Women, Food, And God

A great insight into the fat and skinny influences that drive food choices and battles.  Well worth the read...

An excerpt from Geneen Roth's Women, Food, and God.

Holidays. Stuff your face.

Holidays.  Stuff your face.  It is the only thing that holidays seem to be good for these days, right?  Maybe so, but not entirely!!  Holidays present the ultimate temptation for the world's dieting woes.  Extra stuffing, anyone? Sure and while your stuff the turkey, I'll stuff my face like no one is watching!

But alas, wait a minute - someone is watching - it's called your food conscious.  It is the inner part of humans that signals when they are overeating but chooses to ignore the signs for just one more lick of food bliss.  The food conscious appears to the horror of most dieters presenting the thought "I'm already full but it tastes so good, why not just finish it off?" Well, there are a lot of reasons not to finish it off especially if you don't want to stuff your body into jeans like the stuffing is put into a turkey on Thanksgiving.

So lay off the stuffing, and give this a try. Use holiday meals as a challenge.  A challenge to yourself to help aid in defining your diet.  How you may ask?  Well, make clear guidelines for yourself such as plan to only eat one plate of food instead of 3.  Or, perhaps, listen more closely to your food conscious when it says "Warning! Stuffing alert! Step away from the turkey!" as a signal that you've had too much.

Holidays. Stuff the turkey, not your face...

Healthy. It must be...

Healthy.  It must be healthy if... There are a lot of words or phrases that can complete the rest of this sentence.  Just because a food comes from a certain supermarket promoting whole foods or organic goodness does not mean that eating an abundance of sugarcoated candied nuts is a healthy choice.  A delicious one, maybe, but a healthy one, maybe not.

The same goes for cooking methods or food ingredients.  Fried foods scream "I'm fat! Eat me now!" Most foods prepared via the deep fryer or other lard application will have a higher calorie count than their non-fried counter parts.  However, the calorie count of foods labeled as "low fat" may also be a calorific shocker to body's level of blubber.  The reason for such high calories in low fat foods is due to the fact that removing fat from food products requires the fat to be replaced by other ingredients.  Quite typically, these ingredients are made from carbohydrates and proteins.  While not as calorie dense as fat, in order to make the food taste just as good, more of them are needed in the product and thus, the product is now equal to if not contains more in calories.  Shocker.

To help avoid the healthy versus non-healthy food dilemma, learn how to properly read the product packaging.  Beyond the nutrition panel found on every food product (food product referring to a manufactured product), there is a list of ingredients that tells exactly what the product is made of.  If an ingredient is not pronounceable, would you want it in your body? Well, that's up to you as you begin to define your own diet but at least now you some truth to what is healthy.  Just as health is personal, so are food and your food choices.

Healthy.  It might not be...


(Feel free to post comments with questions regarding nutrition labels and ingredients in food products)

Healthy Food Tip #2 - Guac Me!

In need of a quick and delicious snack... then search no more!!! Avocados are a great source of healthy for you fats that can help keep you not only feeling fuller for longer but also satisfy that snack craving.

Try this fresh Guacamole recipe for a spring pick me up! My own Fat & Skinny Guide Recipe!

Smash one avocado and spritz with a wedge of lime.  

Lightly sprinkle in garlic or onion salt, cracker pepper, and a bit of cumin to taste.  

Halve a 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes and mix with a fork.

Serve with whole wheat pita chips or your favorite baked chip brand.  Remember - veggies also make great dippers so try not to over do the chips or challenge yourself to just eat one chip and the rest with vegetables!

The trick to snacking and defining your diet is to eat something you and enjoy that is also good for you and satisfying! Otherwise, you may just end up searching for something else to eat after...

Skinnyenvy.

Skinnyenvy. Yes, you are reading that correctly. Skinnyenvy is a combination of the words: skinny and envy. Everyone knows someone who embodies this newly formed word. They come up to make a comment about how skinny you've gotten or how much weight you lost. Of course, the main question that is really being asked is "how did you do it? how did you lose the weight?" Usually, said with such amazement and well, envy of your new skinnier self.

Annoying? Yes, skinnyenvy certainly can be (especially when it happens on a daily basis). Flattering? Well, the envier certainly thinks this weight loss is a remarkable feat. Sense of jealousy? Obviously, usually these are the type of people that have a dire need to lose almost to an obsession or simply are watching your dietary habits and the resulting spin cycle of weight loss - just to comment.

The best part of skinnyenvy is the resulting awkward conversation about how the poundage melted away. This conversation is usually weighted with trying this diet or that food fad and failing, only to gain more weight in the end and carried on by the skinnyenvier. The end is what seems to be an epiphany that they too will do what you do and be successful. The only problem - they are not you and therefore, it may not work unless they tailor it to meet their needs.

Skinnyenvy. Tailor your diet to a skinny self.

Starvation. The Myth.

Starvation.  Starvation is a diet myth.  Trust me – even a Hollywood starlet could not survive a starvation diet. Why is that you might ask?  Well, the answer might surprise you.   The human body is a miraculous thing that is not only adaptable but also has a mind of its own.   You might even venture to call this “mind” a brain that takes over even when your willpower cannot.

Bears can survive winter hibernation due to the fact that their body’s processes have slowed to a snore in order to make it through the winter without a single morsel of food.  Ever wonder why they are so grumpy when they wake up?  I think you would be too, if you hadn’t eaten in months.   The same is true for the human body but in a less of a hairy and grouchy extreme.   Starvation is similar to hibernation only in humans the body adapts by slowing the metabolism in order to conserve calories for future use.  It is an innate feature in all of us – whether we are aware of it or not.

 

(Bear-inspired German Chocolate Cake)

Starving oneself will only cause the body over time to come to a sluggish halt – leading to fatigue, hunger, and a bear-like grumpiness.  Yes, weight will initially be lost and rather quickly as it takes some time for the body to adapt to a starved state but slowly the weight loss will slow to a terrifying halt.   The damage is not only a mental confusion but can do more physical harm than being mauled by a bear itself.  When the body does not have enough calories to burn it starts using muscle and then fat reserves for quick energy.  The result – muscle loss.  And well muscle, muscle is the only metabolic tissue in your body and therefore, your metabolism dwindles to a drool.

Starvation.  A body slowing truth.

Bad, Bad Choice.

Bad, bad choice.  Don’t worry everyone does it, ya know? Makes a bad choice.  Yet, when it comes to making a bad choice regarding food it is a whole number bag of worms.  First, if you’re not alone when you’re eating, the people surrounding you are most likely looking at what you’re eating and rating it on some sort of scale.  There is the “delicious scale” rating the wow factor of how “delicious” the food would taste based upon the imagery in front of them.  Then there is the “good for you” scale.  This scale focuses on the overall healthiness of the food and how it could ultimately affect your weight or health.  The types of scales that exist are infinite and could be endless redefined depending on whom you ask.

The scale that sticks out in most “weight conscious” individuals is the “bad for you scale.”  It’s a brutal scale that every morsel of food that enters the mouth is weighed upon to determine its “badness.”  If the food has fat, well then it’s bad.  If it is mostly carbohydrates, put it on the diabetes scare bad scale. If the food fried, watch out the scale is tipping and just might never balance out again!  Pretty soon it is not worth eating at all because of the potential badness that makes weight watchers run in fear of an extra calorie leading to an extra pound. I mean really?

Let’s get real here – eating is worth every bite as long as it is enjoyable and contributes something to how you feel in positive light.  Negative feelings towards food can create a stressful environment, not just the one that is being physically lived in, but also, the body.  If someone is so worried about their bad choices, the body can be come a stressful zone and potentially this could lead to more bad choices and overeating.  A vicious cycle instead of a delicious cycle wins us over. 

May it be suggested that food be enjoyed for what it is?   And, when food choices are made, can they be acknowledged for what they are? If it is indeed a “bad choice” then make less of them or consume less of what is in front on the plate.  Don’t ignore it but be aware and arm yourself against a…

Bad, bad choice and don’t break the scale. 

Healthy Food Tip #1 - Roast 'em!

Mmm... there is nothing better than a caramelized carrot.  Well, that is except when it's actually good for you and tastes delicious.

Roasting is a great healthy cooking technique that not only makes vegetables take extra delicious but also makes your taste buds tingle in delight!  The trick is to toss vegetables sparingly in olive oil, season as you like, and then roast at a high temperature to caramelize the natural sugars found in the vegetables.

Think you're a veggie hater? Give this a try your tastebuds, stomach, and health will thank you!

Opposite of Fat. Skinny.

Skinny. Skinny seems to be the status that every person ultimately in their lives will strive achieve no matter how much deprivation and self-loathing is involved. Usually the thing that sets off the skinny chase is an event. An event like a birthday, a reunion, a wedding, reading the celebrity tabloids, or a morning struggle with a sweater that miraculously shrunk over night (or so it seemed). The trigger event starts a series of thoughts, behaviors, and irrational decisions all focused on dropping a tonnage of pounds so that no one can refer to you as an elephant any longer.

The truth about being skinny is not a fast metabolism or a genetic anomaly but it is more of a recognition that you are in control of your body for the most part. Remember – there will always be exceptions. Skinny is relative. In fact – there are even people who are referred to as “Skinny Fats.” A nickname given to individuals who in visual appearance pass the “skinny” test but upon further physical inspection are not even close to being healthier than their larger counterparts.

Just as an overweight person can be considered “fit,” a skinny person can be considered “fat.” Hmm, interesting if I do say so myself. Further – it reveals something even more curious about classifying someone into a category based on their size rather than their health and how they take care of themselves. Revealing that there is much more to the psychology behind dieting, health, and weight maintenance than what meets the eye.

So is the opposite of fat, skinny? Skinny Fats.

Rumble. Rumble.

Rumble. It is the nose the stomach makes to alert someone to their hunger status. It is not triggered by the site of food but merely the instinctual need of the body to replenish its resources. Or is it? These days it is particularly hard to tell if hunger is a need or more of a thought based on the tick tock of the clock. Oh look! It is 8 am – it must be time for breakfast. Oh alas, 12 o’clock – lunch anyone? Dinner is at 7 pm. Sharp and do NOT be late. Is it as easy to predict hunger as it is to set dinner time? The answer is pretty much a resounding “no.”

There is little one can do to plan out their hunger patterns and match it precisely to when they will have time for feeding. It is the rather unfortunate thing about dieting and living life at the same time – the time factor. Cooking takes time, eating takes time, even going through the drive through takes time (although less time if you’re just passing by and happen to swing through when the hot donut signs starts blazing.)

Really think about being hungry and the rumble that spreads like wildfire through that belly of yours. Is being hungry about time or is it a signal to go ahead and eat? When was the last time you were actually hungry so much so that you needed to eat something? More often than not people eat based on the time of the day and not so much the signal from their body to their brains. Let’s go ahead and try to reverse that if possible and avoid the clock.

Rumble. Rumble. Eat with the Rumble not the tick tock.

Make it homemade.

Control your food by controlling what's in it. Just like this homemade pizza!

Miniaturization.

Miniaturization. Better known as “mini.” The latest fascination not only in people but also in food some would even consider it trend-worthy. The miniaturization of everything is taking place around us, well with the exception of “racks” and we’re not talking racks of lamb if you know what I mean. Restaurants are on board with the downsizing of their food to miniature status as is witnessed by the transformation of the formally known “hamburger” to the now known “slider.” Of course, this would all be fine as far as defining your diet is considered if the downsizing resulted in eating less of the food so you could also miniaturize yourself in the process. Unfortunately, that’s not the case because instead of one burger four sliders miraculously present themselves upon your plate and proceed directly into your belly.

This secret swap from a larger item to multiple small ones is tricky at best. It is one of the oldest tricks in the book that ready to fool you into not only eating more but forcing you to assume that you are eating less. Here is the time to take off your beer goggles and pay attention! Look and think about what you are eating – you can do it! I swear it is really that easy. As every morsel of food passes the tip of your tongue think to yourself – am I still hungry? Or am I only eating because there are two more mini-burgers still there staring me in the face? Remember – this is not a staring contest even though the potatoes that turned into French fries may at one point have had eyes.

To miniaturize yourself, miniaturizing your food may not be the answer if in fact that miniaturization leads to multiples consumption. Yet, there may be something here that will indeed work for boosting the willpower, trimming the waistline, and shrinking the foods around us. Miniaturize your diet by simply eating less but of better, more nutritious and delicious foods. Satisfy yourself with the power of taste and loving every moment of the indulgence.

The result. “Hey Mini!” “Who? Are you referring to me?”

Here’s your cake. Oh, and eat it too!

Cake. The dreaded piece of birthday cake. It really could be anyone’s birthday but it’s the anticipation of the cake that is on the mind throughout the entire day and possibly, the each day of the week as the taste buds begin to salivate at the very thought of it. Thoughts of having the smallest piece or just one bite will fill your head but at the very end of the experience all you see is an empty plate. It is at this point that the feelings of dread and rambling comments continue on and on as to exclaim to your friends and family “I shouldn’t have eaten that…” Only you’ve forgotten the fact that this only draws more attention to your uncomfortable feelings relating to food.

Yes, it’s true. You have just psyched yourself out over a piece of cake! Wouldn’t it be easier to live life discussing how absolutely delicious every bite of the cake tasted and that despite the fact that you are completely full you would really like to dive right into another giant piece? I think we all wish this could be true and I’m pretty certain that it can be as long as some attitude changes occur along the way as well.

Think of the possibilities here – they are endless! To admit that you actually enjoyed eating your food and not having to feel ashamed or embarrassed of doing it - wow, what a revelation! And, a great one at that, as it helps substantiate the point that our feelings toward food relate to our patterns towards food. I’d like to venture out on a limb (preferably one that is nicely toned) to say that if someone feels better about their food choices and attitudes towards these choices then they will feel better about themselves. At which point – this massive self-esteem boost may drive them to make better choices in the end as they start to value and understand the foods being eaten and how they affect not only their bodies but their minds. It’s a feeling of euphoria and one that is not caused by a sugar rush from all that cake you just ate.

So, here’s your cake. Oh, and eat it too!

Calories. IN equals OUT.

Calories. Calories are the end output of all the food that is consumed. Not only are they required to live but adding up too many of them can result in an unpleasant stomach bulge or muffin top over those too tight jeans of yours. A few things can be done to help avoid this, with some options being more pleasant than others. For one – a new pair of jeans a few sizes up can be purchased so there is room to grow into them – don’t forget elastic or spandex is a key ingredient here! Or simply less food could be eaten but that wouldn’t be very satisfying would it? Don’t forget the blood, sweat, and tears associated with hours of exercise – ruthless!

Traditionally nutritionists, dietitians, doctors, and scientists alike would tell you that maintaining your weight comes down to calories in equal calories out. As long as you’re in the negative weight can be lost but if you’re in the positive weight will be gained. And this is absolutely fine as long as you are meticulously counting your calories and not living your life because who wants to carry around a calculator, notebook, pencil or pen, and of course, a book to look up the amount of calories in every single piece of food on the earth? That’s right… you don’t!

The confusion around the amount of calories actually in the foods you eat can be overwhelming. This is due to the many methods of preparation (adding a little butter here and there can really add up), the actual serving size versus the serving size consumed, and all those accompaniments like ketchup, mayonnaise, etc… that the food is slathered, dipped, or drowned in.

Calories also fail to take into account the relative “healthiness” of the foods that can lead to other health problems down the road and with that being said it is easy to realize that Calories are more than in equals out.

Calories. Not a simple equation.

Acknowledgement. It’s everything.

Acknowledgment. It’s one of the very first steps in a series of realizations that lead to choosing the foods that will work to make you healthier and find that life long diet. Funny enough, acknowledgment is one of the most overlooked components of almost every “diet” plan. If someone simply does not recognize that their favorite fast food meal is contributing greatly to not only the decline of their diet but also the increase of their waistline then there is definitely a disconnect in there somewhere. This could lead to a whole slew of problems…

Just because a diet plan lays out the foods for you to eat, doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be eaten or that something will not eaten in its place. Additionally, the foods can be prepared in a myriad of ways. Take the famous and most delicious cheeseburger for example. I do not know of one cheeseburger that is made with the same ingredients or same method of preparation unless it is continually purchased at the same chain fast food restaurant throughout America. A cheeseburger made at home would not only taste very different but it would also be made with a variety of other ingredients. A fact that should empower the home cook to keep on cooking and change up their burger recipe so they can never be bored of a burger again! Plus, they control what actually goes into that “beef” patty – perhaps some real beef?

It’s simply a fact that when someone buys fast food for lunch or dinner, they know they are not eating the healthiest meal ever invented. It’s at this point that acknowledging eating this food is being eaten in the first place that defining your diet will start. Either someone will choose to take back their food and their diet or they will surrender it to the non-acknowledging abyss. Pretending that it was just not eaten, or saying “today was a special day and it was one day so it can’t hurt” will just not do. One day turns into multiple days scattered here and there throughout a year and add up to a “big” difference. It just so happens that it’s most likely you that is the “big” part of that difference equation.

Acknowledgment. It’s everything.

Fat is what you think it is.

Fat. Or rather being fat is one of those things that can make many people cringe upon thinking about. It’s a social stigma in America. One that cannot be overcome or taken “lightly,” due to the negative health perception it portrays. In fact, when it came time to name this very blog and describing the author as “the fat nutritionist” many of the comments that were received were mind boggling. Fat? How negative! Fat?!?! Isn’t that kind of mean?

Well, the answer is both yes and no. Fat to me is not the same fat to you. It is all very relative. Now, one could certainly plot some data points to prove that being fat is based upon weighing X kilograms divided by Y meters in height squared in a little equation that determines Body Mass Index (BMI) to be more precise. Even this measurement of body fat (based on weight and height) is not accurate enough to predict one’s health. Yet, it seems as though anyone can tell if someone is “fat” just by looking at them? Hmm… Maybe not.

Perception is everything. If being fat is viewed as a negative then it very well is negative. If you call someone “fat” in a malicious manner then it very well is malicious. In essence – fat could actually be a motivating factor for wanting to change a life – whether yours or someone else’s.

Being fat is what you think it is but it’s up to you to make that change.

Back to the Apple.

Food. There really is nothing better, right? I mean food is needed to survive on this planet after all. Therefore, if it is going to be eaten then it might as well taste good. Or, at least I’d like to assume so? The trouble is most of the time when an individual decides to “diet” the food they are choosing either a) does not taste very good or b) restricts the very nutrients needed to survive and be “healthy.” Wow, look at all these links between food, diet, and health. It’s kind of crazy actually.

The cabbage soup diet is a prime example of the torturous feeding ritual that an individual might put themselves through to shed a few extra pounds. It seems logical that eliminating all of the other food groups necessary to live would be the perfect way to have a sustained weight loss. I hope you’re catching the sarcasm here. It is highly doubtful that anyone could survive on cabbage, carrots, and water for the rest of their life. This brings me to a valid point about food. The food that you choose to make up your diet, should be food that you intend to eat, enjoy, and live off of for as long as you possibly can so that you can fulfilled but inside and out.

Back to the Apple. Food will have a different meaning depending on who you ask. Food can elicit feelings of enjoyment, love, fulfillment, or the other extreme of shame, negativity, and regret. This is the reason that people choose the foods they choose. Some people eat certain foods like the apple because they make them feel “healthier,” whatever that means to them, and some people can eat an apple because they think it is the best tasting piece of fruit that ever grew on this earth. Others enjoy the nutrition provided in the form of fiber amongst other nutritious elements that an apple can provide. And if a worm is accidentally eaten, there is a little extra protein in there too!

So, if a diet can be redefined, health is personal, and food means something different to everyone, then why wouldn’t you design your own diet that you could live with for the rest of your life?

Food. It’s your choice.

Health. It’s personal.

Health. As the old saying goes “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.” A quote, so famous, that it exemplifies the fundamental link of food to nutrition and then to health status without anyone ever realizing it. Still, upon closer inspection, it is simply known that there is no way that an apple a day could keep us totally “healthy,” or could it? We will get there… but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Taking a step back and examining health, it is easy to understand that being healthy means a variety of different feelings to many different people.

The working mom or dad. Often, they have put in eight hours plus of work at the office and are coming home to their families, possibly for a quick dinner and some family time. To the working mom or dad, health may be having just enough energy to get to the end of the day without a mild tragedy occurring and being able to take that final deep breath before falling off to sleep. Or, possibly making their children drink milk instead of soda when at the dinner table.

A very different picture of health is perceived when asking an athlete their view of health. The track star. Practicing day after day, running race after race, and consuming carbohydrate after carbohydrate to achieve the ultimate form to win the race. It’s the body and mind that needs to be healthy for a track star to feel confident enough to pull ahead in the race. This cannot be achieved without the proper fueling system and understanding the reciprocal relationship between food and performance.

One last example. The health of a woman recovering from chemotherapy. Her view of health will differ drastically from even the people around her. To her doctors – it’s the absence of foreign cancer cells from the body. To her family – it’s the presence of life. But to her, healthy is the feeling of enjoying the taste of ice cream again without the presence of nausea.

Health is something that sprouts from something smaller. A day, an activity, a disease, a piece of fruit, the list can go on. It seems to all come down to how you live your life through the choices that are made to fulfill you, both literally and "figure"atively.

The fact is health it's personal.

Defining Diet.

Diet. It’s a word that I choose not to define in the typical way. There are a variety of reasons for this. The first being that most American’s loathe the word diet as to them it means starvation, food that tastes like cardboard, or jeans that are so tight that the metal closure just might pop off and hit a coworker in the eye at any second. Although, the later part might not be such a bad thing in some regards… Yet, the mere fact that a button can fling off jeans due to their tightness is enough to make you want to go on a “diet.”

When someone gets to the point in their life, or more often than not several points throughout their life, it’s like an immediate panic sets in. Research begins on all the latest diet trends and investigative work on how your neighbor lost thirty pounds so quickly begins to unravel and load the mind with thoughts like “well, if I just only ate 500 calories with no bread then maybe I can do it too?” It is these very thoughts that intimidate the mind and body into a fluctuating battle of weight loss and gain that so many of us have experienced before the age of 25. It is what appears to be the never-ending combat over food, nutrition, and your life.

So, I present a challenge. A challenge which will fight against the grosgrain of society’s newly formed definition of diet. Instead define diet not as the foods you eat, or do not eat to maintain your weight, but rather define diet as the foods you eat to live. To me - defining diet leads to better nutrition and a healthier life that is achievable by consuming the foods that you love to eat and that just so happen to taste great too.

As I challenge you, I will also challenge myself. The challenge will be to help you explore and understand foods in order to create a diet you love and that guides you to find the healthiest version of yourself.

The Fat and Skinny Guide. Stay tuned.