No More Childish Games

Dun dun dun dun dundundundun dun dun dun dun daaa daaa. Too bad I don’t have an audio feature on this thing because you’d know this exact tune. It’s what streamed through my head as I intensely watched my toaster today. Nothing’s scarier than zoning out in your kitchen, yet to have fulfilled the morning caffeine ritual, only to be jolted to life by the jack-in-the-box-toaster-popping situation. Am I alone here?

It got me thinking about everything from easy bake ovens to kids’ nutrition. As a little girl my parents bought me toys such as baby dolls and Fischer Price Kitchen Sets. It was a teaching method I suppose. It’s like the child version of the mandated high school class called Consumer Education. I was in love with the kitchen set. 

As I got older, unbeknown to my mother, I dragged strainers and pans out to our backyard sandbox to host my very own fabulous cooking show to the imaginary audience. (I wish the [applause] audio was working for me back then...too) 

And a little older, I started helping my mom peel potatoes and make banana bread. AKA licking the beaters.

I distinctly remember the day when my best friend’s mom walked into her house only to witness two 4^th graders making pancakes in her kitchen, unsupervised. I had no idea what the “F” word was before that day. And I didn’t understand the need for that word. I mean, what’s so wrong with using the stove unattended. Clearly, I felt like it was commonplace.

The presence of food developed into my interest in food. My Interest in food developed into my awareness of nutrition- instilled by the mere presence of food and food preparation. During my nutrition educations, I was amazed to discover that 4^th graders in inner-city St. Louis schools believed food came from McDonalds or the grocery store. They had no concept of tomato plants or licking beaters, for that matter. 

I am, of course, pro females in the work place. Clearly. But I am also pro-getting back to basics. With women in the workforce begins a new era of convenience foods and with convenience foods comes diabetes and heart disease. Many concerned moms (and dads!) do express difficulty feeding their children home cooked meals. The answer is presence. Forcing a child to eat vegetables is threatening. The child will resist. However, placing healthy foods on the table or on the child’s plate without forcing them to eat these foods promotes presence = awareness. Eventually, after enough encounters, the child will try the food. 

Parents often hide healthy foods in unhealthy foods to “trick” their children into adequate nutrition. Although this is good for nutrition, it confirms the child’s belief that “healthy foods are icky foods." These blank slates are not afraid of the vegetables until you reward them with candy and hide cauliflower in their mashed potatoes. Exposure is key.

Junk food ads are like the manufacturers and marketers way of dietary exposure. The U.N. health agency plans to discuss clamping down on junk food marketing to children when they meet in New York in September. Maybe it was my upbringing or maybe it was my upbringing in Chicago, where Jack-and-the-Boxes are nonexistent, but when I’m scared of the toaster pop I don’t think of the fast food chain. Just the terrifying toy-and that, my friends, is why I stuck with the Fischer Price Kitchen Set. 

Outcome of my Interview with Sean Kelly

With New Year's Resolutions, Mayor Leads By Example

 

For resident looking to shape up and slim down, they need to look no further than to Rock Hill's mayor.

By Sean Kelly

Rock Hill Mayor Daniel DiPlacido had a problem.

It was a common problem, and one many Americans become aware of every New Year’s Day: he wasn’t in the sort of shape he wanted to be.

“Ironically, it was my profession of physical therapist that caused me to veer off course with my own personal fitness,” DiPlacido said.

The mayor accepted a very demanding position as a therapist in a sports medicine clinic that required 10-12 hour days minimum on a regular basis.

"I was so tired when I got home that I frequently didn’t have the energy to even make supper, much less head for the gym for a workout," DiPlacido said. "That job lasted for two years, but my absence from the gym lasted until this past summer, nearly ten years.”

This year, DiPlacido re-engaged with the idea of personal fitness with a vengeance, losing 52 pounds in 12 weeks.  “I exercised, and still do, every day - a good brisk cardiovascular workout on (an elliptical machine) for at least 35 minutes.”

Obesity is a significant problem in the United States, according to statistics from the Center for Disease Control. As of 2009, 24.5 percent of people in the state of Missouri are obese, with an additional portion being overweight.  Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular and other health problems and can shorten a person's lifespan.

In addition to burning calories, people should be conscious of what they're putting into their bodies, according to Margaret Murphy, a registered and licensed dietitian who is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a health fitness specialist with a pending Masters in Science from Saint Louis University.

“Just like a checkbook, food diaries are good tools to help people budget their eating habits,” Murphy said.

A helpful food diary, according to Murphy, has the type of food, the amount eaten, the time the food was eaten, where, if you were alone or with someone, if you were doing another activity while eating, the reason you ate, your mood and if you planned the food or not.

“Some of these questions can help you determine overall trends that are sabotaging your healthy eating plans,” Murphy said, “For example, you may find out that you’re eating far more alone at your desk when you’re stressed out than you thought. Then you have a better way to target the behavior and set goals to change that particular pattern.”

DiPlacido agrees that overeating is a significant problem in American society.

“With our huge meal servings, our comfort foods, our snack foods and the popularity of fast foods and the all-you-can-eat buffets, (overeating) was a real problem for me," the mayor said, adding that it's more of a challenge to eat healthfully than it is to work out every day.

Once you’ve started monitoring your eating, the next step is to plan ahead.

“There are tons of little hints and tricks to reduce calories, but the main suggestions for lifestyle changes are to do more of your own food preparation and plan out your meals in advance," Murphy said. "With these two suggestions you can avoid hunger while meeting your goals.”

Preplanned, healthy meals and snacks will help you stay on track without using convenience and hunger to guide food choices, according to Murphy.

“If you’re committed to losing weight, it is important to take the time to commit to packing lunches, grocery shopping or batch cooking and freezing. You can then portion out foods for the week and know where you stand."

The important thing, is to think of the value of your health and your goals instead of the "value meal," Murphy said, adding that you should put more valuable foods into meals. 

“Once you start losing weight, it becomes fun,” DiPlacido said.  “On the one hand it was a very difficult thing to do, but on the other hand, I was surprised how easy it was once I got started.”

 

Digital Short: "I Will Do Whatever You Say"

Click Below to view this blog

Movie: I Will Do Whatever You Say

Synopsis: The motivation to change behaviors for realistic goals is side tracked by immediate gratification of an unrealistic desire. 

Characters: An RD wearing a nurses hat (c'mon there are only so many characters to choose from that could represent a healthcare professional) and a client.

Director: mcmurph
Created: January 6, Twenty11
Producer: Xtranormal

Adding Variety to Your Diet (From 8 to infinity, which diet holds more weight?)

Posted originally on TribLocal.com

While we welcome 2009 and perhaps a resolution or two to eat healthier and lose weight, marketing professionals have descended upon us with a plethora of commercials touting the amazing effects of everything from weight loss supplements to free gym memberships.

My interest in nutrition back in high school naturally led me to a career as a registered dietitian. It also led me from reading unaccredited magazine articles and listening to poor media messages to learning far more about clinical practice, food service management and health promotion for a wide range of diseased patients, age ranges and cultural preferences than I would ever have guessed.

All I knew in my high school days was that a registered dietitian could help me gain a competitive edge in gymnastics or at the least, look slammin’ in a two piece at Centennial Beach. As I engaged in the latest diet news from my “credible” tabloid of choice most likely with one hand on a mocha whole milk double whip frappuccino, hold the whipped cream though, I found a diet that struck my fancy. It was The Only Eat Eight Items a Day of Any Kind of Food Diet.

Bingo. If I limited myself to just eight foods, how couldn’t I look lean and lovely by the time spring break arrived? Not that my March high school trip to Paris had me baring my midriff…so I decided to give it a go just to see the outcome. Needless to say the results weren’t impressive.

There are so many things wrong with this diet but of that long list that now runs through my dietetic intern head, I came upon four main problems. First, what are the portion sizes of these so-called eight foods? Secondly, how is one satisfied with only eight foods? Thirdly, how is health improved when you opt out of several varieties of fruits, vegetables and whole grains?

And fourthly, does the diet account for calorie dense versus nutrient rich foods? In other words, say you need 1,800 calories a day to support a lean weight. To keep your calories around this figure, you can either eat a little amount of high calorie foods or a large amount of low calorie foods that are high in nutrients. Examples of nutrient rich food include fruits, vegetables, whole grain which help you maintain a high metabolism speed when you start with breakfast and munch on them throughout the day.
By switching out some of the ingredients in your high calorie foods for low calorie options you can have your cake and eat it too! Consider making cookies, quick breads, or box cakes by replacing oil, butter, and eggs with applesauce, diet club soda, or low fat yogurt. You can make your favorites with healthier ingredients to give your foods more variety and you’ll be able to enjoy larger portions since the calories per portion will be in your favor. If you’re not ready for big changes just remember there’s no law that says you can’t use half 2% milk and half skim milk in your cereal or half white noodles and half whole grain noodles in your spaghetti.

So fast forward about six and a half years and compare my old New Year’s resolution to abide by a strict eight-foods-a-day-diet to my ’09 resolution which is to incorporate one or more new foods a week, which will have me reaping more health benefits, taste bud experiences, and knowledge to offer patients.

It is my personal, and now professional, opinion that people should seek to enrich their lives rather than limit themselves. Now if you’re reading this and saying, “ok, more ice cream it is!” I strongly suggest you explore alternatives to desserts high in saturated fat. Two, not-sinfully good, reduced fat dessert products you could try are No Pudge! Fudge Brownie Mixes or low fat yogurts topped with a bit of sweetness.

Unless allergies or other medical advice prohibits you from doing so, I would highly recommend lingering a little longer in the produce section, incorporating one new exercise/machine into your work out, taking the time to reevaluate your staple foods’ fact labels, or checking out the nutrition facts of your favorite restaurant entrees online.

A great and, not to mention, credible book that encourages the idea of including food into a diet rather than limiting food is "101 Foods That Could Save Your Life" by David Grotto, a registered dietitian. The book’s introduction will have you evaluating your lifestyle eating habits in a whole new way while staying true to balance, moderation and, most importantly, variety.