Not Sustainable

“Every weight loss program, no matter how positively it’s packaged, whispers to you that you’re not right. You’re not good enough. You’re unacceptable and you need to be fixed.”
― Kim Brittingham

 

I don’t like weight loss programs. I don’t like gimmicky weight loss diets. I don’t like meal replacements. I don’t like ways of eating that try to cut out whole macros (fat, carbs, protein). Why? THESE WAYS OF LIFE ARE NOT SUSTAINABLE AND FOR THE MOST PART ARE NOT SAFE.

Recently, I had a friend tell me they were doing a weight loss program that is similar to Medifast. There are several meal replacements throughout the day, and then one meal of their making. Now, beyond this being expensive – you can pay up to $500 for a month of meal replacements – it also has you eating only about 1000 calories a day, give or take a few.

The minimum a human being should be ingesting is around 1200 calories. However, if you are 350 lbs, and you start out your weight loss by eating 1200 calories, you are going to eventually plateau, and then you have no way to reduce calories further in a healthy way. And, if you exercise, you need MORE than 1200 calories a day.

Not to mention, you are eating a TON of processed food – which isn’t good for you. No matter how many claims the labels make.

So, how is this sustainable? If you are ingesting 1000 calories a day, you are not losing weight because you are getting healthy. You are losing weight because you are starving yourself. Now, I will say here that I am not a medical professional, so you can take or leave my opinion.

Are these diets good to lose weight fast? Yes. Are they healthy? No. Are you going to gain the weight back and be less healthy if you go off of it? Probably.

Now, let’s move on to gimmicky diets – the master cleanse, the cabagge soup diet, the grapefruit diet, etc. Come on. You are smarter than that. See above, but realize that these are even worse for you. That’s all I have to say.

And finally, the macro cutting diets – low fat, low carb, low protein – enough. Just eat real food. Cutting out a macro your body needs isn’t natural. Just stop it. Unless you have a serious medical condition that requires this kind of diet, there isn’t a point in it.

Why are all of these diets popular? Why is the diet industry a several billion dollar industry? Because no one wants to wait. Everyone wants to see results now. And no one is really focused on health. They are focused on weight loss.

The basis of any of these plans is that there is something wrong with you that you need to change, and that thing is your weight and the way you look. That you are not good enough. Do you know what freed me from this crazy, soul sucking rollercoaster? Getting sick. Having to manage my diabetes. Realizing that a gimmick wasn’t going to save my life.

Do you know what did? Eating whole foods. Drinking a lot of water. Trying to get a few more minutes of purposeful movement a day. That is why my A1C went from 11.8 to 7.2 in just a few months.

I’ve currently made a switch to a mostly plant-based way of eating. Why? Not because I want to lose weight. Not because I see it as a trend or gimmick or way to lose weight fast. Instead, I see it as a way to improve my overall health – mind, body, and spirit. I’m using meditation and yoga to combat stress, and I am happy that I am not contributing as much to the destruction of the planet by lowering my animal product consumption. We would like to eventually go to zero animal product consumption, while also not eating processed foods. Maybe I will get there. My husband is now on board, so I have some support, and I think we’re going to be successful.

Do I think you need to eat this way? Yes. Do you need to eat the way I do? No. But I think if you want to achieve optimal health and heal your body, you need to do it with food, and there is no fast way to do it – no magic pill. There is just this formula – Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants.

What is Being Fed to Our Kids?

Recently, I wrote a blog post concerning a campaign to end childhood obesity sponsored by Pioneering Healthier Communities, which depicted the exposed abdomens of overweight children with the phrases “Marion We Have a Problem…” and “1 in 3 of Our Fifth Graders are Obese” (don’t mind the grammatical errors, I try to ignore them).

So, I started looking into Pioneering Healthier Communities. I found that one of the programs that they support (I’m not sure if they sponsor it, but they do have info about it on their website) is the USDA Summer Food Service Program that takes place in Marion, Ohio school yards and community spaces during the summer months. Before I launch into this, let me say that I believe this is a much needed program, because kids need a way to get lunch during the summer — a meal they may not get otherwise.

However, when I saw what they were serving one day, I started to think, “You know, school and summer lunch program foods may be part of the obesity issue” — a point that has been well established in the past, even garnering attention from First Lady Michelle Obama. While I know that part of the responsibility falls on parents, we cannot blame them 100% for their children’s eating habits if their kids are eating things like this at school. Oh, I guess I should tell you what the meal was, huh? It was a hamburger, Fritos, a pickle spear, a fruit juice slushie, and a choice of regular or chocolate milk.

When I saw this lunch, I thought to myself, “How can PHC be supporting this program, when it is obviously perpetuating a culture of junk food for our kids?” So, I wrote this on PHC’s Facebook page:

I was just wondering if PHC has something in the works to better the food offered through the Summer Food Service Program. Today, the kids were served hamburgers, pickles, Fritos, and slushies. If this is what we are touting as a “healthy” meal, I think we are setting the kids up to fail before we even start. I mean, if PHC wants to fight childhood obesity, maybe the summer and school lunch programs would be a good place to start, especially since many kids have two meals a day at schools during the school year.

And yes, I know there are standards [Page 8]. But, how does the lunch I described fit into those standards?

When I saw that my questions had disappeared from PHC’s Facebook wall, I assumed that they had been erased. Apparently, it was only hidden or placed elsewhere, because this morning, I received a response from Marion City Schools Food Service Director, Winnie Brewer:

We do have standards that summer lunch must follow. The regulations are a little less stringent than the lunch program throughout the school year. We strive to meet the balance of serving a nutritious and something the children will actually eat. Sometimes the “healthy” side of the food is a bit hidden to make it appear more appealing to our kids. The hamburger is baked, not fried and served on a whole grain bun. The fritos are whole grain based and the slush cup is 100% fruit juice that qualifies as a fruit component. There was also a pickle spear in the lunch which is a vegetable that most kids will eat and low fat milk. Nutrition only works if the child actually eats the food. I would absolutely welcome any suggestions on food items that could fit into the summer lunch program as we strive to offer variety of menus that everyone will approve. Please keep in mind that preparation, delivery and service of the summer food meals is quite different than the regular school year. We are limited on what we can serve based on the health and safety standards of the foods transported to parks and playgrounds. It is served outside on picnic tables, not in a cafeteria.

Thank you,
Winnie

This brought up some more interesting questions and points for me, especially when it came to what was being provided for the kids, and what was considered nutritional. So, I felt the need to respond again this afternoon:

Thank you for the response to my questions. I appreciate your willingness to reply and accept suggestions. However, I do have some more questions first:

1) “Sometimes the ‘healthy’ side of food is a bit hidden to make it appear more appealing to kids.” – What kind of food culture does this set up for kids? If kids eat corn dogs, pizza, hamburgers, French fries, and chicken nuggets in school, and they believe they are getting a healthy meal, then what is stopping them from eating the same junk food when they are teens and adults? Where is the culture to teach kids about nutrition instead of giving in because they may not want to eat a vegetable if it looks like a vegetable? How does that teach children anything viable about nutrition, so they can then apply it to their own lives, or take it home to their families?

2) “The hamburger is baked” – That’s great, and I’m happy that you later mention the bun is whole grain. But, what is in the hamburger? What are the ingredients on the box? Do they come to you already formed, processed, frozen patties, or are you able to use fresh hamburger? Do you know what part of the cow you are serving to these children?

3) “the slush cup is 100% fruit juice…” – Why not give the children a piece of fruit? Did you know that a Harvard University study in 2013 concluded that eating certain whole fruits every week could decrease your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, while having two servings of fruit juice can increase your chances of developing it? Processed fruit juice loses many of the fruit’s nutrients, and all of the fiber, which makes it not as effective nutritionally as a serving of whole fruit.

4) “The pickle spear in the lunch which is considered a vegetable…” – So, in the same regard, is relish now considered a vegetable? Is ketchup considered a vegetable or fruit serving? While the main ingredient in a pickle is a cucumber, it also has many ingredients added to it to make it a pickle. It is laden with salt. One serving of dill pickles can have up to 20% of the daily value for sodium. How is this okay to feed to children as a vegetable? Do processed French fries and tater tots also count as a vegetable serving in meals?

5) “The Fritos are whole grain based…” – Once again, I refer back to point one. You are giving children chips as part of a “healthy meal”. If you do not teach them about true nutrition, do you think they will distinguish between whole grain based snacks and non-whole grain snacks outside of school or once they leave school? Not to mention, one serving of Fritos has 10g of fat and 170mg of sodium. And how are Fritos made? They are fried in corn oil. Frying something helps to negate the whole grain standard a little…don’t you think?

6) “and low fat milk…” – I am assuming that chocolate and regular milk were offered, correct? 1 cup of low fat chocolate milk (1/2 pint) approximately 25g of sugar. 1 cup of Pepsi has about 27g of sugar, while 1 cup of Sprite has about 25g of sugar. Granted, soda does not have the calcium and other nutrients that milk has, but why not only offer the regular milk? It doesn’t take a genius to know adding more sugar and flavoring to milk will get more kids to drink it. However, if a child has chocolate milk with breakfast and lunch for school every day for 180 days…and then has chocolate milk for lunch for 40 days during the summer – that is 10,000g of sugar a year, per child….just from milk. There has to be another way.

7) “Nutrition only works if the child actually eats the food.” – I have to say, this is the point that bothers me the most. Nutrition only works if the children are actually taught about nutrition. “Hiding nutrition” in foods that look like something else are not teaching them anything about nutrition or giving them life skills to carry forward into the future. I think the idea that “kids won’t eat that” is a mentality that schools and parents have adopted, which is why we are facing such an obesity crisis in this community. Schools are here to arm children with knowledge to take with them into the future – why should real nutrition be any different?

 

Now, I want your thoughts. What do you think about the status quo? Is it okay to feed kids processed junk food with disguised nutritional aspects instead of giving them real food and teaching them about nutrition? I would love to get some comments on this subject.

 

 

Cleaning Up My Diet

The doctor of the future will give no medicines, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the causes and prevention of disease. ~ Thomas Edison


I’ve been working on losing weight since June 20th, 2014. Actually, scratch that — I’ve been trying to lose weight since sometime in 1988. That is when I started to gain weight, somewhat inexplicably. My diet didn’t change, my activity level didn’t change. Heck, we didn’t really get a computer or video game system in the home until I was either a tween or teen, I think. I was just a pudgy 3rd grader who became a fat 4th grader, and my relationship with my body went downhill from there.

I’ve tried many different things to lose weight over the year – Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers, starvation, exercise, and even a stint of closely following the FDA’s version of the food pyramid, but even that has changed over the years. I fell into a food rut over the last few of years, choosing fast and easy over healthy, and it affected my children and me in a very unhealthy way.

Let me give you an example of my weekly grocery haul as a single, working mother from 2011-2013:

Produce:

• Russet potatoes
• Carrots
• Salad mix (which I would never eat)

 

Meat and Dairy:

• Chicken thighs
• Ground Chuck
• Bologna
• Hot Dogs
• Cubed Ham
• Bacon
• Sausage
• Deli turkey (which I would never eat)
• Whole Milk
• Coffee Creamer
• American Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Yogurt (which I’d never eat)
• Butter

 

Dry & Canned Goods:

• Dinner mixes (think Hamburger Helper)
• Soup
• Mac n cheese
• Chef Boyardee
• Tuna (which usually sat in the cabinet)
• Stuffing
• Jarred gravy
• Canned veggies (usually just corn, peas, and green beans)
• Spaghetti Sauce
• Regular pasta (no whole wheat to be seen)
• Olive Oil
• White Sugar
• White flour

 

Frozen Goods (Here is where it went south REAL quick):

• Pot Pies
• TV Dinners
• Frozen Family Dinners (Salisbury Steak and Turkey)
• Chicken Tenders
• Tater Tots
• Ice Cream
• Burritos

Needless to say (because you just saw it), my grocery hauls left a lot to be desired. It is not surprising that while eating that diet, and at least one daily meal of fast food, my kids and I gained weight. I gained the most. So, in mid-2014, I started to clean up my diet by adopting the practices of clean eating and translating them into a diet with variety that works for me. Over the last year I backslid and battled back again. However, since March, my grocery list has changed quite a bit:

Produce:

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Mangoes
• Lemons
• Limes
• Bananas
• Grapes
• Blackberries
• Pineapple
• Honeydew melon
• Papaya
• Ginger
• Tomatoes
• Avocados
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Dill
• Apples
• Kale
• Red potatoes
• Red and white onions
• Zucchini
• Squash (Yellow, Butternut, Acorn, and Spaghetti)
• Mushrooms (Baby Bellas, Cremini, and shiitake)
• Sweet potatoes (Orange, Red, and Purple)
• Garlic
• Mixed salad greens (Eat all of them!)
• Spinach
• Parsnips
• Beets
• Carrots
• Celery
• Radishes

 

Meat and Dairy:

• Cod Loin
• Tuna Steaks
• Salmon
• Shrimp
• Scallops (on occasion – pricey!)
• Boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Chicken breast
• Ground chicken and turkey
• Unsweetened almond milk
• Coffee creamer
• Natural sour cream
• Unsalted butter
• Eggs
• Egg whites
• Shaved parmesan cheese

 

Dry and Canned Goods:

• Low sugar granola
• Chia seeds
• Hemp seeds
• Old-fashioned oats
• Low sugar cereals (for the kids)
• Whole wheat tortillas
• Whole wheat pasta
• Black beans
• Pinto beans
• Cannellini beans
• Cranberry beans
• Salsa (medium)
• Brown rice
• No salt added sweet corn and diced tomatoes
• Whole wheat pancake mix
• Unsweetened coconut
• Blue corn chips
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Virgin coconut oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Red wine vinegar
• Coconut sugar
• Spices (Salt, Pepper, and any other spice that needs replenishing)
• Whole wheat bread (mostly for the kids)

 

Frozen Goods:

• Brussels sprouts
• Peas
• Mango
• Pineapple

* Note: Links in the grocery list take you to info about the items, either from the store where I buy them or a general article about health benefits. Also, I try to buy every item organic when I can.

As you can see from the list, it’s still not perfect. There are some things I could probably buy a little “cleaner”, but I think the overhaul of my grocery list is impressive. It must be working. I’ve seen slight weight loss in both the kids, and I have lost 66 pounds since the beginning of March 2015. I’m not saying you have to eat this way, but honestly KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) has worked out really well in my diet. Most of the items I buy have less than five ingredients, and the bulk of them only have one or two ingredients. And, having all of this food in my house makes going out for dinner a ridiculous idea. I always have something I can whip up or leftovers.

Taking the processed food, fast food, soda, and junk food out of my house has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I do my food shopping at three stories now (Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Kroger) on Fridays, and then I buy any supplemental items (fish and produce mostly) throughout the week at Kroger. Someone told me once that it was easy to lose weight, and I laughed so hard at them. But, in reality, you are what you eat. I never realized that before. You really are.

 

Articles about Bad Foods or “What Makes Tabitha Rage”

“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” ― Maya Angelou

Everyone wants to diet make healthy changes. But, in reality, what a lot of people want to do is make healthy changes for a short amount of time to find the magic bullet to lose weight. Then, they want to go back to how they ate before. So, basically, they want to diet. And, as many experts will tell you, diets don’t work. Period.

Don’t worry, I was the same way you are. I wanted to find the magic combination of food that would make the fat melt off me so I could feel better, do more things, and wear clothes I wanted to wear. Unfortunately, as I took weight off, I decided that I could handle it on my own, went off the diet, and went right back to eating the way I had before.

Then, I started to realize, through research, that maybe there is a better way. Maybe instead of restricting myself (which is exactly what diets do and exactly why they don’t work), I should consider adding in good foods. That way, eventually, the good foods would take over. It has been 17 days, I can tell you this, my taste buds are starting to change. I’ve started to eat a moderately plant-based diet, where less than 4 meals a week contain meat. It is really starting to change the way I feel, and I am losing weight without feeling hungry. It is something I think I might stick with for a while.

This is my lunch – kale, avocado, spinach, cabbage, brussels sprouts and mandarin oranges. Delicious!

Like many of you, I started to find my way by researching, watching documentaries, and researching a little more. When you are adopting a new diet (not a short-term way to lose weight, but the foods you eat to sustain you each day), there are a lot of articles out there, a lot of trends, and a lot of recipes. However, you need to watch out for some of these articles, and you need to read them thoroughly, instead of just skimming them, as I am guilty of doing.

I ran across an article from Livestrong.com, and as I read it, my blood began to boil. The article was titled “8 Foods You Should Avoid.” It made me curious, so I clicked on the link, and after a few minutes, I really started to hope that people weren’t skimming the article. Some of the foods that you should avoid (according to this list)? Salad, smoothies, soy milk, granola, sushi, and turkey burgers. Granted, there are some things that you should avoid putting on your salad (like tons of cheese, meat and dressing), but that doesn’t mean you should avoid it. Salad can be one of the easiest ways to get veggies into your system. I mean, look at that beautiful salad above :). The same can be said for smoothies. Should you be adding high fat yogurt or ice cream to them? Of course not, but having a green smoothie that uses a banana, some strawberries, some blueberries and two cups of spinach is a great way to get that spinach into your system easily.

Simply satisfying!

These are not things you should be avoiding, and any website that claims to be a site for “healthy living” should not advertise otherwise! It annoys me to no end when sites try to have people cut down on things that can improve their health and make all the difference in their new lifestyle. Salads and smoothies are very versatile and can be tweaked to satisfy almost any palate. Instead of saying you should avoid these foods, they should be saying that you should make good choices (as I mentioned above) when eating them. You should read labels. You should try to shy away from things that are high in saturated fats and sugar. However, no one should ever write that you should avoid eating salad when you are trying to be more healthy. If you skim the article, you won’t know that in reality, salads are perfectly healthy, as long as you don’t load them down with unhealthy ingredients.

My message for this blog? Read everything you can before you decide what way you want to go. And, if you want to go with a high protein diet, do not count out plant-based proteins. There are studies that show that as long as you are eating a plant-based diet including a variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans and seeds, you should be getting enough protein to sustain yourself. If not, there are other options. Plus, having a moderately plant-based diet does not mean you have to cut out things like lean meats. For me, it doesn’t mean restricting anything. My goal is to eat less meat because it is expensive, and too much of it can be unhealthy. So, I’m realizing there can be another way. I can make spaghetti without meat sauce or, well, spaghetti pasta. I can make lasagna without meat, adding mushrooms and zucchini instead. I can make zucchini and sweet potato fries instead of having fast food french fries. I can have kale and beet chips instead of fried potato chips. There are all kinds of ways to incorporate healthy foods into your diet.

But please, don’t take these articles at face value. Read them all the way through, then read opposing viewpoints, and then make your decision.

 

Learning to Love It – Spaghetti Squash

So, I made “spaghetti” tonight, and I didn’t use any pasta. Instead, I used a spaghetti squash, and I can’t believe how easy it was! More than that though,  I can’t believe I actually really like spaghetti squash. I’ll be trying different kinds of squash after this, maybe a roasted acorn squash with some butter and cinnamon? You never know!

Anyway, back to my adventure in spaghetti without, well, spaghetti.

The first thing I had to do was roast the spaghetti squash. Of course, I looked on the internet for instructions. What did people do before the internet? Anyway, I ran across a blog by Elizabeth Rider about how to roast a spaghetti squash and make the noodles. It was really informative.

Once I cut the squash lengthwise (which was not easy!), I scooped out the seeds and stringy flesh, and brushed it with some olive oil. Then I placed it face down on a cookie sheet and baked it at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Then I took it out and turned it over to cool.

Isn’t it pretty?

While I let that cool, I started making my spaghetti sauce. I should have made my own from scratch, but I’m just not there yet. So, I did use a jar of Ragu Super Chunky Mushroom. But, I bulked it up with some good stuff first.

Mushrooms and Zucchini

Adding in the spinach

…and now the sauce!

After the sauce was complete, it was time to make noodles. I can’t lie…I was intimidated. I thought, it can’t be as easy as it looks online. Then I envisioned squash chunks having to be mixed in with my sauce after an epic fail. But, I pressed forward. And this is what I ended up with…

It totally worked!!

A big bowl of “spaghetti” for a $1!

I tried some of the squash before we added sauce, and I was really surprised. I actually liked it! I’m not going to lie, I was terrified to try this. When I was growing up, vegetables consisted of green beans, corns, potatoes, broccoli, carrots and celery. There was stuff like frozen spinach with vinegar…yuck! It took me forever to eat spinach after that. There were also tomatoes and cucumbers, but I am still not a fan of those now.  I can handle a tomato any way…except raw.

Anyway, back to this lovely squash. Jason tried this recipe with me, and he didn’t even hesitate. He’s a pretty courageous 15-year-old. He didn’t want the bulked up spaghetti sauce, so he took just a little sauce with his squash.

Jason’s plate. He likes it!

Then it was time to make my plate for dinner. At this point, I was really excited to try it, because I knew I already liked the squash.

The first scoop of sauce…

…and then more sauce.

I’m happy to report that this squash is a great stand-in for pasta. With mushrooms, zucchini and spinach, the sauce was amazing too. If these are the veggies I’ve been missing, I don’t think I’m going to have a problem sticking to this new lifestyle long-term. I think next time I try this, I may add some grilled chicken to the mix, or maybe some lean turkey meatballs.

If you’re looking for a nutritional breakdown, here you go:

 

While it is a little high on the sodium (because of the jarred sauce), it is still fantastic everywhere else, especially when it comes to Vitamin A and Vitamin C! Below is the list of ingredients I used. Yes, I use canned mushrooms. I like the taste better. Don’t judge!

1 – eight ounce can mushrooms

1 large zucchini

1 jar of Ragu Super Chunky Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce

2 cups of spinach

Basically, just chop the zucchini, saute it with the mushrooms, and when it is almost done, put in two cups of spinach and let it wilt. Once that is wilted, add the sauce and heat until warm. Then add it to the spaghetti squash.

Everything was great, as I said before, and if you want to make this recipe, you could freeze the sauce, or the squash and the sauce will keep in the refrigerator (separately) for two days. Hope you enjoy!

If you have any other great squash recipes, leave me a comment below! 🙂