaps after an initially uncomfortable few weeks, it does get easier and you will start to feel better for it. Yes, you will feel the difference.
As is true with sodium, some people are more sensitive to sugar's effects than others but for all of us it lights up the same areas of the brain as cocaine. If you have an admitted sweet tooth, a history of depression or have ever abused alcohol or drugs, it is likely that sugar has a powerful affect on dopamine levels in your brain.
Regardless of whether or not you are especially sensitive to sugar's mood altering magic, cutting down on it is probably a pretty good idea for just about all of us. Here are a few recommended tactics for doing to.
1. Eat Breakfast, but Thoughtfully.
Its not just a matter of eating breakfast, but of what you eat. A doughnut or a white flower bagel probably does more harm than good. Build breakfast around protein. That means eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese or even last night's leftover chicken. Cottage cheese is high in protein and relatively low in calories so it is a great choice. Round it out with some complex carbs (whole grains like oatmeal or 100% whole wheat toast). This approach will minimize that "11 am crash" that white flour and sugar treat us to.
2. Eliminate "Added Sugar" as Much as You Can.
Sugar has become ubiquitous (that means it is in everything), so avoiding it entirely is probably impossible. Besides, some sugar is not a bad thing. It provides ready energy. But go for the naturally occurring sugars found in fruits, vegetables and dairy (mostly glucose and fructose) and try to avoid the sugar that is added by the manufacturer to make the food sweeter (mostly sucrose and high-fructose syrups). This is a lot easier since January 1, 2020, when the FCA began requiring added sugar to be listed explicitly on nutrition labels.
3. Go Brown.
Instead of white flour, rice and processed grains, make the switch to whole grains. Don't be fooled by the word "Wheat". Most flour is going to be wheat flour. Make sure it says "100% Whole Wheat" or that Whole Wheat Flour is the first listed ingredient.
4. Be Deliberate.
Don't eat on autopilot. Are you really hungry or does the very idea of those soft chew chocolate chip cookies in the cabinet set off cravings? There is nothing wrong with enjoying a cookie or a bowl of ice cream. But take a look at what a serving is (1 or 2 cookies or 1/2cup of ice cream) and stick to it. Make sweets a treat and not a habit. I know this is easier said than done. Limit what you have in the house if it is too challenging at first. It gets easier.
5. Ease Into It.
Curbing sugar consumption can be as difficult as quitting smoking for some people. Some people can go cold turkey. Most cannot. Don't beat yourself up over it. Take it step by step. Whatever you CAN accomplish will be an improvement and in time you will be able to do more. Its take some time to "re-educate" your taste (a couple of weeks) so be patient with yourself and celebrate your progress.
As with any change, the two most difficult steps are getting started and keeping going. The good news is that, perhaps after an initially uncomfortable few weeks, it does get easier and you will start to feel better for it. Yes, you will feel the difference.
07 February 2020
Supplementers Beware
As many of you know, I have a business selling, among other things, dietary supplements. So it may surprise you to know that I am a big fan of increased regulation of the industry by the FDA. Nearly 70%% of Americans take one or more supplements at least once a week and, while most people assume that they are safe, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned.
For one thing the FDA does not do - or even require - comprehensive testing of dietary supplements. Not for effectiveness, and not for safety. Instead they rely on the manufacturer to self-report any problems after the fact. Independent tests consistently reveal variances of -50% to +500% between the nutrition labeling and actual content of various supplements. Sometimes this is harmless - other than not giving you what you paid for. Other times it can cause serious health issues or even death. Just ask Gary Null, a vendor hospitalized for taking his own product.
Other than wildly inaccurate doses of what you want in your supplement, you are often likely to find things there that you don't want there at all. Traces of prescription pharmaceuticals (the FDA will act on this if and when they find out about it) or other unhealthy ingredients or contaminants. In a 2019 Consumer Reports study of echinacea and tumeric supplements, more than a third were found to have elevated levels of lead.
Congress is currently working (at its usual snail's pace) on legislation that would increase funding for the FDA to provide better oversight of supplement products. In the meantime, it is up to you to protect yourself. There are plenty of reputable companies manufacturing accurately labeled, safely produced supplement products. These are not necessarily the cheapest bottles on the shelf because quality and testing costs money.
If you do decide to supplement (I do every day) invest a little time up front to investigate the company you are thinking of purchasing from. How long have they been in business? Do they have a history of complaints or enforcement issues? Do they make their own products at their own facilities, or job shop it out to a mass producer? How did they perform in their last FDA GMP audit (an inspection of their facilities and manufacturing processes). Google makes all this pretty easy. Gary Null would approve.
For one thing the FDA does not do - or even require - comprehensive testing of dietary supplements. Not for effectiveness, and not for safety. Instead they rely on the manufacturer to self-report any problems after the fact. Independent tests consistently reveal variances of -50% to +500% between the nutrition labeling and actual content of various supplements. Sometimes this is harmless - other than not giving you what you paid for. Other times it can cause serious health issues or even death. Just ask Gary Null, a vendor hospitalized for taking his own product.
Other than wildly inaccurate doses of what you want in your supplement, you are often likely to find things there that you don't want there at all. Traces of prescription pharmaceuticals (the FDA will act on this if and when they find out about it) or other unhealthy ingredients or contaminants. In a 2019 Consumer Reports study of echinacea and tumeric supplements, more than a third were found to have elevated levels of lead.
Congress is currently working (at its usual snail's pace) on legislation that would increase funding for the FDA to provide better oversight of supplement products. In the meantime, it is up to you to protect yourself. There are plenty of reputable companies manufacturing accurately labeled, safely produced supplement products. These are not necessarily the cheapest bottles on the shelf because quality and testing costs money.
If you do decide to supplement (I do every day) invest a little time up front to investigate the company you are thinking of purchasing from. How long have they been in business? Do they have a history of complaints or enforcement issues? Do they make their own products at their own facilities, or job shop it out to a mass producer? How did they perform in their last FDA GMP audit (an inspection of their facilities and manufacturing processes). Google makes all this pretty easy. Gary Null would approve.
05 February 2020
Fast Food Chains Fail on Antibiotic Laced Meats
Nearly all fast food chains are serving beef from animals raised with antibiotics, according to Consumer Reports "Chain Reaction Report 2019". Of the 25 chains named in the report fifteen earned a grade of F for not even having a policy on using beef from antibiotic-treated animals - let alone not serving it. Only 2 chains earned an A for using only beef raised without the drugs.
The chains did a little better where poultry is concerned, with 13 of them having "responsible" antibiotic policies in place for chicken.
For the complete list of chains and the grades they received, go to USPIRG.org.
Why does this even matter?
By now you have certainly heard about the problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Each year over 3 million Americans become infected with an antibiotic resistant bacteria, mostly after undergoing a hospital procedure, and 48,000 of them die.
Antibiotics save human and animal lives, but when they are used, they can contribute to the development of resistance. Animals get sick, just like people, and treatment should not be delayed or avoided for sick animals. But when animals are given antibiotics for growth promotion or increased feed efficiency, bacteria are exposed to low doses of these drugs over a long period of time. This is inappropriate antibiotic use and can lead to the development of resistant bacteria.
The World Health Organization describes the rise of resistant bacteria as "one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today". Antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world. New resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases. A growing list of infections – such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning, gonorrhoea, and foodborne diseases – are becoming harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat as antibiotics become less effective.
Without urgent action, we are heading for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill, and where even minor surgery cannot be performed because the risk of infection is simply too high.
That seems like a high price to pay for meat that is neither tastier nor more nutritious than that from responsibly raised animals. Given their huge economic influence on meat producers, fast food chains can be a big part of either the problem or the solution. Let them know which you prefer.
The chains did a little better where poultry is concerned, with 13 of them having "responsible" antibiotic policies in place for chicken.
For the complete list of chains and the grades they received, go to USPIRG.org.
Why does this even matter?
By now you have certainly heard about the problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Each year over 3 million Americans become infected with an antibiotic resistant bacteria, mostly after undergoing a hospital procedure, and 48,000 of them die.
Antibiotics save human and animal lives, but when they are used, they can contribute to the development of resistance. Animals get sick, just like people, and treatment should not be delayed or avoided for sick animals. But when animals are given antibiotics for growth promotion or increased feed efficiency, bacteria are exposed to low doses of these drugs over a long period of time. This is inappropriate antibiotic use and can lead to the development of resistant bacteria.
The World Health Organization describes the rise of resistant bacteria as "one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today". Antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world. New resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases. A growing list of infections – such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning, gonorrhoea, and foodborne diseases – are becoming harder, and sometimes impossible, to treat as antibiotics become less effective.
Without urgent action, we are heading for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill, and where even minor surgery cannot be performed because the risk of infection is simply too high.
That seems like a high price to pay for meat that is neither tastier nor more nutritious than that from responsibly raised animals. Given their huge economic influence on meat producers, fast food chains can be a big part of either the problem or the solution. Let them know which you prefer.
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