I've been on the receiving end of much well-intentioned advice regarding food choices I make on behalf of my children. I've talked about it many times in various blog entries.
I've consistently found that most parents have no challenge with what I do "allow" my kids to eat... but they think I'm downright mean for what I won't allow! For example, for school, I don't pack any sugary snacks or nutrient-void processed foods. My daughter gets water to drink, that's it. No dessert with her lunch. No chips, crackers, 'lunch ables', etc.
Big 'ol meanie. That's me!
She gets "clean" meats, raw nuts, fresh veggies and fruit. Organic and raw dairy products. Homemade soups. Organic pizza on school pizza day.
Oh, I know - what a terrible mother I am!
Other parents have been telling me for years, "You know, if you don't let your kids have sweets and fast foods, they're just going to sneak them when you're not around!" I appreciate the concern.
Along that same line of thinking, should I let them start smoking cigarettes, drinking beer, doing drugs and having sex now too? Just so they don't sneak it later when I'm not around??? C'mon!
And really, what's my option? Feed them sugar and junk on a regular basis and somehow justify that this is better for them? Don't think so. I'll take my chances that they're going to go overboard on cake and cookies every few months rather than than give it to them regularly.
How about, "But they're just kids... lighten up!" It's hard to "lighten up" when you actually know what creates health... and what destroys it. Even harder once you know what's in those "foods".
Regardless of differences in parenting styles, we have to agree upon some basic physiological and health principles. Junk DOES NOT create health. Junk moves us AWAY from health. My job as a parent is to protect my kids, do my best to keep them healthy and teach them how to make great choices.
If you've read anything I've ever written, then you know that I never say "never". I say, "Fill up with Health FIRST"... then your body's better able to handle the toxic choices you may decide to make.
Actually, our little family does quite well with food choices when we're not subjected to overwhelming outside influences. For example, if my kids happen to catch even the tiniest bit of a "kids' show" on television, it isn't long before they're asking for some of the snacks or fast food they see advertised during the commercials. Guess that's why television is strictly limited in our family, too! (I know, I know... mean mother!)
Anyhow, I found it quite amusing that Dr. Mercola recently featured a video clip on this subject. In the video, notice that the "unhealthy" snack is RAISINS!!!! Heck, if that were our biggest junk food challenge, we'd have no problems!
Also, make sure you read the article and scroll down to read the readers' comments... they' shed a little more light, and accuracy, on the "study". They'll also give you some ideas to incorporate into your own family.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/03/does-forbidding-snacks-work.aspx?source=nl
Enjoy!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
This Is "Science Fiction Crazy"!!!
Ever since I first watched this video and read the accompanying text, I've been trying to figure out how to introduce it... how to get you to read it and not brush it off.
I still don't know! My only suggestion is to create a few quiet minutes for yourself, pour yourself a stiff drink, and sit down to watch this unbelievable story!!!
Here's the link:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/01/this-company-may-be-the-biggest-threat-to-your-future-health.aspx?source=nl
By the way, your "stiff drink" may be a green tea, a cup of organic 'joe' or some pure water.... personally, I needed a hearty glass of a robust red wine to get through this insane article! (but that's just me!)
I still don't know! My only suggestion is to create a few quiet minutes for yourself, pour yourself a stiff drink, and sit down to watch this unbelievable story!!!
Here's the link:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/01/this-company-may-be-the-biggest-threat-to-your-future-health.aspx?source=nl
By the way, your "stiff drink" may be a green tea, a cup of organic 'joe' or some pure water.... personally, I needed a hearty glass of a robust red wine to get through this insane article! (but that's just me!)
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Frustrated By Not Losing Weight?
Since spring has finally sprung in Michigan, I've witnessed lots of people outside moving their bodies on a regular basis again. It's a beautiful thing!
In the last couple weeks, I've also heard from countless folks, mostly women, who are frustrated with their weight loss efforts. At various speaking events I've done, this is one of the most common questions I'm asked. In the mom's forums I belong to, this is the hot topic of conversation. Even when I take the kids to the park, I overhear other moms expressing their dissatisfaction with their weight.
Now, obviously there's a whole lot to the weight loss issue: nutrition, activity level, type of exercise, stress levels, hormonal balance, etc. So I don't kid myself that I could tackle that hairy beast with one little recommendation!
But, recently, the one thing I've been hearing women discuss, is the type of exercise they do. They describe, with exasperation, the hours they spend walking, swimming, cycling, even jogging... with "no results". I met one young lady who jogs for miles each day, yet struggles with her weight. She jogs the same path every time, week after week, month after month. Another group of moms who do water aerobics several times a week for 40 minutes - walk in a circle one way for awhile, then reverse for awhile. Same story... no results. Another mom at the playground was walking in a circle around the equipment while her children played for 30 minutes. She said that's her exercise a few times a week. In the online forums, it's the same story as well. Countless women wondering WHY they're not shedding pounds as a result of their diligent exercise.
The one detail I don't hear these same ladies talk about is the INTENSITY of their exercise. Remember, if fat burning and weight loss are part of your fitness goals (in addition to the all-important mental and social benefits of it), then you MUST bump it up a few notches in your intensity level.
If you jog, then add some wind sprints or hill sprints to your casual jog. If you walk, add some bursts of speed as well. Or, stop and do jumping jacks or squat jumps or push-ups... anything to challenge your body and force it to work much harder for a short period of time. If you swim, add bursts of challenging resistance moves during your laps (or circles).
Increasing the intensity of your workouts results in an increased Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). This is what burns fat for your, even when you're resting. You can increase your intensity by adding more resistance, adding more speed and adding more variety... all in short periods of time, with rest periods in between. In the case of "working out" you can accomplish this by doing full body workouts, exercise the large muscle groups, use challenging weights, don't dilly-dally in your workout and change it up quite regularly.
So, while a nice steady-paced, low to moderate intensity jog, walk, swim is fabulous for your overall health, in most cases, it's not nearly enough to accomplish effective weight loss and fat loss. You'll burn lots of calories WHILE you're doing the activity, but not for very long afterward. On the other hand, if you include high intensity bursts of activity a few times each week, you'll see the amount of calories you burn OVERALL dramatically increase.
Another great way to accomplish this addition of high intensity bursts to your fitness regime is to take up a sport or class that includes that type of movement. E.g. tennis, kickboxing, spinning, racquetball, soccer, etc.
By the way, one word of caution... don't trip over all that fat as it falls off you!
In the last couple weeks, I've also heard from countless folks, mostly women, who are frustrated with their weight loss efforts. At various speaking events I've done, this is one of the most common questions I'm asked. In the mom's forums I belong to, this is the hot topic of conversation. Even when I take the kids to the park, I overhear other moms expressing their dissatisfaction with their weight.
Now, obviously there's a whole lot to the weight loss issue: nutrition, activity level, type of exercise, stress levels, hormonal balance, etc. So I don't kid myself that I could tackle that hairy beast with one little recommendation!
But, recently, the one thing I've been hearing women discuss, is the type of exercise they do. They describe, with exasperation, the hours they spend walking, swimming, cycling, even jogging... with "no results". I met one young lady who jogs for miles each day, yet struggles with her weight. She jogs the same path every time, week after week, month after month. Another group of moms who do water aerobics several times a week for 40 minutes - walk in a circle one way for awhile, then reverse for awhile. Same story... no results. Another mom at the playground was walking in a circle around the equipment while her children played for 30 minutes. She said that's her exercise a few times a week. In the online forums, it's the same story as well. Countless women wondering WHY they're not shedding pounds as a result of their diligent exercise.
The one detail I don't hear these same ladies talk about is the INTENSITY of their exercise. Remember, if fat burning and weight loss are part of your fitness goals (in addition to the all-important mental and social benefits of it), then you MUST bump it up a few notches in your intensity level.
If you jog, then add some wind sprints or hill sprints to your casual jog. If you walk, add some bursts of speed as well. Or, stop and do jumping jacks or squat jumps or push-ups... anything to challenge your body and force it to work much harder for a short period of time. If you swim, add bursts of challenging resistance moves during your laps (or circles).
Increasing the intensity of your workouts results in an increased Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). This is what burns fat for your, even when you're resting. You can increase your intensity by adding more resistance, adding more speed and adding more variety... all in short periods of time, with rest periods in between. In the case of "working out" you can accomplish this by doing full body workouts, exercise the large muscle groups, use challenging weights, don't dilly-dally in your workout and change it up quite regularly.
So, while a nice steady-paced, low to moderate intensity jog, walk, swim is fabulous for your overall health, in most cases, it's not nearly enough to accomplish effective weight loss and fat loss. You'll burn lots of calories WHILE you're doing the activity, but not for very long afterward. On the other hand, if you include high intensity bursts of activity a few times each week, you'll see the amount of calories you burn OVERALL dramatically increase.
Another great way to accomplish this addition of high intensity bursts to your fitness regime is to take up a sport or class that includes that type of movement. E.g. tennis, kickboxing, spinning, racquetball, soccer, etc.
By the way, one word of caution... don't trip over all that fat as it falls off you!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Is Tyson Chicken Really Antibiotic-Free?
For quite awhile now, when I start talking about the importance of buying (or raising) organic, antibiotic and hormone-free meat - yes, that includes poultry - many people have proudly told me , "my chicken is organic, too... and I buy it at the regular grocery store... WAY less expensive than the health food store, too!" "Awesome!", I say. "I'm SO glad conventional stores are catching on and providing healthier and safer options for the masses."
I asked where to find this "cleaner" chicken in our local 'regular' store, so I could check it out... and hopefully stock up when it's on sale! My savvy shopper friends told me, "Oh, easy! It's right there with all the other packaged chicken from Tyson."
"Tyson?! Why would organic, antibiotic-free chicken be with Tyson chicken???" When I think of healthy options... Tyson doesn't come to mind! Just a personal issue, that's all! Based on what I've read about this enormous company, and others like it, I've not been impressed with their from-the-farm-to-the-table practices. Again, my issue, I'm sure!
Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, I found that these meats were not organic. The day I actually remembered to look for them in the store, they were out of stock. So I asked one of my devout label-reading friends to check it out more closely for me the next time she purchased some.
We discovered that the chicken was only "antibiotic-free". Funny how so many people had interpreted the label (or the advertising) to mean "organic". Ah well, I thought. At least they've cleaned it up a bit... it's better than nuthin'. Anytime we can reduce the amount of toxicity we add to our lives, the better. Eliminating the antibiotics was a step in the right direction.
I had mentally put that issue to rest for several months. Now, enter Dr. Mercola. Yet again, this police officer of the food industry has shed some light on the shady nature of Tyson's marketing approach.
Looks like Tyson's chicken isn't "antibiotic-free" after all. Just a little misleading in the marketing department! You can read about it in the link below.
Personally, I still think it's a better option than plain 'ol conventional chicken, loaded with every chemical concoction known to man. But I do think it's disturbing and downright nauseating how food companies are so willing to put a 'spin' on the truth in order to increase profits. I know it's completely naive of me, but I just wish they'd all tell us the truth!
Crazy, I know!
Here's the link to the Tyson chicken article.
http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Is-Tyson-s-Antibiotic-Free-Chicken-Really-Antibiotic-Free--61196.aspx
Unfortunately, I'm absolutely certain that Tyson is not the only offending food company. I just found it interesting that this happened to be the one example (Tyson chicken) that I kept hearing about from so many people for so many months... guess their marketing works!
I asked where to find this "cleaner" chicken in our local 'regular' store, so I could check it out... and hopefully stock up when it's on sale! My savvy shopper friends told me, "Oh, easy! It's right there with all the other packaged chicken from Tyson."
"Tyson?! Why would organic, antibiotic-free chicken be with Tyson chicken???" When I think of healthy options... Tyson doesn't come to mind! Just a personal issue, that's all! Based on what I've read about this enormous company, and others like it, I've not been impressed with their from-the-farm-to-the-table practices. Again, my issue, I'm sure!
Unfortunately, upon closer inspection, I found that these meats were not organic. The day I actually remembered to look for them in the store, they were out of stock. So I asked one of my devout label-reading friends to check it out more closely for me the next time she purchased some.
We discovered that the chicken was only "antibiotic-free". Funny how so many people had interpreted the label (or the advertising) to mean "organic". Ah well, I thought. At least they've cleaned it up a bit... it's better than nuthin'. Anytime we can reduce the amount of toxicity we add to our lives, the better. Eliminating the antibiotics was a step in the right direction.
I had mentally put that issue to rest for several months. Now, enter Dr. Mercola. Yet again, this police officer of the food industry has shed some light on the shady nature of Tyson's marketing approach.
Looks like Tyson's chicken isn't "antibiotic-free" after all. Just a little misleading in the marketing department! You can read about it in the link below.
Personally, I still think it's a better option than plain 'ol conventional chicken, loaded with every chemical concoction known to man. But I do think it's disturbing and downright nauseating how food companies are so willing to put a 'spin' on the truth in order to increase profits. I know it's completely naive of me, but I just wish they'd all tell us the truth!
Crazy, I know!
Here's the link to the Tyson chicken article.
http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/Is-Tyson-s-Antibiotic-Free-Chicken-Really-Antibiotic-Free--61196.aspx
Unfortunately, I'm absolutely certain that Tyson is not the only offending food company. I just found it interesting that this happened to be the one example (Tyson chicken) that I kept hearing about from so many people for so many months... guess their marketing works!
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