Ah... pancake day. Who doesn't love pancake day? My pancake recipe is in last Saturdays post, so if you're interested in it then go for it.
Whenever my 4 year old sees me in the morning, he always asks, "Is it pancake day?" Because he doesn't usually see me in the morning since I am usually gone by the time he wakes up. So, imagine his confusion when we weren't eating pancakes every day of the week during the Christmas break from school. He asked a few times whether it was pancake day, so we had to explain that daddy was only home because of Christmas.
So, when he sees me in the morning he thinks, "pancakes"- that's right, my child sees me as the pancake man.
It makes me wonder to the extent that we train our bodies and minds through repetition what to crave and when. I had a theory several years ago about this idea. It goes something like this: Our bodies need certain nutrients to thrive- fats, proteins, sugars, vitamins, minerals, etc. In order to gain these nutrients, it must consume and process them.
At some point in our eating careers, we train our bodies to gain these nutrients whether in part, artificially, or through whole foods. So, when our bodies feel a little low or undernourished these are the items we unconsciously go after.
So, say we've trained our bodies that potato chips are a regular source of potassium, then we would go after potato chips every time our bodies feel a little low- conversely, we train our bodies that a banana is a good source of potassium, then that's what we go after when we feel low... see the point? The same would go for calcium, fat, sugars, etc.
A lot of processed foods have enriched their ingredients with artificial or even "naturally derived" nutrients. The problem is that these foods had to have the nutrients destroyed so that they had to fortify them to make them somewhat healthy. The more the ingredients in the food, the more processing it went through in order for it to have nutritional value.
If we train our bodies to crave potato chips then we can train our bodies to crave bananas instead... if my theory holds water. Same would go with fats- trading the unhealthy for the healthier fats. We can also train our bodies to go with less sugar and sodium.
It wasn't long ago that the US government, in trying to solve the problems with obesity, recognized the need for the American pallet to learn to crave less sugar and sodium- so it asked the processed food companies to start slowly putting less in. Makes sense... I can't imagine the average American just cutting sugar from their diet cold turkey. I am just embarrassed that the US government actually feels that it needs to step in to tell us to not eat so much sugar. Even worse, that it would take the food companies to cut the sugars for us to be more healthy... people, what this means is that WE CAN'T BE TRUSTED left to our own devices! I would never let my 4 year sit in a room alone with a bucket of candy because he wouldn't "just eat one"... our government can't trust us alone either, it needs to regulate, because we can't "just eat one". *Sigh*
I started pancake day because I needed fuel for long runs on Saturdays. Once this load of whole wheat pancakes has mostly digested, I'll be gearing up for a 16 mile run. If I wasn't running today, we would have had less pancakes, because food is fuel and there is a purpose to what I eat, I try to manage my food intake with the activity I am trying to fuel.
This all took a long time to train for. I had to ultimately train my cravings to suit my energy needs. I trained my pallet to crave healthier, whole foods. And yes, it is sometimes more expensive, but I don't eat as much and the health benefits far outweigh the monetary costs. Also, don't just look at the price tag on the food you buy. Foods processed with corn products are significantly cheaper because corn is heavily subsidized with yours and my tax dollars, so we've already paid a lot of money to make that box of "food" cheaper.
So, in essence, our government has used our money to help create a problem that it is now using our money to try to solve. It's like a tobacco company creating both cigarettes and medication to alleviate addiction. Create the poison and the cure and use other people's money to do it. Brilliant!
Sorry, I got carried away... Happy pancake day!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
World's Shortest Blog
My students kept asking today whether or not I was going to the 5th-6th grade dance tonight. I said that I didn't get a dress, so I couldn't go.
Got home and played with the boy outside-- in January! In Pennsylvania!!! It was in the 60s! Happy Spring!!!!
Date night... live simply... get off the dadburn computer and spend time with friends and family.
God Bless!
Got home and played with the boy outside-- in January! In Pennsylvania!!! It was in the 60s! Happy Spring!!!!
Date night... live simply... get off the dadburn computer and spend time with friends and family.
God Bless!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Stress
So, I'm a math teacher... and tonight, because of a slight oversight in my calculations, I ran a lot faster than intended. I was trying to run a Tempo run, keeping my pace at 8:30 for 8 miles. That's my marathon goal pace and it's important, I'm learning- finally practicing unlike in the past, that in order to run at a certain pace, one must train to run that pace. So I measured my mile and half mile splits using Google Earth and set my watch to go off every 8m 30s.
Well, this math teacher, probably thinking too much about the stresses of the day, decided that in order to keep the pace, that at every half mile, my watch needed to read 4:30 left in the mile- which would mean I ran a half mile in... anyone?
4 minutes!
so when my first split was 4:20, I sped up, thinking that I was running too slow... no wonder I hit the 2 mile mark a full 35 seconds early.
You see, in normal person world 4 + 4 = 8; but in my little world 4 + 4 = 8m 30s... it wasn't until just moments ago that I realized that I needed to be at the half mile spot in 4:15, with 4:15 left over, because in normal world- that would equal 4:30! My wife says, Great! You ran faster! I say, but I need to learn to run an 8:30 pace. 26.2 miles is a LONG way to go too fast and I don't want to train myself to go too fast and be worn out by mile 13.
Why do I tell you this? Because it occurs to me, that in order to do anything in life, we need to learn and train ourselves to do it.
Here's my point... I train my body to run marathons, otherwise, I would fail... we need to train our bodies how to handle stress, and live healthy.
When you stress... what is your normal reaction? How do you handle stress? Do you eat, drink, smoke? Do you take it out on people around you, close up and take it internally?
I think we unconsciously train our bodies what to do, so, when we stress, it just feels natural to do whatever it is we do. I know when I stress out, a good long run helps... but that didn't always be the case. Without knowing it, I taught myself to run, in order to process through my stresses. I expressed this to a colleague once and she said if she ran to deal with stress, she would run forever... I said that's why I run marathons... so THAT'S why!?
In fact, a lot of marathoners... especially those crazy ultra-marathoners (who run 50, 100, 126+ miles, some have even run across America and the Sahara desert), have stories of traumatic experiences in their lives that running helps them deal with.
But changing from harmful stress management to helpful stress management takes time and training... I never thought of it like this until today.
Think of something that you do that is harmful to you. It probably took some time to train your body that this is how it deals with the stress and your body accepted it... then your body craved it. Now it's just what you do. I know I used to be a nervous eater, smoker, and even sometimes drinker... now I run, pray, sing, write, play music, cook, etc. At some point I trained my body that the other things are a better way at dealing with stress and that these things were acceptable, even to the point of craving them, especially when stressors take over.
I wonder what would happen if you actively took one harmful thing that you do to yourself to deal with stress, and started to replace it with something else... slowly transitioning until the harmful thing was no longer a means to processing stress... would your body learn to crave the new thing?
I trained myself to run, even marathons, when I used to be a lazy couch potato. I trained myself to crave whole, nutritious foods, to the point that what I used to eat, actually repulses me- even making me sick.
Who knows... maybe I'm right... couldn't hurt to try.
God Bless! Have a great night's sleep!
Well, this math teacher, probably thinking too much about the stresses of the day, decided that in order to keep the pace, that at every half mile, my watch needed to read 4:30 left in the mile- which would mean I ran a half mile in... anyone?
4 minutes!
so when my first split was 4:20, I sped up, thinking that I was running too slow... no wonder I hit the 2 mile mark a full 35 seconds early.
You see, in normal person world 4 + 4 = 8; but in my little world 4 + 4 = 8m 30s... it wasn't until just moments ago that I realized that I needed to be at the half mile spot in 4:15, with 4:15 left over, because in normal world- that would equal 4:30! My wife says, Great! You ran faster! I say, but I need to learn to run an 8:30 pace. 26.2 miles is a LONG way to go too fast and I don't want to train myself to go too fast and be worn out by mile 13.
Why do I tell you this? Because it occurs to me, that in order to do anything in life, we need to learn and train ourselves to do it.
Here's my point... I train my body to run marathons, otherwise, I would fail... we need to train our bodies how to handle stress, and live healthy.
When you stress... what is your normal reaction? How do you handle stress? Do you eat, drink, smoke? Do you take it out on people around you, close up and take it internally?
I think we unconsciously train our bodies what to do, so, when we stress, it just feels natural to do whatever it is we do. I know when I stress out, a good long run helps... but that didn't always be the case. Without knowing it, I taught myself to run, in order to process through my stresses. I expressed this to a colleague once and she said if she ran to deal with stress, she would run forever... I said that's why I run marathons... so THAT'S why!?
In fact, a lot of marathoners... especially those crazy ultra-marathoners (who run 50, 100, 126+ miles, some have even run across America and the Sahara desert), have stories of traumatic experiences in their lives that running helps them deal with.
But changing from harmful stress management to helpful stress management takes time and training... I never thought of it like this until today.
Think of something that you do that is harmful to you. It probably took some time to train your body that this is how it deals with the stress and your body accepted it... then your body craved it. Now it's just what you do. I know I used to be a nervous eater, smoker, and even sometimes drinker... now I run, pray, sing, write, play music, cook, etc. At some point I trained my body that the other things are a better way at dealing with stress and that these things were acceptable, even to the point of craving them, especially when stressors take over.
I wonder what would happen if you actively took one harmful thing that you do to yourself to deal with stress, and started to replace it with something else... slowly transitioning until the harmful thing was no longer a means to processing stress... would your body learn to crave the new thing?
I trained myself to run, even marathons, when I used to be a lazy couch potato. I trained myself to crave whole, nutritious foods, to the point that what I used to eat, actually repulses me- even making me sick.
Who knows... maybe I'm right... couldn't hurt to try.
God Bless! Have a great night's sleep!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Sleep
I am tired.
Last night, I stayed up to watch a very close Sugar Bowl game in which the Virginia Tech Hokies narrowly avoided a loss to Michigan, but because of the made field goal in the first OT, VT kept the game alive... got a touch down in the second OT and intercepted Michigan for another VT victory...
At least, that's what happened after I went to sleep... in my dreams... because VT lost by a missed field goal in OT... ugh. But it's just football, so I'm over it.
Here's my point. I stayed up until midnight on the edge of the couch watching a very intense game. When it was finally, mercifully over, I went to bed- and couldn't sleep. When the clock said 6:30, I said bad words, or at least thought them because I had nothing in me to say them. So I got up and had a nice big, as much protein as I could, breakfast. Why? I needed to fast after that for 8 hours to get bloodwork done from my physical exam from last week.
That meant, that with very little sleep, and very few calories in my body, I had to go to work, which demands me to be spot on at all times, with a clear mind and enough energy to somehow get a bunch of 6th graders who just got back from Christmas break to focus just enough to prepare for a test at the end of the week.
I survived. Got my blood work done. Ate. And decided NOT to run. I'll live... but it makes me want to bring up a point about sleep. I think I will write it in Haiku.
Last night, I stayed up to watch a very close Sugar Bowl game in which the Virginia Tech Hokies narrowly avoided a loss to Michigan, but because of the made field goal in the first OT, VT kept the game alive... got a touch down in the second OT and intercepted Michigan for another VT victory...
At least, that's what happened after I went to sleep... in my dreams... because VT lost by a missed field goal in OT... ugh. But it's just football, so I'm over it.
Here's my point. I stayed up until midnight on the edge of the couch watching a very intense game. When it was finally, mercifully over, I went to bed- and couldn't sleep. When the clock said 6:30, I said bad words, or at least thought them because I had nothing in me to say them. So I got up and had a nice big, as much protein as I could, breakfast. Why? I needed to fast after that for 8 hours to get bloodwork done from my physical exam from last week.
That meant, that with very little sleep, and very few calories in my body, I had to go to work, which demands me to be spot on at all times, with a clear mind and enough energy to somehow get a bunch of 6th graders who just got back from Christmas break to focus just enough to prepare for a test at the end of the week.
I survived. Got my blood work done. Ate. And decided NOT to run. I'll live... but it makes me want to bring up a point about sleep. I think I will write it in Haiku.
We just need more sleep
To be healthy and happy
Get a lot more sleep
Done...
Whatever it takes. Whether you need to cut out some TV or DVR your favorite programs, stop taking work home, or whatever it is. Just do it. Nap if you have to. Get to bed earlier or wake up later. Take a day off. Whatever you need to do to prioritize sleep do it... except of course reading this blog- this will at least put you to sleep faster!
Sleeping well is like a work-free calorie burning session. The longer and deeper you sleep the more calories you burn. It's not a selfish task to demand it. It's for your health.
I once learned that you can die quicker from sleep deprivation than from food deprivation. Your body needs it to repair damaged muscle, to process through stress, and to focus on daily tasks. So, without further ado, I bid all of you a good night sleep... even if it is only 4:57 PM
G'night Ya'll!
PS- no, I'm not going to bed right now, I still have to make and eat dinner, play with the boy and go to choir practice, but I will be going to bed earlier tonight.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Stop Obsessing
Dear Reader, I have discovered the inherent danger with this blog... I am now thinking and obsessing way too much about food and diet. I enjoy eating, and I enjoy food, but when I start thinking too much about every bite, it becomes more of a chore and is not as simple and enjoyable as it should be. For that, I apologize.
I'll use running as an example. I have tried to break 4 hours in two marathons now. That's a LOT of training and time devoted to two very long races. Frankly 4h 5m and 4h 1m are great times, both beyond what I was able to do years before. Because I have been so obsessed about breaking 4 hours, it's hard to celebrate the achievements, and frankly, I should celebrate!
I just got finished running 8 x 800 meter repeats... basically, I ran as fast as I could for half a mile 8 times with 1/4 mile recovery jogs between. Why? Because I want to learn to run faster and more efficiently. I do this once a week and am working may way up to 10 x 800 meters-- this is a really challenging workout. I rely on my beeping watch to tell me my splits to make sure I am running at the pace I need to be running.
Another day during the week, I run what are called Tempo runs. Tempo runs are where you set your goal time for a race, then figure what pace per mile you need to run, then run several miles at that pace to train your body how to keep the pace and not go too fast for the race. This also requires the beeping watch.
Another day, I run a distance run where I build up mileage at a slow pace... the goal eventually is to run 20 miles a least 3-4 times a few weeks before the marathon. I have to think about mileage and building muscle and carb intake, and not going too fast... etc.
Why do I do all this? Because I love running... and I simply want to improve at it... and not because of the weight loss qualities, of which, really, there are little. I mean one would think that the longer you run the more calories you burn, so the more weight you lose. In reality, the more you run, the more you need to eat, so the more calories you consume.
But I digress. My point is that I run three other days during the week to remind myself about why I love running. I leave my watch behind on these days, go as fast or as slow as I want, and go as long as I want. If I had to measure my splits and distance for every run, I think I would quickly learn to hate running.
The same goes for eating. Yes, I need to make sure that I am eating the right foods and not too much, but seriously, eating should bring enjoyment, shouldn't it?
If every time I go to take a bite, I start calculating the protein, fat, sugar, carbohydrates, antioxidants, omega 3s and 6s, calories, sodium, photosynthesis, vitamins, minerals, onomatopoeia, and fiber- then I start thinking about exactly how many miles, how much time, how much yoga... etc I need to do to "burn" the calories so to lose weight, I will start to dread eating.
Frankly, restrictive diets don't work and exercise bulimia (you try to burn, through exercise, exactly the number of calories you've consumed) is a real problem... none of this is healthy living, and none of it works.
So, I say, have a little fun and try some new things- try some new foods, chuck the (underresearched) food pyramid and enjoy your meal... over time, make small changes for the better... slowly cut out heavy starches and simple carbs until you learn to enjoy the new lifestyle. Slowly build your new diet, and stop reading too many books and stay away from fad, restrictive diets. Mostly, stop obsessing about every bite and enjoy yourself!
Find something active you like to do... exercise is good for the muscles, heart and lungs, but not an excuse to eat a whole cheesecake, but live a little and have a slice- every so often!
Tonight is the Sugar Bowl, so before I sign off, I simply want to give a shout out... Go HOKIES! Beat Michigan!
Monday, January 2, 2012
To make healthy living more simple, make your carbohydrates more complex.
After a few marathons under my belt, I have decided that being a marathon runner is a lot like being diabetic. It requires a lot of careful attention to diet, especially the management of sugar. Around mile 23 of each of these marathon experiences, I can honestly tell you, I was ready to quit- even deciding, no more! and never again!
My stomach starts to turn and I feel nauseous. My legs are wobbly, cramping, and I feel utter exhaustion in a way that I cannot compare to any other experience I have had. This is where pure grit and determination take over. This is a mental test like no other, I have to decide right then and there, that, no matter what, I am not going to stop running. Remember Finding Nemo when Dorie pushes Marlin with the mantra, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming."
But right around the last half mile as the crowds become bigger and louder and the view of the finish line gets clearer... there's a sudden pep back in my step and my pace picks up. I'm ready to collapse and sprint at the same time, then total elation when I cross the finish line followed by an intense need to both eat and release what I've eaten- the last thing I want to do is eat and the only thing I need to do is eat.
What I ultimately need is fast burning, easily digestible sugars to bring my sugar levels back up in my body. Sports drinks, sports gels, and even chocolate milk are all good choices. All this, of course, needs to be consumed while I am trying to re-hydrate with water. I begin replenishing these essentials as soon as my body lets me.
Back to my original point- sometimes I feel like a diabetic during a marathon. It's all about managing my sugar levels. Part of training for a marathon involves training to consume just the right amount of quick burning, easily digestible sugars to keep these levels at the exact right amount so that I have just the right balance to be able to keep my energy level where it needs to be and to keep my body functioning correctly.
Food is fuel, so every bite of food should have a purpose- to fuel the body for activity, but the right kind of food is what's going to make or break a healthy lifestyle. Carbohydrates are for quick energy that the body needs to sustain activity. To understand what carbohydrates are, think sugar.
Marathon running requires some easily digestible, fast burning carbohydrates; but only a few days before and just after the race. All other times, it is not necessary and can be harmful to eat that many heavily processed carbohydrates. In a marathon, your body burns ALL those excess sugars as your muscles need them as fuel to sustain the run, but unless you are running a marathon every day, heavily processed carbohydrates are bad for you and all the excess sugar with latch on to your body as fat.
Fat is stored on your body as slow burning energy, so left over carbs get stored for later use... in fact the theory behind the Atkin's diet (high protein and fat, low to no carbs) is just that. You trick your body that in order to get energy, it must use stored fat because the carbohydrates aren't there to burn. But what about other nutrients and fiber? Supplements... because apparently in caveman days when Og was feeling a little sluggish, he just went to the local Vitamin shop and picked up some supplements... Ok Dr. Atkins there are some flaws in your logic, but you weren't a complete loon. You did have a point- the American diet has relied on heavily processed, easily digested, and very sweet carbohydrates for well over 50 years.
We've become accustomed to fluffy white bread, white rice, white pasta, white sugar, potatoes, etc. Our waistlines have increased with our cholesterol and so to eliminate this problem, we've blamed fat intake and have processed chemicals to turn them into fake fat. We've even processed chemicals to turn them into fake sugar.
We processed down wholesome ingredients and to combat the problems we caused to ourselves, we have processed chemicals in order to try to solve our problems. The best part is that heavily processed food is significantly cheaper than whole foods. So, guess who gets fatter? Poorer people! There is no logic in this!
Here's my suggestion to keeping your diet simple. (1) buy this book, "Bread Alone" by Daniel Leader and Judith Blahnik- with this book you will learn to make 100% whole wheat bread with only 4 ingredients (wheat, yeast, water, salt), (2) eat brown rice, (3) eat whole wheat pasta (maybe learn how to make whole wheat pasta- that's my goal for 2012), (4) eat more beans- they are very easy to make and cheap when you buy them dry in a bag and they are high in protein and complex carbohydrates.
The more processed the grain, the more damaged the nutrients and less complex the carbohydrates. What you want to eat are whole grains that have not been enriched (enriched grains are grains that have been processed so much that their nutrients have been destroyed and unnatural nutrients have to be added to make up for what's lacking). Complex carbohydrates are slower to break down and give more fiber and sustained energy and many more nutrients so they are healthier for you.
Ok, so to summarize- The less processing the better, the fewer the ingredients the better, the less sugar the better, whole grains are better, the more complex the carbohydrates the better, the higher the fiber the better... the only exception to this rule is if you are about to run a marathon, ride a century on a bike, swim several miles in a race or do a triathlon... but only right before and right after the race... all other times and all other people think this...
To make healthy living more simple, make your carbohydrates more complex.
Enjoy!
My stomach starts to turn and I feel nauseous. My legs are wobbly, cramping, and I feel utter exhaustion in a way that I cannot compare to any other experience I have had. This is where pure grit and determination take over. This is a mental test like no other, I have to decide right then and there, that, no matter what, I am not going to stop running. Remember Finding Nemo when Dorie pushes Marlin with the mantra, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming."
But right around the last half mile as the crowds become bigger and louder and the view of the finish line gets clearer... there's a sudden pep back in my step and my pace picks up. I'm ready to collapse and sprint at the same time, then total elation when I cross the finish line followed by an intense need to both eat and release what I've eaten- the last thing I want to do is eat and the only thing I need to do is eat.
What I ultimately need is fast burning, easily digestible sugars to bring my sugar levels back up in my body. Sports drinks, sports gels, and even chocolate milk are all good choices. All this, of course, needs to be consumed while I am trying to re-hydrate with water. I begin replenishing these essentials as soon as my body lets me.
Back to my original point- sometimes I feel like a diabetic during a marathon. It's all about managing my sugar levels. Part of training for a marathon involves training to consume just the right amount of quick burning, easily digestible sugars to keep these levels at the exact right amount so that I have just the right balance to be able to keep my energy level where it needs to be and to keep my body functioning correctly.
Food is fuel, so every bite of food should have a purpose- to fuel the body for activity, but the right kind of food is what's going to make or break a healthy lifestyle. Carbohydrates are for quick energy that the body needs to sustain activity. To understand what carbohydrates are, think sugar.
Marathon running requires some easily digestible, fast burning carbohydrates; but only a few days before and just after the race. All other times, it is not necessary and can be harmful to eat that many heavily processed carbohydrates. In a marathon, your body burns ALL those excess sugars as your muscles need them as fuel to sustain the run, but unless you are running a marathon every day, heavily processed carbohydrates are bad for you and all the excess sugar with latch on to your body as fat.
Fat is stored on your body as slow burning energy, so left over carbs get stored for later use... in fact the theory behind the Atkin's diet (high protein and fat, low to no carbs) is just that. You trick your body that in order to get energy, it must use stored fat because the carbohydrates aren't there to burn. But what about other nutrients and fiber? Supplements... because apparently in caveman days when Og was feeling a little sluggish, he just went to the local Vitamin shop and picked up some supplements... Ok Dr. Atkins there are some flaws in your logic, but you weren't a complete loon. You did have a point- the American diet has relied on heavily processed, easily digested, and very sweet carbohydrates for well over 50 years.
We've become accustomed to fluffy white bread, white rice, white pasta, white sugar, potatoes, etc. Our waistlines have increased with our cholesterol and so to eliminate this problem, we've blamed fat intake and have processed chemicals to turn them into fake fat. We've even processed chemicals to turn them into fake sugar.
We processed down wholesome ingredients and to combat the problems we caused to ourselves, we have processed chemicals in order to try to solve our problems. The best part is that heavily processed food is significantly cheaper than whole foods. So, guess who gets fatter? Poorer people! There is no logic in this!
Here's my suggestion to keeping your diet simple. (1) buy this book, "Bread Alone" by Daniel Leader and Judith Blahnik- with this book you will learn to make 100% whole wheat bread with only 4 ingredients (wheat, yeast, water, salt), (2) eat brown rice, (3) eat whole wheat pasta (maybe learn how to make whole wheat pasta- that's my goal for 2012), (4) eat more beans- they are very easy to make and cheap when you buy them dry in a bag and they are high in protein and complex carbohydrates.
The more processed the grain, the more damaged the nutrients and less complex the carbohydrates. What you want to eat are whole grains that have not been enriched (enriched grains are grains that have been processed so much that their nutrients have been destroyed and unnatural nutrients have to be added to make up for what's lacking). Complex carbohydrates are slower to break down and give more fiber and sustained energy and many more nutrients so they are healthier for you.
Ok, so to summarize- The less processing the better, the fewer the ingredients the better, the less sugar the better, whole grains are better, the more complex the carbohydrates the better, the higher the fiber the better... the only exception to this rule is if you are about to run a marathon, ride a century on a bike, swim several miles in a race or do a triathlon... but only right before and right after the race... all other times and all other people think this...
To make healthy living more simple, make your carbohydrates more complex.
Enjoy!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year!
One of my family's new year traditions is to have ham and black eyed peas on New Year's day. Why? I don't know, but I do know that if you do not eat this food, you will have a bad year. Strange as it seems, it's significantly better than the pork and sauerkraut tradition that permeates the area in which I live.
So, after church this morning, my 4 year old decides that we're going to have a picnic today.
"You mean an indoor picnic, right?" No... an outdoor one, so we can blow bubbles. Yay!
He wins this one. To be fair, the weather so far this winter has been extremely mild, but still, it is winter and it is 40 degrees outside. So, I figure that while I prepare the meal, I'll let him blow bubbles on the deck- maybe then he'll logically decide that eating on the deck wouldn't be as pleasant as he at first thought.
Last night before bed, I put a pound of dry black eyed peas in a pot with water and put a lid on it, so all I needed to do was boil them, add some ham, vegetables and seasoning and voila!
We had a pleasant meal... outside... I wore a coat and hat- my wife wore a hooded sweater with the hood up- my son wore flip flops and a short sleeved shirt (eventually, he wanted a blanket)... I have to admit, it was kind of fun. As I'm making this simple meal, I start to ponder protein...
Why? Food is fuel, every bite of food should have a purpose- to fuel the body for activity.
How much protein do we actually need? To be honest, I don't really know... It depends on your gender, weight, and work out schedule. I've seen as little as 56 grams per day recommended to 80 grams, I tend towards the 80 grams... but man that's a LOT of meat, and meat costs money, and you Mr. Blogger Read and Eat Simply man told me that a serving of meat was no bigger than a deck of cards...
Seriously though, it doesn't have to be that hard, and no, you don't have to eat meat to get all the protein you need. There are cultures throughout this world that do not include meat anywhere in their diet and they are perfectly healthy, if not healthier than some of our top athletes. The problem with the American diet is that we tend to want more meat than we need. There are many sources of protein that we often overlook. I can't possibly name them all, so I will comment only on my experience and any additional research I was able to do.
1.) Meat, including fish- basically something that was living, but is now dead and we are eating its flesh... happy thoughts :-) one serving of meat (remember deck of cards) is about 21 grams of protein.
The issues that surround meat is the way animals are raised. In a perfect world, fish would be free to be themselves, eating what they naturally eat; cows would be free to roam on pastures, eating grass; chickens and turkeys would be free to roam and eat bugs and worms; pigs would forage.
This is not a perfect world. It's all corn.
Cows are fed corn, which they are not naturally designed to eat, but they have been trained to eat it. They're fed corn because corn produces a significant amount of fat very quickly in the beef, and since a good marbled cut of beef is what we are accustomed to wanting, the system perpetuates itself. The only problem is the E Coli that is produced when a cow does not have time to chew its cud like its naturally designed to do. Hence antibiotics and chemical washes in the production of meat.
Some cows are pastured... some chickens and turkeys are free range... and some pigs are raised properly; but because of government regulations, they are generally slaughtered in large corporate slaughter houses and the farmers can't always guarantee that the livestock they sent in is the same meat they get out.
Many fish are over harvested or, because of pollution, have too much mercury, or other harmful elements. Farm raised fish lack many of the benefits of wild caught fish because they are often fed a limited diet but they can still contain the same harmful elements in wild fish.
AHHHH! This is supposed to be SIMPLE!! Believe me there is a lot more to meat than I'm putting here, but please understand I am only putting it here to make a point- eat less meat.
2.) Beans/nuts/eggs/tofu/cheese- all good sources of protein, but not as much protein as in meat... about 7 grams per serving.
3.) Yogurt- a serving of greek yogurt can contain as much as 20 grams of protein; other yogurts are closer to 8 grams.
4.) Whole grain foods also contain a smaller amount of protein, around 3 grams. Oatmeal has as much as 11 grams per serving.
Ok, so how do I get 80 grams?! in a day!?
Let's think this through. Well 4 servings of meat- but I just said less meat... hmmm. Below is a sample meal plan for a typical day.
Breakfast
Oatmeal (real rolled oats, not instant) make with milk, 19 grams
Add nuts or berrys for more protein and/or nutrition
Lunch
Sandwich- peanut butter and jelly 7g + 3g + 3g = 13 grams (each slice of bread is a serving and if you make your own bread, there might even be more protein)
Fruit
Snack
Greek yogurt with nuts and berries 27 grams
Dinner
Serving of chicken 21 grams
Quinoa 6 grams
Vegetable
Total 86 grams of protein...
Any other snacks just add the protein on.
At the end of my last marathon one of the things we got was a bottle of chocolate milk- research has shown that chocolate milk is incredibly good to help in rebuilding muscles after a marathon because of the sugar content and the protein.
Adding protein to your diet doesn't have to be too hard, there are a whole lot more combinations.
Any additions or deletions are always appreciated, so please comment and share.
On my suggested readings list
The Omnivore's Dilemma and Food Rules by Michael Pollan
Just started reading Why We Get Fat and What to do About it by Gary Taubes thanks to the suggestions by others.
So, after church this morning, my 4 year old decides that we're going to have a picnic today.
"You mean an indoor picnic, right?" No... an outdoor one, so we can blow bubbles. Yay!
He wins this one. To be fair, the weather so far this winter has been extremely mild, but still, it is winter and it is 40 degrees outside. So, I figure that while I prepare the meal, I'll let him blow bubbles on the deck- maybe then he'll logically decide that eating on the deck wouldn't be as pleasant as he at first thought.
Last night before bed, I put a pound of dry black eyed peas in a pot with water and put a lid on it, so all I needed to do was boil them, add some ham, vegetables and seasoning and voila!
We had a pleasant meal... outside... I wore a coat and hat- my wife wore a hooded sweater with the hood up- my son wore flip flops and a short sleeved shirt (eventually, he wanted a blanket)... I have to admit, it was kind of fun. As I'm making this simple meal, I start to ponder protein...
Why? Food is fuel, every bite of food should have a purpose- to fuel the body for activity.
How much protein do we actually need? To be honest, I don't really know... It depends on your gender, weight, and work out schedule. I've seen as little as 56 grams per day recommended to 80 grams, I tend towards the 80 grams... but man that's a LOT of meat, and meat costs money, and you Mr. Blogger Read and Eat Simply man told me that a serving of meat was no bigger than a deck of cards...
Seriously though, it doesn't have to be that hard, and no, you don't have to eat meat to get all the protein you need. There are cultures throughout this world that do not include meat anywhere in their diet and they are perfectly healthy, if not healthier than some of our top athletes. The problem with the American diet is that we tend to want more meat than we need. There are many sources of protein that we often overlook. I can't possibly name them all, so I will comment only on my experience and any additional research I was able to do.
1.) Meat, including fish- basically something that was living, but is now dead and we are eating its flesh... happy thoughts :-) one serving of meat (remember deck of cards) is about 21 grams of protein.
The issues that surround meat is the way animals are raised. In a perfect world, fish would be free to be themselves, eating what they naturally eat; cows would be free to roam on pastures, eating grass; chickens and turkeys would be free to roam and eat bugs and worms; pigs would forage.
This is not a perfect world. It's all corn.
Cows are fed corn, which they are not naturally designed to eat, but they have been trained to eat it. They're fed corn because corn produces a significant amount of fat very quickly in the beef, and since a good marbled cut of beef is what we are accustomed to wanting, the system perpetuates itself. The only problem is the E Coli that is produced when a cow does not have time to chew its cud like its naturally designed to do. Hence antibiotics and chemical washes in the production of meat.
Some cows are pastured... some chickens and turkeys are free range... and some pigs are raised properly; but because of government regulations, they are generally slaughtered in large corporate slaughter houses and the farmers can't always guarantee that the livestock they sent in is the same meat they get out.
Many fish are over harvested or, because of pollution, have too much mercury, or other harmful elements. Farm raised fish lack many of the benefits of wild caught fish because they are often fed a limited diet but they can still contain the same harmful elements in wild fish.
AHHHH! This is supposed to be SIMPLE!! Believe me there is a lot more to meat than I'm putting here, but please understand I am only putting it here to make a point- eat less meat.
2.) Beans/nuts/eggs/tofu/cheese- all good sources of protein, but not as much protein as in meat... about 7 grams per serving.
3.) Yogurt- a serving of greek yogurt can contain as much as 20 grams of protein; other yogurts are closer to 8 grams.
4.) Whole grain foods also contain a smaller amount of protein, around 3 grams. Oatmeal has as much as 11 grams per serving.
Ok, so how do I get 80 grams?! in a day!?
Let's think this through. Well 4 servings of meat- but I just said less meat... hmmm. Below is a sample meal plan for a typical day.
Breakfast
Oatmeal (real rolled oats, not instant) make with milk, 19 grams
Add nuts or berrys for more protein and/or nutrition
Lunch
Sandwich- peanut butter and jelly 7g + 3g + 3g = 13 grams (each slice of bread is a serving and if you make your own bread, there might even be more protein)
Fruit
Snack
Greek yogurt with nuts and berries 27 grams
Dinner
Serving of chicken 21 grams
Quinoa 6 grams
Vegetable
Total 86 grams of protein...
Any other snacks just add the protein on.
At the end of my last marathon one of the things we got was a bottle of chocolate milk- research has shown that chocolate milk is incredibly good to help in rebuilding muscles after a marathon because of the sugar content and the protein.
Adding protein to your diet doesn't have to be too hard, there are a whole lot more combinations.
Any additions or deletions are always appreciated, so please comment and share.
On my suggested readings list
The Omnivore's Dilemma and Food Rules by Michael Pollan
Just started reading Why We Get Fat and What to do About it by Gary Taubes thanks to the suggestions by others.
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