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Jan 24, 2012

Stupid Food Habits

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Most people don’t usually go to Facebook for intellectual stimulation, but I have such smart friends that I often find myself clicking on stories to learn more. For example, with a title like The 5 Stupidest Habits You Develop Growing Up Poor, I figured there was a good chance this article would either make me laugh or make me examine my own habits carefully. Turns out, it was both.

(Go read the article now. Watch out for some strong language, if you’re sensitive to that. And don’t forget to come back!)

The very first subject in the article is that when you’re poor you develop a taste for poor quality food. Wait…how did I not make that connection? I’m shocked that it never occurred to me that maybe the reason I crave junk so much is because I simply never knew differently as a child. *mind exploding*

I should start by saying that I didn’t grow up extremely poor. I was raised by a single mom who worked endlessly to support me. We never used food stamps, but her small salary and smaller child support payments did result in some lean times in the early years.

My mom shopped for groceries every two weeks, and we rarely had anything fresh in the house, other than fresh bread from the bakery across the street, milk and the occasional bunch of grapes when they were in season. Most food we bought was made to last, so if we didn’t get to it this week, well, there’d be no chance of it spoiling after a week. Or a year. When my mom had enough energy to make a meal after work, it was often a huge pot of spaghetti with jarred sauce (that would serve as several re-heated meals also), or the ever-so-reliable-and-cheap Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese.

It’s true: I do not like homemade mac ‘n cheese. But give me that neon orange boxed stuff and I’ll be back for seconds! Why? It’s not like powdered cheese product is superior in taste and quality to real melted cheese, right? But when it’s the only thing you had growing up, you do expect that flavor to be the “right” flavor.

Nearly everything we ate was frozen, boxed or canned. As I got older and could stay home more at night, she shifted to working nights more often and I became great friends with the microwave. Frozen personal pizzas were an easy, cheap staple. And that leftover spaghetti was an easy microwave re-heat, too. Seems like the only vegetables I ate were in a jar of Preggo sauce, unless you count the corn in the Doritos tortilla chips.

It’s no wonder I got fat – a diet made up of 90% processed junk filled with preservatives, fat and salt is enough to send anyone to the plus-size department! I can’t place blame on my mom – she worked over 40 hours each week, always picking up overtime when she could, and just didn’t have the money, time, or energy to cook from scratch or teach me to cook.

So we relied on cheap processed foods to get by, and as a result my taste buds learned that this was the way food was supposed to look and taste. The more subtle, complex flavors and textures of real food were foreign to me, and so when presented with them I usually turned my nose up. (Yes, I was that stubborn child who ate just stuffing at Thanksgiving meals – and only because it came from a box!)

Learning to eat right in order to lose weight has been an incredible challenge, and I can’t say I’ve won. I have learned to appreciate and enjoy real food, but the desire for junk is a strong one imprinted on my brain from years of Doritos binges and microwave dinners. It’s not something I can rid myself of just by trying new foods and deciding that they do taste good.

Growing up poor did leave me with a stupid habit I want to break, and in some ways I think this habit is even harder than losing weight. Yes, you read that right: even harder. My weight loss is, in many ways, tied to those cravings for salty, fried foods, and if I can’t keep control of that hunger I’ll be right back where I started. I don’t think it’s possible to completely eliminate the habits from childhood, so what’s the solution?

Well, I’m no expert, but this is what I’ve done so far:

1. Try new real foods as often as possible, and make sure they’re prepared well for your first experience. The idea of hummus sounded disgusting to me for a long time, but then we visited a local Mediterranean restaurant where friends told me how amazing their hummus was. So I tried it. And I liked it. Which made me want to try it again.

I’ve since found some really good and really bad hummus elsewhere, but that first taste of high-quality hummus kept me coming back for more. If you’re not sure what the best preparation of a food is, get recommendations from others before trying it. I’ve grown to love green peppers, fresh salads, eggs, Indian and Chinese food, and more all because I had a good first experience with them.

2. Prepare old favorites in new ways. This means making macaroni and cheese with real cheese, steaming fresh green beans instead of opening a can, and peeling and eating an orange instead of pre-packaged orange slices soaked in heavy syrup. It means trying out fresh meats instead of processed lunchmeats, and maybe even seeking out foods grown locally to see what fresh really tastes like. Even substituting low sodium, low fat frozen meals in place of the more processed frozen meals is progress. Trust me, your taste buds will rebel, but keep at it and you’ll develop an appreciation for the new flavors.

3. Don’t go cold turkey on your old favorites. Unless you have superhuman willpower, you will be tempted by your cravings. And for many of us (ahem…me), the longer you deny the craving, the bigger the binge. So incorporate small treats into your week. Grab a fast food hamburger for lunch one day. Eat a frozen pizza now and then. Treat yourself to a bomb pop at the zoo on a hot summer day.

Yes, diet experts will probably tell you this is the wrong approach, but I’m telling you I’ve lost 80 pounds and still enjoy a Krispy Kreme now and again without any shame. If you’re trying to lose weight, you’re already learning moderation thru portion sizes. Well, here’s another lesson in moderation – small portions of “bad” foods can keep you feeling happy and fulfilled without wrecking your overall goals. And if you keep making an effort to change your tastes, you may find you don’t even need those indulgences after awhile.

4. Don’t let your kids start this habit if you can help it. For some of us (raising hand) this is too late. But it doesn’t have to continue. We make an effort to have our kids try new foods now, and they both love fresh fruit. Mira hasn’t had as many bad habits form, and routinely asks for grilled chicken and broccoli. My hope is that we can undo some of the damage and start good habits that will follow them into adulthood.

Even though I grew up with junk, my own mom went right back to healthy eating when our finances improved. She grew up on a farm with fresh, well, everything. (As in, killed the chicken in the afternoon for dinner that night. That’s a little too fresh for me.) She is retired now and uses that extra time to regularly cook fresh foods again, just like she enjoyed as a child. It seems some habits can last a lifetime.

I can’t change how I was raised, but I can create parallel good habits and remind myself that I am more than the experiences of my youth. Each day I have the ability to make new choices to determine the “me” of tomorrow, and it’s up to me whether those choices are based on who I was or who I want to be. I know which one I prefer.

Filed Under: food · Tagged:


Nov 18, 2011

Holiday Baking That Won’t Add On Pounds

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Hey everyone, be sure to visit Diets In Review this weekend! I’m sharing my best tips for making baked goods a little more healthy for the holidays.

Yes, it’s true – you can still eat muffins, cookies and cakes and lose weight! And I promise your kids won’t notice the difference.

Filed Under: food · Tagged:


Nov 16, 2011

Pizza As A Vegetable For School Lunches

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On Monday, Mira came home from school and immediately pulled a bag of potato chips from her backpack. When I asked her where the chips had come from, she told me her teachers gave them to her at lunch because they had extras in her class. Her preschool class has lunch brought up to their room from the school cafeteria, so they often have leftovers that Mira happily takes advantage of, even though she has a packed lunch each day.

Potato chips are one of the few things she brings home as leftovers, but I hear about the other things she occasionally eats when her class has extra food. French fries, pizzas, flavored applesauce, nachos – these are all regular school lunches served to little kids?

The answer is yes, they are, and if Congress gets its way, they will remain the staples of the American school kid’s diet for some time to come. Despite the USDA pushing for healthier school lunches, Congress has released a spending bill that rolls back the new standards to cater to special interest lobbyists in the food industry who insist that kids don’t need less salt and processed foods in their diets, and that two tablespoons of tomato paste on a pizza would be perfectly acceptable as a serving of vegetables.

(We’ll forget for a moment that tomatoes are actually a fruit.)

It’s horrifying to read that article and realize what our elected officials consider acceptable for a school lunch. Whole grains are considered unnecessary. Processed foods and cheap, artificial food-like products reign supreme in the lunchrooms.

Beyond the lobbying, some claim that the government shouldn’t tell children what to eat, which is ridiculous when food standards have been around for decades. But by not providing proper guidelines on what constitutes a nutritious school lunch, Congress is still telling children what to eat, and the message they are sending is that your kids aren’t worth better food.

For many underprivileged children, a public school lunch is their best chance at one complete, nutritious meal all day long. One chance each day to have proper nutrition. Some possibly get a school breakfast as well. And our elected officials offer them nothing but processed junk high in fat, sodium and sugar. Pizza as a serving of vegetables. (Don’t forget the *breakfast* pizza served each morning, too!) We should be ashamed that this is the best we can offer to our most vulnerable in the United States.

I’m thankful that Aaron and I have the time and resources to prepare lunches for Cordy and Mira each day. Our daughters aren’t limited by the choices available to them in the cafeteria, and have parents who are actively involved in finding better foods for them. As a result they benefit from better nutrition, especially Cordy, who can’t tolerate artificial food additives. I can’t imagine how much worse her behavior would be if she had to eat school food each day.

Before anyone tries to knock me down from my pedestal, I should take a moment to pause here and point out that my family is far from being a model for perfect nutrition. After all, we ordered pizza last night for dinner and we love McDonald’s now and then, too. And we always need more vegetables.

However, we try to keep a balance of healthy foods in their diets. Both girls have packed lunches that consist of whole grains, real fruit and cheese, peanut butter (that is only made from peanuts & nothing more), and water, 100% juice or plain milk to drink. 

But they’re the lucky ones – what about the kids who are at the mercy of the school cafeteria line each day? The ones who regularly depend on those potato chips for their nutrition? Who’s there to advocate for whole grains and fresh produce for them? Who’s speaking up to insist that we raise the bar on the necessary requirements for a nutritious lunch? It’s not the American Frozen Food Institute, that’s for certain. And it’s not their friends in Congress, either.

I genuinely had high hopes that the USDA would be able to create some real change in the way we feed our school-aged children in this country, even if that change was small. Any change for the better is at least a start. Now I’m left more disappointed than ever at the corruption in our political system and the politicians who claim they care about our children, but really only care about their corporate donors and dollars.Why strive for quality when there’s big bucks to be made serving up the cheapest food materials possible?

It’s no wonder so many conservative politicians are against national health care – they don’t want to pay for the obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure they are actively helping to create by profiting at the expense of our children’s future. If I was actively working to create a generation of fat, disease-stricken citizens like they are I’d try to avoid the issue, too. Hell, they’re probably investing all of their money in the pharmaceutical industry right now, knowing what’s ahead for these kids and anxiously awaiting the profits they’ll make from all the medications these kids will need.

It’s no secret why this country is facing a health crisis. Part of the answer can be found right in our schools, where we’re creating our national health crisis one substandard school lunch at a time. 

Our kids are worth more than this. They deserve better than two tablespoons of tomato paste and salty, high-fat, processed lunches each day.

Filed Under: big issues, healthy living, politics, school ·


Oct 31, 2011

Slim-Fast – Two Weeks Later (& Giveaway!)

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Last time I posted, I mentioned I was giving Slim-Fast a try for two weeks. They had generously sent me some samples of their shakes in the new plastic bottles (yay, no more cans!) and I decided to see how well I could incorporate them into my diet. Considering that I hadn’t lost a pound in weeks – and may have gained a couple – trying something new was worth a shot.

I had several struggles during this two week challenge. One of my coworkers ended up in the hospital, and frequent visits to see her and worrying about her left me exhausted and emotionally drained, which weakened my defenses against comfort eating. Exercise was also a low priority during this time. Choosing between exercise and getting five hours of sleep instead of four was an easy choice: sleep.

And let’s not forget the other temptation I was facing: Halloween candy. We bought our bags of candy early, and tried to keep them hidden away, but it didn’t work and the bag was soon open. It’s hard to resist a Reese’s Cup.

Results: Despite the circumstances of the past two weeks, I still lost two pounds! I’ll admit I’m impressed I lost anything at all since there were days I strayed far from the plan and I rarely had any time to exercise. While using the Slim-Fast shakes and meal bars, I felt full after each meal and not very hungry between meals. My downfalls were emotional eating and the late night snackies, both of which are mental issues I need to overcome, and which no diet can really help me with.

Overall thoughts: The Slim-Fast plan is easy to follow, and perfect for someone who eats poorly due to always being in a rush. The meal bars and shakes are convenient and easy to eat on-the-go, making it easy to stick to your plan when your only other option is a drive-thru. The meal bars are a little sweet for my tastes, but balancing them with a glass of water helps a lot. The shakes are perfect and just what I need when I wake up for the day.

I plan to continue using the Slim-Fast products as a supplement in my weight loss plan. While I don’t think I’ll use them everyday, I will likely use the shakes for quick breakfasts and will definitely keep meal bars in my purse for my busy days when I don’t have time for lunch.

Giveaway!

Slim-Fast is not only helping you lose the weight, but they want to remind you that it’s OK to pamper yourself a little, too. To help with that, I’ve got four $25 Sephora gift cards to give to four lucky readers! These gift cards can be used at any Sephora store (including the ones in JC Penney) or on the Sephora online store.

To enter: I’m asking you for a little bit of advice. Emotional eating is my greatest downfall – what are your tips to avoid falling into a plate of comfort food when you’re stressed or down?

Leave me a comment below with an email address to contact you and you’ll be entered for the random drawing for these four gift cards. One entry per person, and only entries that answer the question will be eligible to win. Contest is open until Sunday, November 6 at 11:59pm ET.

Four winners will be randomly selected and notified by email. Winners have two days to respond or an alternate winner will be selected. US residents only.

Good luck!

Full disclosure: I received product samples, free product coupons and Sephora gift cards to facilitate my review and provide giveaways. All opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Slim-Fast.

Filed Under: food, reviews · Tagged: ,


Jul 28, 2011

My 6 Rules For Guilt-Free Fast Food Meals

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I can say without hesitation that fast food helped me get fat.

That statement, however, is not me casting blame on the fast food industry for my problem. Although their food is laced with crack to keep you coming back for more (well, if crack = salt, sugar and fat), I can’t hold them accountable for my actions. Ronald McDonald and Wendy didn’t sit on me and force feed me burgers and Frosties until I was obese – I made that choice for myself.

Now, I will take them to task for creating a mass-appeal product that is simply too much for the average human diet. No one needs a value meal that contains nearly a day’s worth of calories in one meal. I mean, “calorie dense” is an understatement when it comes to fast food; laws of physics are bent to jam that many calories into something so small.

But the truth is, fast food is all around us. It’s convenient, it’s quick, and it’s tasty. Even if you’re not addicted to the stuff, many of us still have to rely on it for an on-the-go meal now and then. And while I would love to tell everyone to boycott fast food until the restaurant chains vow to make their items less junk and more food, I know that fast food is a hard habit to break.

If you’re a slave to the Burger King, it’s still possible to enjoy your burger without damaging all the hard work you’ve put into getting healthier. I believe it’s all in moderation.

Want to know how I still eat fast food and keep losing weight? I’ll share with you my own personal rules on visiting the drive-thru:

1. Double-anything is too much. (And “super-size” makes more than your meal larger.)
If something starts with the word “double” then chances are it’s too much food. Double cheeseburger. Double whopper. (Or TRIPLE whopper!) You get the idea. Twice the burger for just a little more money might sound like a deal, but twice the calories won’t do you any favors.

Same goes for super sizing your meal – do you really need a popcorn bucket size serving of fries and a 32 ounce drink? Get the single size sandwich and go with the smallest combo for all the taste with less impact to your waistline.

2. Fries are a side, not a second entree.
If your fry box is as big as or bigger than your sandwich (and that sandwich isn’t a double, right?), then it’s too big. Think of it this way: if you order a cheeseburger and large fries, you’re getting more calories from the fries.

3. A milkshake is not a drink. It’s a second meal.
I love milkshakes. Especially when the shamrock shake is in season. But at McDonald’s, the smallest shake (without whipped cream) will still add 420 calories to your meal, and a large could be over 1,000 calories! Do you really want to go through a day’s worth of calories in one meal?

If you really have to have something sweet, go for a kiddie ice cream cone at the end of the meal for only 45 calories.

4. Fast food restaurants can find a way to make a salad bad for you.
So you vow to eat better and decide you’ll stick with the salads when going out to eat. Smart move, right? Well, maybe. You still have to be careful with which salads you choose. For example, Wendy’s Baja salad (with dressing and tortilla strips) will cost you 730 calories. Sure, the vegetables are healthy for you, but you could get fewer calories with a junior hamburger and value fries.

My advice? Read nutritional information carefully and go for a large salad if you’re really craving a salad. Or split your interests and go for a junior hamburger and side garden salad with low-cal dressing.

5. Kid size portions are often just right for an adult.
I’ve heard a lot of people complain that kids’ meals are too high in calories for a child. Coming in around 550 calories or so, these critics may be right. But a kid meal can be just the right portion size for an adult. A 4-piece box of chicken nuggets and small fries with a water is just enough to feel full without overdoing it. Switch out the fries for apple slices for an even better choice. Bonus: some of the toys can be cute!

6. All rules were made to be broken on occasion.
Look, fast food is sometimes hard to resist. I know this. And breaking that addiction can be hard, too. There will be days when you really want that milkshake. Or when you must have those large fries.

To that, I tell you: it’s OK.

Really. As long as that craving isn’t hitting you every day, and as long as you adjust your eating for the remainder of the day (or even the next few days) to counteract the caloric damage, I say it’s fine to indulge now and then. Holding yourself back from everything you love will only make you miserable and more likely to fail.

If you eat well 90% of the time, what’s wrong with a little indulgence for that other 10%? It’s how I lost 80 pounds (so far!) and while I still eat fast food, I’ve been slowly weaning myself away from the addiction by following these rules.

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