Is Healthy is the New Black?

I saw the following flier posted at work today and wanted to share. It got me thinking, I am really proud of the company I work for because they are making an attempt to offer healthier, affordable, options in our Café. They have recognized the obesity epidemic and have wisely noticed that some people want to make healthy choices. It doesn’t hurt that they might profit from it. I think this is ingenious. And I’m not excited about it simply because they are offering fish taco’s(though that is what grabbed my attention). I am hopeful that healthy living is actually becoming a trend.

I had a very fruitful conversation with a friend at work today. He is from the baby boomer generation and noted that many companies developed “junk food” in response to world-wide starvation epidemics “back in the day.” It was a point of view I have never heard before. He went on to say that companies never set out to develop foods that would cause mass obesity or harm our planet. They were looking for ways to stem the mass deaths caused by starvation around the world. There are people who would disagree with this logic, but I thought it was an interesting point of view. He said that today we don’t hear about starvation issues the way he did when he was younger, and much of that is due to companies like Monsanto who found a way to produce more food per acre. The sad byproduct is GMO’s that cause diseases like Celiac’s and other terrible food allergies and auto immune disorders. Also, in our attempt to make a bigger, leaner cow and chicken, we now have girls going through puberty at a very early age because of added hormones. What I loved about this conversation was that he noted his hope that the United States would recognize the harmful effects of these byproducts and begin to change course by conducting research that will lead us back to producing healthier foods that eliminates these kinds of side effects. It was one of the most positive conversations I’ve had about the foods we consume, well, ever.

I was at the pool this weekend and was paying close attention to the children at play. When I was a child, I thought I was fat. I was one of the larger kids in my class(I always had a sweet tooth that could not be reckoned with) when most kids were thin. Today, children in general are much more plump than I ever was. Why is that? Well, I believe it is because “junk food” is cheaper, and more convenient. It also tastes pretty darn good. I believe educating people is one way to motivate them to make healthier choices. I can’t imagine most people want to be fat. I believe we can eat yummy food and be relatively healthy. It sure is easy to pick up a couple frozen pizzas and pop them in the oven as opposed to cooking. I have made the sacrifice to take the time to cook healthier meals for my family.

Now I realize there is a faction of people who say eating any food that is NOT organic and that IS genetically modified is NOT healthy. Well, I’ll be frank, you have to start somewhere. To me, stopping the McDonald’s craze is one place to start. Make hamburgers at home and eat a bake potato instead of French fries. I have lost 140 pounds doing this very thing all while controlling my portions. I fully admit I eat foods that are not certified organic. Why? I’m not rich and can’t afford to spend half my salary on food.

Here is one example of something I do to eat “healthier” and not spend too much money. Instead of buying 3 frozen pizzas to feed a family of 5(3@ $3.00=$9.00). I buy 1 pound of ground beed($3.99), a 5lb bag of potatoes($2.50), frozen veggies($.99), and a bag of buns($.99) which all adds up to about $8.47 which is roughly the same price. And, at least there is nutrition in the baked potato skin and the corn. And my family is happy.

I am really hopeful that our country as a whole is beginning to recognize the obesity epidemic and I agree with my friend. Maybe we can shift the nations consciousness and make healthy the new trend of our generation.

Treat Yourself!

The view from my cubicle isn’t very exciting. If I’m lucky, I see my leader(through our pass-through window). If he is in a meeting, I see a slit of sunshine through the closed blinds in the aisle. But take note, I am squinting because of the supersonic florescent light over my head. Toiling away in this environment makes me feel as if I am crystalizing into Styrofoam. It’s just unnatural.

I sip coffee(okay, I admit I didn’t give it up-though I know I should) and guzzle water, and make frequent trips to the restroom. And sometimes I work. Mostly, I wish I were outside. When I grow up I’m going to be a professional sunbather. I love the feel of sunshine on my shoulders. And yes, every time I say that I think of John Denver and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Naturally, I believe sunshine should be a part of everyone’s day.

Why do I bring this up? Well for one thing, being a grown up is stupid. I live in a constant state of “hurry up.” There aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do. Most of the time “sunshine on my shoulders” is at the bottom my priority list. There are many good reasons for this. My paycheck ensures I have a roof over my head and food in my belly. If I don’t spend 45 hours at my place of employment, well, I might get hungry. And I don’t enjoy being hungry, or broke, or homeless for that matter. And then there are the ferocious beastlets(my children). They have this habit of squawking like gargantuan hatchlings, fresh out of their dragon eggshells when I don’t stuff food into their bellies. So I spend many more hours than I would like to standing over a hot stove cooking them mealworms and grubs. (They like it best with bananas and chocolate chips). Alas, I have so little time for me.

But today I have vowed to make time for “sunshine on my shoulders.” I have purchased a new swimming suit, on which I spent an obscene amount of money, so I do not embarrass said beastlets when I drag them kicking and screaming to the swimming pool tonight. They will watch in abject horror as I dive(gasp!) off the diving board and sploosh(!) down the water slide. My 16 year old has informed me that there really is nothing worse than going to the pool with his mother. But he doesn’t seem to understand that my signature joy in life is mortifying him in front of strangers, and to deprive me of such joy is well, just wrong. Mothers must have fun too!

So my advice for today is this…. Make time for yourself. Don’t get so caught up in life’s responsibilities that you don’t take time to do something you enjoy. Life is just too precious and way too short. Your simple pleasure may be different than mine. I was never very fond of bungee jumping or mudding. But rest assured, today, taking time to renew my frazzled mind is at the top of my list.

Water water everywhere and no one takes a drink!

When I first began my journey to better health I looked up quick and easy ways to shed pounds. One of the first and best tips was “Drink lots of water!” So I picked up a 32 oz cup and forced myself to sip on it. Now you have to understand that I actually HATED drinking water. And I thought, “How in the world am I seriously going to make myself drink 64 ounces of water a day? But I had read that often when we think we are hungry, we are actually dehydrated. Since I had a practice of eating pretty much nonstop I decided to drink water instead. My best practice was, if I wanted to put something in my mouth, take a sip of water. It was really hard in the beginning but then it became a habit. Now I literally don’t go ANYWHERE without my water cup. In fact, even in Alabama I had my well worn 32 oz cup with me in many pictures. I literally feel naked without it.

Soda dehydrates the body so I quit drinking it cold turkey. Diet soda may not have calories, but it is LOADED with salt. You are not supposed to drink ocean water because the saline content is toxic to the body. I have to wonder, who came up with the idea to make salt water, add sweetener and then market it to the general public as a diet drink. Oh, they were looking to make $$$$$ because if you drink a diet soda, golly, you are still thirsty! Whooda thunk it? I don’t drink diet soda because before I got healthy it tasted bad to me so I have never really been tempted to subsist on it. I used to get bladder infections ALL THE TIME drinking root beer and finally had to give it up. I don’t get those drinking water because water actually cleanses the body. Every so often I’ll buy a diet soda but inevitably it makes me ill. Which is a little depressing in the grand scheme of things but obviously the stuff is no good for me(or anyone else for that matter).

So if you are interested in losing weight or just making your body healthy, start small. Pick up a cup and start sipping. You may find you aren’t as hungry as you thought you were and you will be doing your body a HUGE favor.

Side note, when I go to the massage therapist they always tell me they notice that I am well hydrated. They say I wouldn’t believe how leathery most people are…. Don’t be leathery! Be supple and smooth! It’s the best known beauty secret out there and guess what, it’s nearly free!