Happy New Year
Everyone!
With all of us
in the throes of the holiday-binge-eating hangover, it’s time to talk
nutrition. Many of us will vow to eat healthier and exercise more in the New
Year and peddlers of gym memberships and fad diets will be ready to jump on us
like carnivores on red meat.
I am not a Nutritionist nor am I a Dietician,
Fitness Expert, or Doctor.
I am someone
with enough health problems to see a doctor and dietician regularly and I’m a
food blogger who researches the heck out of everything I post.
I am also fed up
with all the bullshit going around about nutrition, weight loss, and health. Go
into any major bookstore and try to find a book on these subjects. At least
half of them are not about nutrition but about pushing fad diets that have
little to no basis in actual nutritional needs.
Contrary to
popular belief, nutrition is not all that complicated.
You want to eat healthy?
Stick to whole grains,
lean proteins, and make sure at least half of what you eat consists of fruits
and vegetables.
DON’T CUT OUT THE FOODS
YOU LOVE COMPLETELY.
That’s a
guaranteed path to giving up your diet and binge eating, bringing you right
back to the weight and state of health you started in.
Like all things
that matter, your health requires work, dedication and maintenance.
Eat the
unhealthy stuff you love, but do it less and in smaller amounts, and where
possible, substitute something bad for something slightly LESS bad.
I’m not talking
about switching from full fat products to low fat ones. As Michael Moss points
out in his book, Salt Sugar Fat, food
companies will generally add sugar and/or salt to products they’ve cut the fat
from in order to maintain the item’s flavor.
I’m talking about
substituting the smart way.
If you love
chocolate but generally go for the milk chocolate bar packed with sugar, switch
it out for dark chocolate. It will satisfy your chocolate craving but because
you don’t enjoy the taste as much, you’ll eat less of it.
Measure your
cooking ingredients to control the amount of fat, sugar and salt you use. Measuring
gives you control and allows you to be fully conscious of how much you’re
adding, making you less inclined to put too much.
You may not like
the taste at first but your body, taste buds included, is incredibly adaptable.
You’ll soon lose taste for things with too much salt, sugar, and fat, and crave
the healthier stuff you never knew you needed.
Wondering about the potential evils of
gluten, carbs, dairy, or sweeteners or think you might be allergic or
intolerant of something like lactose?
Don’t buy into
the propaganda of fad diet pushers.
ASK YOUR DOCTOR.
Same goes for
any nutritional lifestyle change you consider, like going vegetarian or vegan.
Your doctor
knows about what’s good for you and is legally obligated to stay up to date on
this stuff. They’ll be able to tell if you shouldn’t eat something because it
hurts you, and they’ll be able to give you tips about what to substitute for
what you’re cutting from your diet so you don’t get sick.
Want to lose weight and
build muscle?
EXERCISE
Despite what
your gym bunny friends and relatives will say, you don’t need a gym for this.
There are tons
of workout videos on Youtube that are made to accommodate any home environment
or fitness need from high impact to low and quiet to noisy that will usually
only require the most basic equipment like a couple of hand weights and
something you can use as a matt (like an old blanket).
If you can’t
work out at home, go for a brisk walk and/or take up an outdoor sport. The
fresh air and sunshine will do almost as much for you as the exercise itself
and boost your mood too!
If you have a
public pool near you, cool off in the summer while getting your workout at the
same time.
Shoot for at
least 15 to 20 minutes of moderate exercise at least 3 times a week. Moderate
exercise includes chores like cleaning the kitchen and mopping the floors – if
it’s an activity that gets your heart rate up but you can still talk while you’re
doing it, it counts. If you think you can take more, take more, but don’t hurt
yourself.
With the North
American economy and employment rates far from optimal, in 2017 let’s
aim to be healthier in a smarter, more budget-conscious way.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
-Samantha R. Gold
Questions? Comments? Requests?
Bring it on!
I can be reached at: for.the.culinarily.challenged@gmail.com
Trolls will be unceremoniously deleted and dismissed.
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