You Are What You Eat

A long time ago (in January) I read a really great book that Eric's dad recommended to me. It's got the longest title known to man: The Culprit and the Cure; Why Lifestyle is the Culprit Behind America's Poor Health and how Transforming that Lifestyle Can be the Cure by Steven G. Aldana.

It was not necessarily an entertaining read, but it was definitely quite interesting and enlightening. The book is not just about how important it is to eat healthfully and have a healthy lifestyle; it was about WHY fruits and vegetables, whole grains, certain types of fat, and exercise are good for you. And it was about WHY refined grains, excessive sugar, simple starches, and a sedentary lifestyle are bad for you. Yet, despite the technical nature of nutrition, the book was easy to read and understand. Aldana explains the whys of healthy eating without getting too technical (read: boring).

That's my book review. Here's how it's changed my lifestyle:

Whole grains. We only buy whole wheat bread. Yes, it can be more expensive, but it is so much better for you. Do you know what the glycemic index is? You can read about it here, but a quick definition is simply that some carbs travel through your body faster than others. The faster it goes, the higher the index number. The goal is to eat carbs with LOW glycemic index values because they stick with you longer and provide you better energy. Now, the point- a piece of white bread has a HIGHER glycemic index than a spoonful of sugar. That means a spoonful of sugar will give you longer lasting energy than a piece of white bread. Grains come in three parts: bran, endosperm and germ. Refined grains (white rice and white flour) take out the bran and germ, leaving only the endosperm. This is bad because the healthiest part of the grain is in the bran and germ. In other words, white bread isn't necessarily BAD for you, it's just not as good for you as it could be if it were brown.

With all that said, we do not eat brown rice. Eric just hates it. So, we eat white rice. But, we do spend the extra money to have whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta. If we catch the wheat pasta on sale, then we stock up. It is worth it to us to spend the extra money to have longer, healthier lives.

Trans fats. There is absolutely no room in a healthy diet for trans fats. I am doing everything I can to eliminate them.

Meat. You don't need to eat meat every day. It's better for your health (and the environment, and the starving people of the world) if you cut back your meat. It's recommended that you only have red meat a few times a week. Other than that, focus on chicken and fish. Also, a serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards, not a plate.

Yes, we still eat meat. We are not gung-ho animal-rights vegetarians. But we do try to have a few vegetarian meals each week.

Legumes are great! We each try to have at least one serving of legumes every day. We especially focus on legumes when we are having a vegetarian meal. They are an excellent source of protein and fiber, and they are very cheap in most forms. Usually we eat a lot of beans, but lentils are also an option, as are nuts (usually in the form of peanut butter).

Low-fat dairy products. Skim milk makes me want to have convulsions on the floor. But! I find 1% milk highly tolerable. Also, I buy low-fat yogurts and non-fat sour cream. Dairy products have a lot of calcium (in case you weren't aware) and proteins, but I get enough fat elsewhere in my diet, so I can skip the fat my lovely dairy products provide.

Fish. Hello, like we can actually afford fish. Our fish is called tuna. It's not fancy, but it provides us with the nutrients we need, and it is affordable. Plus, we keep our eyes peeled for good fish deals.

Fruits and vegetables. I work really hard to get five of these a day. It is difficult for me. My favorite snack is a piece of bread, not a piece of fruit. But, I'm working on it.

With all that said, I still have areas that definitely need improvement. Like physical activity. I was doing the Couch to 5k program, but then Eric and I moved, and now I have no treadmill. So, clearly that means I cannot run. Like, ever. At all. I do walk to work sometimes. Or home from work. But that's going to end pretty soon. So, yes. I need to exercise more.

I eat too many sweets. There's really not another way to put it. I will not decline a bowl of ice cream or the offering of candy or pie or cake or brownies. I'm working on this, though, and I really try to limit my desserts to no more than one per day. Usually I don't even have that much. The real problem lies with the SIZE of the dessert.

And, one more thing. Despite how this sounds, we are not super meticulous about what we eat. We are more meticulous about what we BUY. If you do not buy junk, then you have no junk to eat. And of course, if we are over at your house and you cook us up steaks or give us white hamburger buns, we will not refuse to eat; that would be rude. We want to be healthy people, but we don't want to be food elitists.