"The old saying “you are what you eat” is probably never more apparent than shortly after you eat a convenient, good-tasting junk-food meal. My guess is that most of the time you begin to feel tired, your mood sinks, your brain feels foggy, and you may even feel hungry again, not to mention all the guilt you have for putting things into your body that you know will move you toward sickness and disease.....The more that you eat a diet full of sugar, grains and bad fats -- like trans fats and those from vegetable oils -- the more you are clouding your brain’s ability to “hear” the biochemical signals that tell it to stop eating and storing fat. These signals come from the hormones insulin and leptin, and their job is to, among other things, control your metabolism. Insulin works mostly at the cellular level, telling the vast majority of your cells whether to burn or store fat and sugar, and whether to utilize that energy for maintenance, repair or reproduction. Leptin, on the other hand, sends signals that reduce your hunger, increase fat burning and reduce fat storage. However, when you regularly eat foods, such as sugar and grains, that cause your blood sugar to spike after you eat -- your body becomes resistant to these important messages. The end result is a major miscommunication that tells your body to eat more and store more fat, instead of what it actually needs: to reduce hunger and burn fat. When your insulin and leptin levels are increased, it will become very difficult for you to use fat as a fuel as the enzymes required for doing this are significantly impaired."
Excerpt from: Dr. Mercola at http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/02/05/a-single-meal-can-lead-to-good-or-bad-health.aspx
Hi,
I was quite taken with the information Dr. Mercola included in his article above and wanted to share it with you.
So far, in my journey of discovery about diet and health, I have found some very major information that I have been trying to incorporate into my own life. If I had any advice to offer the next person I would say: get your information from more than one source, take what you think is best for you and incorporate it into your life, and don't be fooled by opinions and lists of food or menus.
For instance: In the Food Encyclopedia that I found all the good information about leafy greens, I also found what looks to me like misinformation, too. For instance, they have a section in the front of the book about "nutrition" in general, but the book supports the food pyramid that says that grains should be the basis of your diet. I've already found other information that "goes against the grain" which I trust more. So I have taken what I believe works and left the rest.
It also talks about salt. On the left hand page it says that a healthy person should have a salt intake of between 1500 and 2000 units of measure. On the right hand page, it suggests a one-day menu for eating this way. The first thing I noticed was that the list had no -- none -- no raw vegetables. It was all packaged, canned, or processed foods. And guess what the total salt at the bottom of the list was? Amazingly it totaled more than 3,500! What is up with that?
I have noticed this "phenomenon" before. Even in the "Going Against the Grain" book I was flabbergasted when I read the menus. I would have thought that dropping out grains would have meant to increase fresh raw vegetables, but the menus are heavily based on consuming more meat and protein, instead. They just don't match the information in the front of the book, at least, not as I interpret it.
It even occurred in "The 30 Day Diabetes Cure" book that I started my blog with. I must admit that this particular book was far better than many I have seen in that it had only two recipes that I recall that simply did not fit their own instructions. They specifically help you to stop eating sugar, and then include a recipe that has sugar as one of the ingredients. I don't recall off the top of my head what the problem with the other recipe was, but actually, this was one of the best menu matches for the information provided.
I have actually run into this many times. You read the book, you see the research, you get the idea, and then look at the sample menus. Sometimes they are so far off base that you wonder if they were compiled by the same individual.
So, my point, is this: be observant and careful. Don't rush willy nilly to the menus and skip the information, scientific or otherwise. I think it is much better to get the information, verify it from other sources, and then incorporate it yourself into your own menus. Getting ideas from recipes is the main thing I do. I let them head me in a direction, especially ones that I might not have thought of, but I am careful. If the recipe actually follows the health advice, then have at, but if it does not, wonder what is going on, and then fix it yourself.
Even when I took the raw food class at my doctor's office -- taught by the doctor -- I noticed discrepancies. The students were all either pre diabetic or diabetic and there were high sugar items in some of the recipes we were taught. If you are trying to eliminate sugar, you can't put sugary items in your recipes. If you are doing it for your health, you need to be careful.
Which brings me back to the statements by Dr. Mercola above. Each meal is important. When I eat, what I call a screwed up meal, I notice the crappy effects the next day in the way my body feels. Sometimes within hours I notice my nose is running again, or my feet are slightly swollen again. This means the recipes are very important. The ingredients are important. Each meal is important. I know how easy it is to get tempted to eat something that is not actually on your program. I've blogged about my own exploits. We live surrounded by pornographic food and well meaning but misinformed people, whom we love. Good people offer us donuts. Nice friends want us to have a diet soft drink. And the words, "just one won't hurt you" often accompany the misguided hospitality. If we were drug addicts they would never do that. They would never offer just one drink to an alcoholic. But because our society does not recognize carbohydrate addiction, being addicted themselves, they simply do not understand what they are doing to you -- and more importantly to themselves.
I know also from my own experience that a person is probably going to eat a "bad meal" from time to time, but the important thing is to not let unhealthy choices begin to rule your life again. If you have a "bad meal" don't have another one immediately after, or even within the next few days. Give your body time to recover before deciding to eat bad stuff again. The more time that you put between bad meals, the more time your body has to heal. I am reiterating and emphasizing this as much or more for myself as anyone else.
If you let yourself get too hungry, you are likely to make bad choices. Our own appetites and cravings are strong, sometimes overwhelming. If we do not take that into account, we are easily misled. The best advice I have heard on this subject, is to make sure you have something in your pocket or purse, to tide you over. If nuts and seeds are on your program, carry some. If an unsweet fruit (such as cucumber or green bell pepper) will help you, carry one during the day. Do what you need to do. Be honest with yourself. For myself, I have not yet started carrying proper snacks, but I am thinking seriously of it, now.
I think the most important thing is to keep focused on why you are doing what you are doing. That is one of the reasons I do so much reading about the subject, it just keeps me awake and focused. If I did not do that, I would soon be living in the fog again, making wrong choices and thinking that it was perfectly OK to eat a bag of candy once in a while. If that is not foggy thinking, I really have no idea what is. The thing that really amazes me when I look back on having eaten an unhealthy meal, is how nonchalantly I did it. It was as if I was nearly unconcerned with doing what was best for me. I say "nearly" because there is always that little voice saying, "that is not good,", or "that is not on your program."
It is hard to admit that sometimes I just stick my hand out and take bad food. My hand becomes suddenly autonomous and does what it wants to do, without regard for what is best for my health. I guess that is a habit, too. Self indulgence. There it is again. As long as I continue to live at the mercy of my flesh, meaning cravings and desires, I let the pornography win. (Pornographic food is food that is tempting, but full of bad ingredients that are not good for me.) The sleazy food ideas that come floating through my brain, do not have to be indulged. I can stop them. I can put up the STOP sign and say, "I'm not going there." When I do, I make much better choices, because I choose to be thoughtful about what is best for my health. I can choose to make intelligent informed choices, rather than indulge in "knee jerk" reactions, if I am willing to recognize the sleazy thoughts and put a halt to them. Making good choices always makes me feel good afterward -- not only emotionally, but physically, too.
May we all make good thoughtful purposeful food choices today. To your health!!
Love you,
Be back soon,
--Marcia
Yes, my mom once pointed out to me there is sugar in almost every processed food - ketchup and everything. I recently went looking for a "plain yogurt" to lower my sugar intake 'cause I like to eat yogurt, but I knew flavored yogurt has lots in it. The "plain" yogurt had just as much sugar as the one with fruit! I was shocked. And every brand I've seen at two or three grocery chains are the same. No Whole Foods near my house. It's homemade yogurt or sugar-yogurt. I have friends living in Arkansas that will only eat meat and dairy they've raised themselves and organically-grown produce because of the yuck in our foods, which is wonderful - yay for them. But, I think the reason so many of these plans include processed foods is simply because people struggle just to modify their diets to "something better" and would live in total defeat if they didn't have convenience choices.
ReplyDeleteHi Isclive!
ReplyDeleteNice to hear from you. I think you are right about the processed foods included in "health" programs, and the struggle that exists to modify or improve diets while remaining within the parameters of the standard American diet. It may be time to look outside that box, though. There are better ways to eat.
I am not sure I agree about "total defeat" because of "lack of convenience." I understand this, because I used to live there, too, but I think we are still talking about habits here. Eating healthier may not be as "convenient" as we are used to, but the benefits far out weigh the inconvenience. And once you make the change it is no longer inconvenient. Convenience actually means "what I am used to," anyway.
We are talking about fear, too. Fear that a person might actually have to make a few changes from what they are used to in order to clean up their diet. I am not poking fun, been there, done that, too. We don't die from simply choosing other good foods to eat, so move ahead bravely.
The good news is that a person does not have to make all the changes, all at once. Baby steps in the right direction are steps in the right direction, none the less.
You appear to be eating yogurt simply because you like it, but want to begin to reduce your sugar intake. If you have a blood sugar meter, you may want to test about an hour after eating the best yogurt you can find, to see if it raises your own personal blood sugar. If it does, maybe yogurt is better left behind. If not, then that would be the go-ahead to continue eating the kind you tested.
The process of fermentation in yogurt, is said to convert some or all of the milk sugar into lactic acid which is not supposed to raise blood sugar. The test of whether it works for you will be your own personal blood glucose information. (Perhaps a friend who has one will let you test, if you don't have one.)
I suggest that you try some of the organic brands, which have less hormones than other milk products. Homemade is so easy to do you might wonder why you did not do it before. You just put some milk (any kind you want, any amount you want from a couple of pints to half a gallon) into a glass container. Add 1/4 C plain yogurt from some that you have purchased, then place the container in a warm place over night (oven with a pilot light is good). In the morning you have yogurt. That is pretty easy. If you want it thicker, let it sit for a few more hours in its warm environment.
If you need a sweet taste, perhaps Stevia added to plain yogurt will provide a taste similar to what you are looking for, but I guarantee it will not be "exact." Back when I ate yogurt I liked to sprinkle cinnamon on mine, to further reduce the sugar effects and improve the flavor.
Since it seems to be taste that you are looking for (along with reduced sugar) you may want to consider moving onto items that are less sweet to eat, such as muenster cheese as a snack or even nuts or seeds. I would be careful of "trail mix" though because it usually has raisins or chocolate that contain loads of sugar.
After you finally let go of all sugars, your taste buds will change and you will be less fond of sweet foods and begin to really enjoy the savory flavors of good healthy foods. That sweet tooth is part of the carbohydrate addiction, which can be gotten beyond, once you make the decision and effort.
God bless you and your efforts to reduce your sugars -- your body will be glad you did.
Love you,
Marcia