It’s ok, I workout

October 19, 2012 / ktbuchs87

That phrase is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to diet and health. Sadly, this attitude is becoming more and more prominent and it is a very slippery slope towards poor health. Just within this past week I have heard those words in passing at least twice and I know numerous others who have adopted this mindset. I will admit that I have fallen victim to this way of thinking a few times. It’s so easy to justify certain things when you work hard, but in the long run it will just pull you right back down the way you came.

There is no sugar coating the truth so I will just come right out and say it, you will never out exercise a bad diet. It’s just not going to happen. I know it might seem totally fine at the moment. You’re telling yourself, I am in great shape and I eat what I want! I put in the time at the gym so I don’t have to worry about that piece of pie after dinner. I’ll just burn it off later. The thing is that while you might be in great shape and a healthy weight right now, that poor diet will catch up with you. You might start to see the pounds creep back up, or worse you might find out you have a serious medical issue, like diabetes. There has been a shocking increase in the cases of diabetes not just in the overweight but in the seemingly healthy. This article talks about young 20-somethings who seemed to be in perfectly good health and exercised regularly but found out they had diabetes. One thing that struck me was that they all said they might not always eat the best but they exercised regularly. The food you put into your body is SO important. It is the fuel that will drive you, and if it is junk fuel, you are not going to go very far and you will break down at some point.

The other fact is that most of us don’t exercise enough or at such an intense level to justify eating more food. Most exercise sessions burn a smaller amount of calories than you think. Eating a doughnut after a run pretty much undoes the work you just put in (this website is neat and helps you to roughly estimate the amount of calories you burn doing a certain activity). If you have a problem with snacking, this is also really dangerous territory. Sure, at first it might just be a bite of something. But that can quickly turn into a small piece or am extra helping and then you’re justifying eating whole meals just because you went to Zumba two days ago. Trust me I know how easy it is to fall into that bad habit but think of it this way: You are not a dog. Do not reward yourself with food.

The thing is, if you are trying to be healthier and are putting in the work by logging gym time and exercising, why wouldn’t you do the same with your food? Being healthy isn’t just taking one area and improving it, it’s an all-encompassing process. Exercise is really important, but so is eating well and taking care of yourself. You want to feel your best in body, mind and spirit and to do so you have to take ALL the steps to get there and not use the guise of exercise to keep a poor diet. In the end, you’re only hurting yourself.

Late Night Munch

October 17, 2012October 17, 2012 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Admit it. You have stood in front of your fridge sometime after 9 pm looking for some snack to munch on. And more often than not you choose that hunk of chocolate cake or bag of chips over vegetables or a piece of fruit. Snacking at night is not a new phenomenon. It has been happening since late night TV became intriguing. What is relatively new and starting to cause some major health problems is night eating. While this is not a classified eating disorder yet, it is well on its way.

So what exactly is night eating? Don’t we all technically eat at night and call it dinner? Yes, but night eating is different in the fact that those who have night eating syndrome (NES), will consume more than half their daily calorie intake after 8 pm. Generally people who suffer from NES will eat very little in the morning and throughout the day, but once evening comes they will consume large portions of food. Now this disorder is different from overeating because night eaters are not necessarily eating a mass amount of food all at once. Instead, it is generally portioned out into snack-like meals throughout the night. NES is also different from sleep eating because the person is fully awake and aware of the food they are eating.

Night eating can cause health problems in a few different areas. First, when you eat a lot right before bed your body has a hard time focusing on getting to sleep because all of its attention is on trying to digest the food you just ate. This can cause insomnia or at the very least unrestful sleep. Sleep is very important to your body’s health because it is when it repairs itself and resets for the next day. Lack of sleep also messes with your metabolism, slowing it down and causing it to not run as efficiently and therefore causing weight gain. Unfortunately, if someone with NES has trouble sleeping they will tend to eat even more, exacerbating all issues. NES also causes problem with weight because when you consume a large amount of calories before bed or at night in general, your body doesn’t have any way to burn those calories off and a lot of them get stored as fat. Evenings tend to be the time when most of us are at our least active. When was the last time you decided to run 10 miles or go to a crossfit class after 9 pm? Also like a lot of other eating disorders, NES is connected with depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Overall, not a fun experience.

So why does night eating occur? There is no concrete answer to that question yet because there hasn’t been much research on NES. The doctor in this article believes that people who suffer from this disorder are stressed or anxious and are eating at night as a way to self-medicate and feel better. This doesn’t work, obviously, because it leads to health issues, and that causes more stress and anxiety. Others believe that night eating is caused by a neurotransmitter imbalance, and while there has been some success treating NES with medication, it isn’t conclusive enough to say that is the problem. The good news is that with a little bit of time and motivation there are steps you can take to help with night eating. One of the first things is to make sure you are getting enough food throughout your day. I know some people complain they just can’t eat a big meal in the morning or they don’t have time for a lunch. That’s fine. I’m not trying to tell you when exactly you need to eat. Just make sure you ARE eating during the day. Make sure you are also choosing foods that will keep you going and won’t just give you a quick burst of energy followed by a crash. Think fiber filled foods like fruits and veggies and whole grains. Have a plan for your dinner time and set a time for dinner and stick to it. Again, I’m not telling you an exact optimal time to eat your dinner. Just pick a time, like 7, and make sure you eat at that time. After your dinner, have a night time ritual. Create some type of routine that signals to your body you are done eating and it is time to start winding down. Do some yoga, read a chapter in a book, watch a TV show, or have some hot tea (my favorite). Once you create a routine an stick to it, your body will learn that it is time to start getting ready for bed, not time to keep eating.

As always, if it seems like you might have NES, talk with your doctor. They can help point you in the right direction and give you more ways to help. I don’t want people reading this to freak out about eating at night, that’s not the point. It is ok to snack (on healthy foods of course) at night time. Just make sure you aren’t eating an entire three course meal before you hit the sack!

What do you crave?

October 15, 2012October 15, 2012 / ktbuchs87

Cravings. We all get them at one point or another. Some of us are better at controlling them, and then some of us give in and indulge in whatever it is we want. When trying to eat a healthy diet it seems that cravings are what crush our resolve and pull us back to our old habits. Why do we crave certain things? What is going on in our brain/body that we just HAVE to have that piece of chocolate or those BBQ potato chips? Is there any way to break free from cravings?

There are a few reasons that we experience cravings. First, it is important to distinguish cravings from overeating. When you have a craving, you have a taste for a specific type of food. You want something salty like pretzels or something sweet like a candy bar. Overeating is eating mass amounts of food no matter what type. So why do we get cravings? One of the biggest reasons is emotion. When you eat something that you love, like your favorite home-cooked meal, the pleasure centers in your brain light up. Your brain makes that connection that this food not only tastes good it gives you a good feeling. When you are stressed, or sad, or anxious, your brain likes to remind you that there is a quick way to feel better. It wants you to eat that slice of apple pie because that will release those good feeling hormones that will lift your mood. Unfortunately, eating that apple pie will not help your healthy eating habits and then you feel guilty for indulging. If only you could explain this paradox to your brain….

Another reason that we get cravings is a restrictive diet. People who follow certain diets such as low carb or low fat tend to have very intense cravings. That is because your body is missing something that it needs, and when your body needs something it WILL let you know. In the case of food, that means a big ol’ craving. With this type of craving your body is trying to let you know it really needs some certain mineral or vitamin and you need to find some source of it pronto. This often means grabbing some junk food, mostly because it is quick. In reality there are other easy ways to get what your body craves if you know how to interpret your craving. This is a really nice chart that shows what craving “bad” food really means.

How are we suppose to deal with these cravings? As anyone who has experienced a craving knows, it is hard to fight it when you are caught up in it. Well this is the first way that you can fight a craving, don’t let yourself get to the point of craving food. Thanks Captain Obvious, I’ll make sure I try that next time. But seriously, take steps to make sure you aren’t getting to that desperate moment of craving when your willpower is at its weakest. Make sure you’re eating a balanced diet. Include a variety of foods so that you know you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Eating the exact same thing everyday might be easy and convenient, but this can sometimes become problematic because you limit the amount of nutrients your body is receiving. Mix it up, try a few new recipes and add variety to your eating. Learn to listen to your body. If you feel a craving coming on, stop and first make sure that you aren’t just thirsty (dehydration feels a lot like hunger) and then determine what it is you are craving. Use that chart and see what the healthy version of your craving is and have that instead of the huge slice of cake. Have a list of other activities that will distract you and your brain from your craving. Go for a walk or maybe call a friend and chat for awhile (hard to eat chips while you’re talking on the phone). Anything to get your brain focused on something else other than your craving. Find healthy alternatives to your junk food. Yes, it would be nice if we could all have the willpower to say no to a chocolate bar and choose a handful of raw almonds. But sometimes you really need that bar of chocolate. There are tons of blogs/recipes out there that have healthy versions of your favorite junk food. One of my favorites is The Gracious Pantry. There are tons of recipes for any craving you have. Healthy chocolate bars, caramel popcorn, potato chips and a ton more. Do a little research, find a recipe, and give it a shot. Will it taste exactly the same? Maybe not, but a lot of them are just as good or better and won’t leave you feeling guilty or depressed.

The biggest thing to know about cravings is to try to remain calm when dealing with them. Take a deep breath and think about what it is you really want. If you are trying to lose weight, focus on how much progress you have made and how giving into your craving will set you back. If you are just trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, think to how you feel after eating junk compared to how you feel after you eat a healthy balanced meal. Will you be perfect every time and resist? No. We are human and sometimes we falter. But you can learn something from those weak times and use it to make your resolve stronger for next time. You are in control of your body and you CAN overcome any obstacle!

Consumer Education

October 12, 2012 / ktbuchs87

I read this article awhile back. After I read it, I mostly put it out of my mind. It didn’t seem like it was that groundbreaking. We all know that McDonald’s is not healthy and that they use various advertising techniques to get the general population to buy their food. Pretty much nothing that comes out about McDonald’s shocks me anymore. But, I ran across this article again and it got me thinking about other companies in the food industry. Obviously all companies have the objective of selling their product and the main way to do this is through advertising. McDonald’s isn’t the only fast food joint to use sneaky tactics to make you buy their mostly unhealthy food. In fact even healthy establishments use some of these tactics, and now we have junk food out there masquerading as health food all because of clever advertising.

However, all is not lost. With some knowledge and a little will power it can be easier to navigate through advertisements little traps. First, let’s take a look at some of the more obvious pitfalls. We’ll start with the fast food joints. They use so many little tricks to get you to buy their calorie laden food. One of the biggest draws is they are quick and cheap. You can get a burger for literally a buck and in less than five minutes as well. That is a lot easier than going to the grocery store, buying all the supplies to make a burger, then going home and actually cooking that burger yourself. On the surface it looks cheaper too. But let’s think about the long run. All those dollar burgers will start to add up, not to mention the cost of the gas to drive there, and then how about medical costs when all those fast food meals start taking their toll on your body? Yes making food yourself can seem like a hassle and a waste but it is so much more beneficial, and it really only takes a bit of planning to work it all out. In our house, Saturday is grocery day, so on Thursday or Friday I will plan out a menu for the next week and make a list of everything we need. This helps a ton because now I have a meal planned for each night and don’t have to come home from work and wonder what to make. If you have a plan and don’t have to ask the dreaded “What’s for dinner tonight?” question, you won’t be tempted to just stop at the drive-thru on the way home. Pretty simple right?

The next trick is not so easy to avoid. Sugar is highly addictive and because of this it is put into EVERYTHING. From salad dressings to meat to bread, sugar is everywhere, especially in fast food. Why? Because it keeps you coming back for more. This is a hard thing to sidestep, especially if you’re addicted to sugar. Your first line of defense though is knowledge. Actually read nutrition labels. Most items on fast food menus can be found online with their calorie and nutrition info along with an ingredient list (and I am sure there is an app for that!) Learn some of the names that sugar hides as like sucralose or sorbitol or any of these 50 other names. Start slowly too, don’t think you can just magically cut out all sugar and live your life. It is a slow process, one that will have many setbacks. Start by lowering you sugar intake meal by meal. Maybe instead of a heaping pile of brown sugar in your oatmeal you use a spoonful of honey. Or instead of four packets of sugar in your coffee try two. Ease yourself into it and slowly but surely your body will adjust and you just won’t feel the need for as much sugar.

Finally I wanted to talk a little about tricky advertising on “healthy” foods. If you have eyes and have been in a grocery store in the last five years you have probably noticed food labels. It seems like everything now is natural or cage free or organic or raised on the peaceful hills of the Swiss Alps. Ok, maybe not that last one, but it has gotten a little ridiculous. But the food industry knows that terms like organic or all natural are appealing to the public and will be more likely to sell more product. And sadly most people don’t pay attention, they just see that a certain brand of peanut butter says all natural on the front and don’t bother to look at the ingredient list and see that sugar is first. Once again, get yourself educated about labels (this is a handy chart) and don’t be afraid to look around. Look at all the brands available and be aware that the organic foods sometimes are not the best choice. Case in point, the peanut butter I buy is Smuckers all natural. The only ingredients are peanuts and salt. I get a huge 20 oz jar for about 3 to 4 dollars. Compare that to some of the organic brands that cost twice as much for less peanut butter and often contain some form of sugar. Don’t discount a brand just because it doesn’t have the fancy label.

I only covered a small portion of the advertising techniques companies use to get you to buy their products, but these are some of the most widely used. Yes, it’s tough to avoid everything and it might seem tedious to take those few extra steps. But it is worth it in the end and you feel a lot better about yourself. All it takes is just a little consumer education and you are on your way to being healthier! I hope you have a great weekend and I will see you Monday!

Health Obsession

October 10, 2012 / ktbuchs87

Chances are that you know someone who only eats organic/gluten-free/macrobiotic/raw/any particular diet. Maybe it’s all that person talks about and you are getting tired of hearing them tout the amazing benefits of eating all organic bean sprouts grown in the wild forests of Indonesia. Perhaps it seems that this person is totally consumed with the way that they eat and it is getting on your nerves. Well just maybe that person can’t help it.

There is a fairly new condition called orthorexia nervosa that is starting to pop up more and more. It is not a recognized disorder but orthorexia is a fixation on the quality or purity of one’s food. When translated literally orthorexia means a fixation on righteous eating. Basically, it is being so obsessed with eating a healthy diet that it consumes their lives and it is all they can think about. This pamphlet does a good job of explaining the basics of this disorder.

I know that this disorder seems a little contradictory. Aren’t we supposed to be eating healthy? Isn’t that the reason you have this blog? Does everything have to become a disorder? All really good questions. Yes, we are supposed to eat a healthy and balanced diet. But the way you eat should not take over your entire life. You shouldn’t be worried about the food you eat every minute of every day, as there is more to life than food. For most people with orthorexia, they start out with the intention of just eating better but it turns into controlling every single morsel of food that goes into their body. It turns into worrying about going over to someone’s house to eat and not being able to have any control over the food prepared. It turns into thinking the way they eat is far superior and not understanding why everyone doesn’t eat like them. And ultimately it turns into loneliness, isolation, and possible malnutrition. None of these things sound like a happy and healthy life to me.

The scary thing is that it is so easy to slip into these bad habits and destructive thoughts and hide them under the mask of being healthy. If you just look at the surface, someone with orthorexia seems like they are just gung ho about their healthy lifestyle. That’s why I want you to be knowledgeable about these disorders, so you can avoid them or help someone else who might suffer from them. There is such a thing as being TOO health conscious. When it starts to consume your whole life that’s when it’s time to find help. And there is no shame in asking for help. Remember your ultimate goal when you started was to be healthier and this will be one more step towards achieving that goal. Living healthy is a delicate balance and hopefully this blog can help you to navigate the traps and pitfalls that may crop up. Have a great Wednesday and see you Friday!