Friday, May 28, 2010

Road Food

So I've been on a destination-free road trip through some of the southwest with a dear friend who proposed we "get outa Dodge" for about 10 days. We piled sleeping bags, pads, pillows and bags into her vehicle and set out from the foothills of California for points south along highway 395 and beyond. This posed a few challenges not the least of which was considering food both for the road and on the road. Eating while traveling in unfamiliar territory can be a daunting prospect and is a concern for many of my clients. Our journey offers the additional challenges of l-o-n-g distances between towns and cross-roads that pose as towns, sometimes with many miles between stops to even get ice for the cooler. So what's a foodie-nutritionist to do? Here are a few tips and tricks that have made our adventure work well so far, and a few additional ones that have worked for previous solo trips:

1 - Bring that cooler, yes, the big one. Get block ice and wrap it in a brown paper bag tightly this will help a little with slowing down the rate of melt. Have freezer strength zip-lock bags for storing things in the cooler that you don't want to get wet as the ice melts.

2 - Bring enough water for at least two days. How much is that? The rule of thumb is to take your body weight and divide that in half. That's the number of ounces you should be shooting for each day just for drinking. If you're going to be cooking, washing up, or doing a sponge-bath or two, be sure to add another two gallons per day.

3 - Don't just nosh your way through the day! Have set amounts of your snacks or food available and eat at intervals, not just because you're bored or need something to do with your hands. Good ways to regulate snacking is to pre-package your noshing items into serving sizes using half-size ziplock baggies. For a nut mix, that would be about 1/4-1/3 cup. For fruit, about 1/2-3/4 cup cut up or a medium apple or banana, or 1 cup veggies such as carrots, celery, jicama, or green beans.

4 - Have a thick dip or spread available for veggies. If it's too thin, I promise you'll end up wearing it as you drive... Humus or other bean dips work well for this purpose.

5 - Minimize the chips and pretzels, they won't do you any favors. They will actually make you hungry in the long run as well as increase the likelihood of creating edema (water retention) in your feet and ankles.

6 - When you need to stop for food, seek out a grocery store rather than a fast food place. You will save money and have a much higher quality meal, even if it's only an apple and cheese!

7 - The meal that seems to be the least likely to be made poorly is breakfast out. Go ahead and order the eggs, skip the potatoes in favor of a side of veggies or fruit. If you can get some salsa on those eggs you will get a little more vegetable matter in as well. Skip the juice and have water. If you have coffee, use real half-n-half, not the fake stuff. Same with sugar, use the real stuff, not the artificial sweeteners (your poor body doesn't know what to do with those chemicals - more on this topic soon). Skip the bready stuff and the cereal stuff. You'll be amazed at how much longer the meal lasts you!

8 - For dinners and lunches, split an entree and order an extra side of the vegetable or salad. Most places serve enough for a small army anyway! This has proven absolutely true on my current trip. We have saved a bunch of money at each meal this way and have never left a restaurant hungry.

9 - If you are in a new area and don't know the selections, put "best dinner Reno" into google (of course you'll put in the town where you are) and you can get some good ideas and reviews. Other ways to get good beta is to use cell phone applications like Yelp, Bing!, and Around Me to help locate restaurants nearby.

10 - Splurge! You're traveling afterall which means you are either away from home for business and need some comfort, or you are on vacation and celebrating. Allow yourself a couple of splurges on desserts or a meal or two that stray from your normal healthy eating habits (if you don't have healthy normal eating habits we need to talk). The catch? Be really picky! Don't settle for mediocre, get the best of whatever it is you are craving. Don't settle for M&Ms, stop by a local chocolate shop and get an amazing deep dark truffle. Don't grab a Dunkin Doughnut when you can find a fabulous french bakery and have a chocolate croissant. Go for the gusto!

Happy travels! Let me know what wonders you discover on the road!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

On Your Mark... Get Set...

In my preparations to put together a workshop series on the proper combination of nutrition and exercise, I have spoken with numerous friends and clients about what sorts of topics might interest them. In the process I have been regaled with some very funny tales of competition and training woes that were related to poor food choices pre or post exertion. One of the ones that had the biggest impact on me was about a guy who had arrived at the starting line for a bike race without properly fueling up in the pre-dawn pre-race hours and now was starving. In a last minute effort to get some sort of fuel in before the starting gun, he inhaled a hot dog with all the fixings from a nearby vendor. You can probably already guess where this story ends up... The interesting thing is this person is a semi-pro rider but never got any guidance about eating to win.

It should be pretty obvious that even if you didn't know about all the chemistry behind digestion and absorption, you might listen to your body when it cringes at the thought of a pre-race hot dog. The brain gets us into trouble in so many ways when it thinks it knows best and over-rides the needs of the body (hence all the various addictions to sugar and caffeine and other potential nutritional pitfalls). What you want immediately prior to a hard workout or competition sporting event is something that the body won't have to work hard to breakdown into fuel. This is why companies like Cliff Bar have developed products like "Gu" which is pretty much straight glucose and some maltodextrin which is a loosely held together starch that the body can work on while the glucose goes straight to the blood stream. That hot dog is a digestive time bomb that first starts out as a barely chewed up lump sitting in the stomach. Once that starting gun fires, the signals from the body are to forget about anything except the adrenaline pumped task at hand: RIDE FAST! A few miles into this endeavor, that hot dog has been jostling around in the stomach waiting to be digested with acid building up by the minute. The time bomb explodes into either vomiting or diarrhea because the body needs to get rid of it in order to continue to push hard in the race. Now, the rider is doubled over, exhausted, and drained of reserves because the last little bit of fuel left from dinner the night before has been used up.

Let's help this poor rider rewind and replay his morning in a way that sets him up to win. Three hours prior to competition (yes, often in the wee hours of the dark), let's be sure to give our rider a well balanced breakfast complete with easy to digest foods like pancakes with bananas and a little almond butter. Two hours prior to the race start, let's be sure our rider has 16 ounces of electrolyte replacement drink (I'll post a recipe for one you can make at home). One hour prior to race start he's warming up his muscles by jogging lightly or riding short distances pushing a little and then backing off. During this warm up, he is drinking about 8 more ounces of water. In the 15 minutes prior to start, nothing should be going into the stomach. Now when the starting gun blasts, our rider doesn't have a lump of undigested food to contend with, and his muscles are bathed in ready glucose with more on the way. The enzyme systems needed to produce this ready supply of fuel are already on line and working at near full capacity.

On your mark.... Get set....

Monday, May 17, 2010

Sleepless in Southern Oregon

Every now and then I am hit with a night where sleep is beyond elusive, it's playing hookie somewhere and hasn't even bothered to text. This seems to happen when there is a perfect storm of triggers that let sleep off the hook for a night. For me these elements often include: a new or unfamiliar place (can even be a different room in a familiar house); new or unfamiliar sounds in the environment; too much caffeine after 3pm; getting really physically exhausted and then getting the mind engaged in something fascinating right before normal bed time; having a meal out that has MSG in it and finding out after it's too late; being on my cycle; and full moons. All but the last applied last night. Once the cycle of non-sleep begins, there seems to be little I can do to stop it without a little help, so I got up after tossing and turning until 2am and worked until about 4am and finally dozed off somewhere around 4:30. I would have tried my battery of sleep aids if I had been at home. These helpers don't include any pharmaceuticals and can work miracles. Since this issue is something a good number of my clients experience, I thought I'd post some ideas here that you my not have thought of or tried before.

Melatonin: Many of you have probably heard of or even tried melatonin which is a naturally occurring hormone that is in charge of inducing normal sleep. It works wonders for me especially when changing time zones. The best thing to do in that instance is to take 3mg (+/-) about 20 minutes before you would like to be asleep in the new time zone, and then go to bed as if you are there. I do this when I'm on the plane unless I have to change planes in the middle of the night somewhere.

Wood Betony: A simple tincture of this herb is used for other things more often, but a little known use that works for me is to get "the list maker" to be quite. You know the one, that little voice that pops into your head and says "oh, and when you wake up, don't forget to put that bill to be mailed in your briefcase" and then just as you're about to slide into blissful unconsciousness, "oh, and remember that tomorrow is Aunt Susie's birthday"... About 30 drops of Wood Betony can help get the volume turned down.

Chamomile (and/or Valerian) and Oat Bath: Get some cheese cloth and make a simple mesh bag about 6"x6". Fill it with chamomile flowers and rolled oats. Bring about a quart of water to a boil and pour over the bag and steep while drawing a hot bath. Pour the "tea" and the "tea bag" straight into the tub. Climb in and soak until you are really toasty. You can use the "tea bag" as a scrubby if you like. Towel off but be sure to stay warm and dive under the covers.

Turkey: If you find you are a wee bit hungry, have a slice or two of uncured turkey meat (dark is better). Turkey is high in the amino acid tryptophan which is the precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin. This neurotransmitter is responsible for that "ahhh" feeling of relaxation. It is one of the main reasons why people go into a dozy food coma after Thanksgiving!

Reduce Exposure to Glowing Screens: It has been shown recently that the screens that shine light at you like TVs, computers, and hand helds, have the power to reset your internal clock. Reflected light, like that bouncing off a page in a book, doesn't have the same effect. If you have trouble on a regular basis getting to sleep, try turning off all glowing screens at least one hour before you want to be asleep. You can read, or do laundry or play cards, but don't stare at something that glows back at you.

And a little note about alcohol and caffeine: Although alcohol can cause someone to "pass out" it's not really healthy sleep that you get in that instance. What ends up happening is you will bounce back awake again in about 3 hours and then have a really hard time getting back to sleep (not to mention you probably won't feel very well). Minimize alcohol in the evening and caffeine throughout the day. Caffeine clearance can take 5-8 hours for women especially, so be sure to stop ingestion by about 3pm to be safe getting to sleep at night.

Hope this helps! When all else fails, don't stress about not sleeping because the stressing will prolong the sleeplessness. Just get up and do something soothing (without adding in any glowing screens). You can't make up lost sleep, but you can take a nap later in the day which will help.

Friday, May 14, 2010

The Disconnect

Something I see on a daily basis that still confounds me is the radical disconnect between health and the things we do (or don't do) every day. It still amazes me that the vast majority of those in conventional health care don't understand that what their patients eat and drink makes a difference in health trajectories and disease outcomes.

One of the most startling examples is in the field of oncology. There is a scan that is performed using radioactive sugar injected into the bloodstream so that areas of high metabolic activity "light up" on the screen. The reason these areas show up is because highly metabolic tissues suck up sugar at a much more rapid rate than surrounding cells and tissues in order to keep up their activity or growth. This is one way to find tumors which are rapidly growing self-cells that have lost their brakes. Sugar can therefore be clearly seen as cancer's favorite food, right? So why then do so many of my cancer patients come to me with instructions from their oncologists to "have milkshakes and any high calorie foods to be sure to keep weight on"? It boggles, really. Let's throw gasoline on the flame and then sit back scratching our heads as to why the cancer cells happily step up production!

Another brain bender is the recommendation for diabetics to eat a high-carb, low-fat diet. The pancreas is already stressed out and can't keep up production of insulin to deal with the carbohydrate that is already coming in! And yet, the idea is to reduce caloric intake rather than look at what those calories actually represent to the system as a whole. To control blood sugar, one needs dietary fats and proteins and fiber and minerals and vitamins and enzymes and MOVEMENT... It's basic biochemistry.

As consumers without degrees in biochem, we are bombarded at the grocery store checkout with magazine covers that exhort us to lose those pesky 15 pounds plastered over the top of a background picture of a 4 layer death-by-chocolate cake. We are told by food product manufacturers that we can have their "non-fat, sugar-free, low-carb, no cholesterol" food product and it will be just as good as the real thing. But our bodies know the difference even if the marketing agents can fool our brains. Bodies don't understand artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, artificial fats, gums, and fake proteins. Our bodies understand real food. The fake stuff has far more health consequences than the real stuff. Don't kid yourself into believing that we are smart enough to fool Mother Nature quite yet...

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Food As Fuel

The concept of food merely as fuel is something that is foreign to me personally, but it is a common predicament for some of my clients. As a self-proclaimed foodie, I find it sad that someone gets to the point where they feel that eating is a nuisance activity that takes time away from the important things in life. I confess that I find myself believing that these folks just haven't had really good food before, or there must be some emotional trauma leftover from an early age around food and eating that has caused this aversion to the pleasures of savoring a good meal. Sometimes on closer examination it turns out that there is fear of doing something "wrong" when it comes to cooking. Sometimes there is an overwhelming sense of time urgency and stress that short circuits meal time and creates instead a series of grab-and-go snack times.

I think one of the great disservices we have created by way of the convenience driven food industry is the sacrifice of flavor for speed. Then, they to try to fix the mess that got created called a "food product", by adding all manner of flavorings, artificial sweeteners, gums and colorings to try to make up for this poor substitute for real food. Childhoods are spent training tastebuds to stop wishing for real food and forcing them to settle for "fake-tasting-just-add-water-and-wait-for-the-microwave-ding" food products. It's no wonder that the adult palate has given up and gone sour on food in general.

I spend time in my sessions with clients gently poking and prodding and encouraging them to try new things, new combinations, new flavors, and certainly real foods. There just is no substitute for a real vine ripened tomato, or butter from happy pastured cows, or if you're lucky enough to live in California, fresh sun-warmed Meyer lemons from the back yard. As a foodie, I can conjure in my mind the smell of that lemon, the smoothness of the rind, the tanginess of the juice and my mouth automatically starts to water. It doesn't have to be some crazy fancy french restaurant meal to get my eyes to glaze over with delight -- hand me a handful of fresh rosemary or a bunch of riotously colored rainbow chard. This is real food. The real cellular foundational food of human life. These are the ingredients you want to build yourself out of everyday, not the chemical laden, sauced-up cardboard cut-outs that pass for "food" in most grocery stores and fast food establishments.

If you want to reawaken your senses and enjoy one of the simple pleasures of being human, shop the perimeter of your grocery store. That's where all the real food is: the produce, meats, dairy, eggs and often the bulk sections. Make a mad dash down an aisle or two for the toilet paper and maybe the olives and tea. Challenge yourself to start simple. Explore your taste horizons and push your limits just a little. Get fresh. Get smart. Get REAL.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Some Go Against the Grain

Gluten is in the news a lot lately -- and for this I am grateful! It may mean that gluten intolerance and celiac disease (gluten allergy) will be more at the forefront of thinking in our medical community. As a nutritionist I see quite a few clients each year who come to me with "mystery symptoms" that have been unsuccessfully treated with antacids and stress reduction. Part of the difficulty is that the symptoms of a sensitivity to gluten can be really varied, even within the same person depending on what else is eaten at the same time.

Symptoms of gluten intolerance can include:

  • Unintentional weight loss or gain
  • Bloating
  • Abdominal pain
  • Intestinal gas
  • Constipation or diarrhea
  • Fatty stool
  • Aching joints
  • Depression or anxiety
  • Eczema and other skin issues
  • Head aches
  • Chronic rhinitis (runny nose) or sinus infections
  • Exhaustion and fatigue
  • Irritability or behavioral changes
  • Infertility, irregular menstrual cycle or miscarriage
  • Muscle cramps
  • Tingling and/or numbness in the extremities
  • Slow infant and child growth
  • Poor dental health
Other problems can arise over time as nutritional deficiencies develop due to malabsorbtion (i.e. low iron levels and low levels of vitamin D). Of course, these deficiencies can then exacerbate the above symptoms or create whole new sets.

If you think you or a child in your life may be sensitive to gluten, there is an easy way to do a "real world" test. It's a tried and true method of home detective work. Try going without any gluten for 2 weeks. None. Nada. You have to be careful and read all labels to be sure. Keep in mind that it is hidden in lots of things like soy sauce and food additives. If your symptoms improve, you are likely sensitive. If you want to put it to the test, on the last day of your 2 weeks off, start the day with french toast, followed by a grilled cheese sandwich and a pasta dinner. If the symptoms return with a vengence then you can be pretty sure you need to avoid gluten. CAUTION: if you are actually celiac (truely allergic) DO NOT do the rechallenge portion of the experiment. True celiac disease is progressive and the more gluten/wheat you consume, the worse the disease gets.

Lab testing for gluten sensitivity is fairly ineffective when limited to blood work. Since the reactions are primarily in the gut, the best testing to do is stool testing. If you want info on how to get these tests done, please contact me.

More on gluten and gluten-free living in posts to come!

Friday, May 7, 2010

"If 1 is Good, then 2 must be Great!"

With finances at the forefront of many American’s minds, we have begun reaching more often for alternatives to expensive standard healthcare options. Recent reports show that rather than running to the doctor with aches, pains and colds, people are using botanical medicines and nutritional supplements as a first line of defense. This is often a very good option, however, it is important to understand that just because something is “natural” doesn’t mean it is safe to take more than the recommended dose.

I can’t tell you how many times clients tell me “this tincture/supplement works so well I thought I’d take twice as much so I’d feel better even faster.” This is NOT how botanicals or nutritional supplements work. Just like pharmaceutical medicines, herbal medicines and supplements can be dangerous is high doses. Keep in mind that nearly all our pharmaceutical agents were originally derived from the plant kingdom. Simple examples are aspirin which was originally derived from white willow bark, and the heart medication digoxin which comes from the flower foxglove (aka digitalis).

Please follow the directions on the container if you are treating yourself, and absolutely follow the directions of your practitioner if you are working with a trained professional. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider what you are taking including all medications and supplements because some of them can interfere with each other in detrimental ways. When in doubt, work with a trained professional to help you make healthy choices for you and your loved ones. Don't play doctor just because you can purchase something over the counter at your health food store.

I'm laying this on thick because I care. Really.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Recession Eating

Many of you out there are asking: "so OK Kia, you have me sold on the idea of eating higher quality foods, but how do I do that on a budget that just keeps getting tighter?" I have to say I'm right there with you on the financial end of things. If the budget gets any tighter I'll be camping for the summer. Still, I don't skimp on the one area that I know will keep me healthy through this crisis: real food. There are hundreds of ways to stick with real food, and in fact, real food is ultimately cheaper. Here are a few hints and tips that might help slow the bleed from the bank account.

1 - If you haven't tried vegetarian cooking, now's the time. Although you have to play chemist just a little bit to be sure you have complete protein sources, you can save a bunch of money by eating lower on the food chain. The trick with protein is you want to have a legume and a grain together in the same meal. This will ensure that you are getting all the essential amino acids in your meal. Although there are folks who will try to convince you that soy offers a complete and perfect vegetarian protein option, I'm here to tell you that they are stretching the truth just a bit. Soy has some health consequences if used as the main source of protein for a long period of time. You are better off having it occasionally and yes, with a whole grain. (The politics and science of soy is the topic for volumes, but if you want more info please let me know.) Go to the bulk section of your grocery store and pick out a couple of whole grains and legums (beans) you haven't tried before. Most grains will cook in about 1.5-2 parts water to 1 part grain. Most beans you will want to soak overnight, rinse, and cook slowly until just underdone with a bay leaf or some cumin. Rinse and store both of these in airtight containers in the fridge and use in recipes throughout the week. The beans will cook their last little bit in the meal you create.

2 - Veggies. You can get an enormous amount of veggies for your budgetary dollar. If you are lucky enough to have a farmers' market nearby, or a small plot of land or a raised bed or even a couple of pots, you can have access to the freshest veggies throughout the growing season. Greens are easy to grow and even easier to cook. A simple option for most greens from kale to chard to spinach is to "sweat" them. The way to do this is to rinse your greens and shake the water off lazily leaving some moisture on them. In a large pot (I use my pasta pot), heat about a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil on medium. Grate in fresh ginger or add minced fresh garlic as the oil gets to temperature. Then add the greens and quickly stir around for a second or so. Put the lid on the pot and leave it alone for about a minute. Give the greens another quick stir and then serve immediately. It literally takes about 2 minutes to create a wonderful side of aromatic greens. Find other veggies you haven't tried and do a google search with their name and the word "recipe" and you'll find thousands of options.

3 - Bulk buying. Now is when those pantries and chest freezers start paying off. When you find high quality foods on sale, buy a bunch. I do this with things like whole grains and nuts (freeze these), canned organic whole coconut milk, frozen organic veggies and fruits, meats, and organic butter (which you can freeze too). If you are in an area where you have access to purchasing meats in bulk (like organic grass-fed beef) see if you can go in with friends and neighbors on a whole side of beef. This will save you a considerable amount on your grocery bill. Don't buy fresh fruits or veggies in huge quantities unless you plan to preserve them in some fashion. I also don't recommend buying your oils in large quantities. Most households won't go through those big jugs before they start to go rancid. And remember, a good oil gone bad is just as bad as a bad oil.

4 - Shop the sales but don't fall prey to coupon buying for highly processed "food products" just because they are "on sale". Cheap products are very expensive in the long run when you factor in your health care bills. Also remember that the minute something is packaged, you are paying for that convenience. Here again, head to the bulk section of your market and see if the beans you want are there first before buying them in the "ethnic foods aisle" in bags or boxes. (If your market doesn't have a bulk section, make the suggestion to the store manager.)

5 - One of the biggest expenditures in the grocery budget is on beverages. Consider that your body really just wants water. I know that in many municipalities the water has an unpleasant flavor or odor. Rather than spending huge amounts of money on unhealthy options such as sodas and juices, invest in a good quality water filter. If you simply must have a flavor in your drink, try a simple slice of lemon or lime, or make a big container of diluted herbal tea to drink hot or cold. One way to get kids to start drinking water is to simply not have the other options around. Entice them with ice cubes made with a piece of frozen fruit in each cube. Show kids how to make homemade lemonade and control the amount of sugar that goes in (this is actually a good lesson for kids to see how much sugar really is in most sweet drinks). Make your own coffee at home! Those boutique coffee drinks are often at least $3.50 each. Do one a day for a month and you've just spent over $100 without thinking about it. The other budget killer is alcohol. Think carefully about how much you really drink and how much you could cut back, both for the sake of you wallet and for the health of your liver.

It's time to get smart about spending habits. And really, they're just habits. It takes getting conscious first, then deciding from there where you want to spend your money. When it comes to food, it's often a choice between a little more money for high quality food now or deceptively cheap food now and big health care bills later. Get smart. Get REAL.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Food Revolutions - Rant Alert

I have to admit I'm a big fan of Jamie Oliver's attempt to bring healthful food to US kids (check out http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution). But don't you think it's rather embarrassing that it takes someone from outside this country to make this shift happen? I challenge each and every one of you out there to take your power back from the companies that are draining you of your money and your sense. It's time to get a grip folks. It's not time to sit back and play another round of Grand Theft Auto while sucking down another liter of soda. What do you want your future to look like? Your PERSONAL health future? It starts now. It begins with every bite and sip you take. It starts with each extra step you take putting one foot in front of the other. If you really need to sit and watch something, watch "Food Revolution". Watch "Food Inc". Watch "King Corn". Watch "Supersize Me". If you can work some reading into your busy schedule, read "The Omnivore's Dilemma". Read "Real Food". Read "Good Calories, Bad Calories". There is a TON of information out there, it's time to put it into practice and take our power over our own health seriously. Get up, get out, get REAL!

Whew! Ok, I feel better now... Is anybody with me on this?