Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Skinny on Diet Drinks

Diet drinks seem to have revolutionized the diet fads ever since Tab broke out with ads promising a fabulous drink alternative for those who wanted soda without the calories.  And they can be a great dietary aid.  The problem is that they are not a miracle worker and the more studies that come out, the more they suggest that negative effects of diet drinks just might outweigh the positive effects.  Of course, this is a new topic for research and, as such, more studies are needed.

A New York City study found that people who drink diet sodas every day have a 61% higher risk of developing vascular disease, even accounting for other high risks behaviors, such as smoking, exercise, and alcohol consumption [3].  And a Boston study found that women who drank more than 2 diet drinks had a 30% decrease in kidney function, quite significant when you consider that nearly 20 million Americans  have been diagnosed with kidney disease [4].

Ironically, what all of the studies also found that the negative effects found with diet drinks are not found with regular sugary counterparts.  So what the heck is going on?  No one knows for sure.  What doctors and dieticians are surmising is that when people consume diet drinks, they are being less careful about the other things they are consuming.  Let’s face it, if you’re ordering a Big Mac supersized that Diet Coke isn’t going to be all that helpful!

So what’s a girl (or boy) to do?  Try to limit the number of diet drinks you are drinking daily, substituting it with water, preferably (what? this week’s Hellthy Habit is Drink Your Water! You knew I was going to work it in somewhere!!). I feel like Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D [5] sums it up best with this bit of advice:
Healthier choices abound. Start your day with a small glass of 100 percent fruit juice. Drink skim milk with meals. Sip water throughout the day. For variety, try sparkling water or add a squirt of lemon or cranberry juice to your water. Save diet soda for an occasional treat.
~a little salt for your tequila and lime (to prevent scurvy, of course!), followed by a BIG glass of water!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

H2OMG!

The very first habit I've listed in my HEALTHY HABITS! section above is drinking water.  I can't even stress how important it is.  Sure, we all know the body is mostly made up of water--cells have about 65-90% [1].  But do you really know the power it possesses [I hope you heard that in a Darth Vader voice!]?

IF NOTHING ELSE will motivate you to drink it (and we've all been there!), it honestly helps your skin look better in a relatively short amount of time.  Here is how I can easily tell if my water consumption is down and my non-water consumption is up: my face, as in the amount of pimples (or spots or acne or whatever you wanna call it) I have.  When I'm drinking a lot of water and not much of anything else, my face is clear.  Actually it was my dearest roommate who first made the observation that since we embarked on this journey her face was a lot clearer than it ever has been.  This made me realize it had been awhile since I'd used my concealer.  Thus I started paying closer attention and realized the more water (and thus less non-water) I drank, the clearer my skin was regardless of what I was eating, how stressed I was, or the time of the month.  Pretty darn cool if you ask me.  Especially given it's free :)   Not everyone in the world has access to free and safe drinking water, so please don't waste it [I'm trying REALLY hard not to quote Dirty Dancing right now]!

Want more scientific benefits to water?  Coringe [2] shares 10 cool things you may not know:
  1. Water prevents DNA damage and make repairs more efficiently.
  2. Water increases the efficiency of the immune system in the bone marrow, including against cancer.
  3. Water is the main solvent of all foods, vitamins, and minerals; It used to break down these materials and metabolism and its assimilation.
  4. Water gives energy to the food, so that food particles could provide energy during the digestive process.
  5. The water used as conductor of all substances in the body.
  6. Water increases the efficiency of red blood cells capture oxygen in the lungs.
  7. Water cleaning toxic waste from different parts of the body and took it to the liver and kidneys to be excreted.
  8. Water is the main lubricant in the joint cells and helps prevent arthritis and back pain.
  9. Water cooling system is important for the body (through sweat) and heating the body (electrical).
  10. Water helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
How do you like them apples?  Mmmm...apples are another amazing food--okay superfood if you like "it" jargon.  But that is a discussion for another post!  In the meantime, DRINK MORE WATER!

~a little salt for your tequila and lime (for prevention of scurvy)...followed, of course, with a big ol' glass of water!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Pardon My Dairy-Aire!

So the first time I read about giving up dairy, it was when reading You Are What You Eat by Gillian McKeith.  My reaction was exactly this: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA [gasp] HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!

I know Ms. McKeith is a nutritionist and did a very good job explaining why one should give up dairy.  I can even see why one should reduce the amount of dairy, but forever give up milk, yogurt, sour cream, a plethora of cheeses and such delicacies as whipped cream, breve lattes, and my dearly beloved queso?  uh-huh.  no way.  I'll just be fat, thanks.

Kris Carr, however, in Crazy, Sexy Diet had a much more, um, vivid description of how dairy clogs you up.  Literally.  She eloquently sums it up: "milk creates mucus, mucus creates inflammation, stagnation, and a whole lotta disorder in your gut" [p. 92] and then proceeds with all the shitty [pun intended!] details!  It was highly effective approach--at least for me.  Even more so for my roommate, whom I drug along with me on this journey, and who stopped drinking whole milk instantaneously after reading Chapter 4, Tushie and Milk Mustaches.  And you know what?  She's right.  Go ahead, I dare you.  Give up dairy for even a week and see how you feel.  More importantly, when you add it back it you'll notice the heaviness and bloating in your gut. So while I can't give up my beloved dairy forever and ever, thanks to Ms. Carr, I can go longer before indulging.


~a little salt for your tequila and lime (for preventing scurvy, of course!)

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Brusha Brusha Brusha!

Anyone reading up on natural health and well-being is bound to come across body brushing at some point (or many, depending on where your research takes you!).  My advice? Indulge!

It is a dry brushing, intended to get your blood circulating, slough off any dead skin, and allow toxins to exit through your skin. Start at your feet and work your way up.  Since it is a dry brushing, make sure that you get a soft bristled brush or you'll be sloughing off more than just dead skin!!

Play around with it.  Some people find it invigorating and a great way to jump start their mornings! I, however, find it to be very relaxing and best not to be done until I'm ready to veg-out.  I've always enjoyed a night shower to help me calm down and unwind from the day and I feel that a good dry brushing helps expedite this process.  In fact, my sleeping patterns are much better as well!

Some experts will give you thorough instructions on how to do it properly...but I say, go with your gut and do what feels natural (an upsweeping motion towards my torso is what feels the best to me). And remember to drink water, it'll help as well!

~a little salt for your your tequila and lime (to prevent scurvy, of course!)

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Chunky Monkey...and I Don't Mean The Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Flavor!

First, I think I should thank the doctor who called me chunky.  I know it seems strange to read.  It's probably stranger to see me type it, but it's true.  Without his comments, I wouldn't be here.

I have always been overweight, except when I was born (I look emaciated in all my baby pictures!).  I have been relatively active my entire life.  I have studied medicine, anthropology, epidemiology, and public health, so basically i know what to eat, and, actually what not to eat.  But of course, as you well know, knowing something and actively applying it to life are two completely different things, especially when you've been brought up eating deliciously comforting foods that are fried & butter and/or cheese-laden!

Over the course of my life, I have been called every euphemistic and non-euphemistic name in the book, such as:
FAT
LARD ASS
BIG BONED
TWO-TON TUNA
WIDE LOAD
CURVY
STATUESQUE (even though, I think I'm technically too short)
HEAVY
OVERWEIGHT
OBESE
LARGER THAN LIFE
FULL BODIED
A LOT MORE OF YOU TO LOVE
and a few more from comments below:
THUNDER THIGHS
FLUFFY (although no one has ever had the audacity to say that to my face)
PORKY
PUDGY

Dr. B. (for bitch), was my pediatrician who never missed an opportunity to blame whatever ailments I had (even a spot of melanoma) on the fact that I was FAT (her word, mine was DISGUSTING).  So then why after 30+ years of being called (and thinking of myself as) the above names, did being called CHUNKY by Dr. Twiddlededum stick?  I don't really know.  Perhaps because he thought he was being polite?  Perhaps it was because he was genuinely shocked that someone with an obese BMI (39.2 if you must know) could actually have normal blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol.

Regardless, it was the kick in the pants that I needed to try to get healthier.  Having written a thesis on heart disease, I knew that regardless of the good numbers Dr. Twiddlededum found, they wouldn't last forever and I needed to do something...and NOW.

Since my fated meeting, I have done a plethora of research and logged a lot of walking time with Addy, my darling pupcicle.  I have even started helping a few friends make better choices.  That's when I realized that what truly motivates me is motivating others.  So this is also a THANK YOU, dear reader for stopping in, having a few laughs, hopefully learning a bit, commenting a bit and giving me the motivation I need to stay on track.

By the way, my BMI is now 34.5, and even though still technically obese, it is headed in the right direction.  And that, my dear friends, is a very good thing and something not even Dr. Twiddlededum or Dr. B can argue!

~a little salt for your tequila & lime (for preventing scurvy, of course)