Tag Archives: Diet

Eating Healthily is a Serious Mental Disorder

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Thank you Health Ranger for re-posting this article from The Guardian, which explains an eating disorder called “orthorexia nervosa.”

This “disorder” label is given to people who have beliefs about what foods are “good” for them and what foods are “bad” for them, and who adhere to those beliefs when making food choices, thus resulting in obsession, stress, social isolation and  possibly malnourishment.

HUH???

So let me get this straight.
If I eat only fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, because that’s what I believe is healthy for me, and I avoid processed, chemicalized junk foods, dairy, eggs, and meat because I believe they are not good for me, the animals, or the environment, then I am mentally ill?

Did it ever occur to the author that perhaps in making these food choices I might not feel deprived and in fact actually feel good?
That I might be healthiest I’ve ever been in my life?
That I could have an abundance of energy and strength?

Would the author feel better if I sat on the couch with a bowl of Cheetos covered in hot sauce?

Sheesh!

PS: Full disclosure – I in no way strictly adhere to eating only fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans. I’m too much in love with cookies, ice cream, and cake! However, if I or someone I know DID only eat those foods, I’d say “good for you!” I would not try to send them to rehab.

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The China Study

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veganmofoHappy October!

Happy VeganMoFo III!!

VeganMoFo is celebration of all things vegan and I’m excited to be a participant this year! I thought I’d kick of VeganMoFo with a quick report of a book I’m reading:  The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., and his son, Thomas M. Campbell II.

The China Study is the most china studycomprehensive study of the relationship between animal protein and diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis, and autoimmune disease. It was published in 2005 and I’d been hearing all about it, but I had always been hestitant to read The China Study because I thought it would be technical and dry.

Not so!

The China Study is simply blowing me away. And I’m only on page 70!

Here’s what’ I’ve learned so far.

  • There are three stages of cancer, which the author compares to planting a lawn. The Initiation Stage is like putting seeds into the soil. The Promotion Stage is when the grass begins to grow, and the Progression Stage is when the grass gets out of control and grows places you don’t want it to grow.
  • The chemicals that “plant the seeds” of cancer are called carcinogens and they originate primarily from industry byproduct but can also be found in nature.
  • Professor Campbell (author of The China Study) found that decreasing dietary protein decreases the chance that carcinogens will evolve into tumors into the Initiation Stage.
  • He also discovered that when protein needs are exceeded, disease onset begins (the Promotion Stage).

  • Finally – here’s the doozy – plant protein does not promote cancer growth, even when consumed at higher levels. Only animal protein promotes cancer growth.

  • In fact, plant protein actually DECREASES tumor development.

Interesting, huh?

Now I haven’t read past page 70, and I’m sure there are LOTS of critics of this book. AND he did a lot of animal testing, which I didn’t know about before I bought the book and that breaks my heart. But I thought what I’ve read so far was worth sharing. It seems that eating vegan, plant-based foods may decrease the onset of many of the diseases that plague the US. How cool is THAT, VeganMoFo?

If you’ve read The China Study or have any opinions of it, please share!

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7 Reasons to Read The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl

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I just finished reading a book called The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl.dietgirl-us-cover

The book is written about Shauna Reid, who chronicles her weight loss journey over the course of several years.

In the beginning of the book, Shauna is extremely self-conscious, depressed, and frustrated. Her sister convinces her to go to a Weight Watchers meeting, where Shauna faces the grim reality that at just 23 years old she is just over 350 pounds. From there, she becomes a “dieting super hero” and starts a blog so that she can share her experience with others. I think it was also a forum for venting ;)

I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. Here’s why I loved this book:

  1. Shauna Reid uses humor throughout her process. Even though at times she obviously wasn’t feeling humorous, she managed to bring lightness into her writings. As a result the book is a real joy to read.
  2. Shauna shows just how difficult losing weight can be. I think a lot of us think it should be easy (wasn’t it easy to put the weight on?), and so we get discouraged when the weight doesn’t peel off at our slightest effort. Shauna’s book shows us just how much effort it really is to lose weight and keep it off.
  3. I loved seeing how Shauna transforms during her process. In the beginning of The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl, she was very focused on the number on the scale. I also felt she was very focused on herself – worrying about what everyone was thinking about her,  how she looked, her failures in the workplace. And as she lost the weight this really didn’t change at first. It wasn’t until she started really living her life that she began to look around her and see that there are other things in this world besides her. She shifted her focus to being happy and sharing that happiness with others. As she focused less on her self, she started to go on adventures and take risks – to enjoy her life.
  4. The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl is overall a happy book. It felt good to read it. There aren’t any murders or tragedies. Although she has her moments, Shauna is constantly picking her self up and striving for a happier life.
  5. The book is inspiring. I don’t need to lose 150+ pounds – I’m more in “maintenance” mode -  but seeing Shauna struggle with her weight issues – both physical and mental – enabled me to take a step back and see my own thought processes about weight. I feel inspired to “stay on track” without getting “neurotic” about it.
  6. There is a clear message to parents about how to communicate with your children about weight issues. I don’t know if Shauna intended this or not in The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl, but I thought the connection between parental criticism about weight and future weight issues was crystal clear. I hope parents will read this and consider how they talk to their children.
  7. Finally, the best part is that this book lives on after you’ve read it! You know how you read a good book and you don’t want it to be over? Well, in this case it’s not because you can keep up with Shauna on her blog. How cool is that?

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Running for Cake

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cakeLast summer I started doing Weight Watchers because I wanted to lose weight. At the time, I was exercising and watching what I ate – thinking that I was eating really well – and completely befuddled as to why I wasn’t losing weight. A friend of mine was doing WW and suggested I give it a try.

WOW WAS IT EVER EYE OPENING!!!

I used to think that if I ran 3 miles, I could then eat whatever I wanted. I mean, I just ran three miles! So after my run I would duck into Giant and grab a huge cinnamon chip muffin. YUM! I deserved this muffin.

What I learned from WW is that the calories burned in a three mile run is equal to just ONE slice of bread! To compensate for my cinnamon chip muffin, I’d need to run 10 miles!

A few other eye openers:

  • My scrambled eggs with mushrooms and spinach + 2 pieces of toast with a tad of butter equals 12 miles of running.
  • A 2 mile walk equals just ONE small banana!
  • Thirty minutes on the elliptical machine equals 1/2 cup of marinara sauce (and that’s not including the pasta!).
  • To work off ONE tablespoon of peanut butter, you’d need to run 2 miles.
  • Ate a slice of carrot cake? That’s SIXTEEN miles of running for you!

So maybe this info will help if you are trying to lose weight and can’t figure out why it’s not peeling off. In general if you want to lose weight you need to exercise more than you think, and you need to eat less than you think. It’s not that you can’t eat things like muffins and carrot cake, but just know how eating those kinds of foods will impact your efforts. Writing down what you are eating and how much you are exercising or joining a program like WW can really help you build awareness around your habits.

(By the way, I have to confess that as I wrote this I ate several handfuls of peanut butter m&ms. Guess I’ll be running 10 miles tomorrow! :)