First Lady Michelle Obama is scoring BIG points with me!
Not only has she initiated the Let’s Move! campaign for childhood obesity, but she is standing behind it.
It is extremely motivating to hear, watch and be a part of the changes that are happening – and happing fast. It seems like common sense to have a garden at the White House, but she explains that there has not been one there for many years.
Good for her AND good for all of us. Bringing awareness to the concept of growing our own food or even thinking about seasonal foods is a giant step in the right direction.
A must read! Michael Pollan does it again with his new book on simple, common sense, real “rules” around eating healthy. Just one example from his new book “Food Rules”: #19. If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t. He gets it. Eating right for our body does not need to be difficult. We just need to think about things a little and make it fun (or in this case funny). http://www.michaelpollan.com
The power of the superoganism. The strength of our connections. The ties we create between people. Our connections matter. What Nicholas Christakis stated in his TED presentation is that social networks are fundamentally related to ‘Goodness’. Social networks are what will drive ‘adoption of innovation’. We need to step back and take a look at the people we surround ourselves with and how we interact with others. The connection between our friends being obese and the tendency for you to become obese or overweight is real. Connections do matter. The ties between people makes the whole greater than the sum of it’s parts. What a great opportunity we have today to use the power of social networking to generate CHANGE and GOODNESS. http://www.ted.com/talks/nicholas_christakis_the_hidden_influence_of_social_networks.html
If we gain an understanding of what we NEED to know about our health, it will be a lot easier for us to WANT to make changes in our weight, lifestyle and overall well being. Technological advances are a wonderful entry for our society to begin learning about our bodies and empower us to take charge of our future. This is a wonderful review of new technologies that allow for tracking of data in a fun way. 350-001
It doesn’t have to be difficult to be healthy! š http://www.healthymagination.com/blog/turning-health-into-a-game/
No excuses. It is now so simple for anyone to find fresh fruit! Technology is our friend these days in our attempt to be healthy – one click of a mouse and you too can have yummy, healthy fresh fruit: http://neighborhoodfruit.com/iphoneapp
This study suggests that changes in brain chemistry are far tougher to undo than they are to avoid. Therfore, it is even more urgent that we educate kids early on the importance of proper eating and movement.
“These findings confirm what we and many others have suspected that overconsumption of highly pleasurable food triggers addiction-like neuroadaptive responses in brain reward circuitries, driving the development of compulsive eating,” said lead researcher Dr Paul Kenny, from The Scripps Research Institutein Florida. “Common mechanisms may therefore underlie obesity and drug addiction,ā he added. āThese data are, as far as we know, the strongest support for the idea that overeating of palatable food can become habitual in the same manner and through the same mechanisms as consumption of drugs of abuseā. Nature Neuroscience 10.1038/nn.2519 āDopamine D2 receptors in addiction-like reward dysfunction and compulsive eating in obese ratsā
http://www.rodale.com/michelle-obama-speech-gma?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_03_17-_-Top5-_-NA Michelle Obama nails it! Food Manufacturers know they are good at targeting children to purchase their products. They know that a lot of the products they produce are high in calories, fat and sugar. If people continue to buy their product, what is their motivation for change?! Well, we are now giving them a reason to change. Very politely, the Food Makers were asked to look at what their products are doing to our children and not ‘buck the trend toward more healthful food’. It is time to not only stop marketing unhealthy food to children, but to start marketing more healthy options to children. It takes teamwork and ‘Team Food Manufacturers’ have their work cut out for them.
Eat your breakfast. Research has shown that you will be less hungry throughout the day, eat less junk food and therefore lose more weight if you just eat your morning meal. The end.
It seems like every time you turn around there is an ad for something yummy, a waft of something deep-friedā¦
Keeping control of your intake takes a new mindset. When the body is content, it is much easier to resist tempting foods. The first step to getting to that ācontentmentā is the challenge. I believe that You have the Power! You just need to use it.
Believing in yourself is a very powerful thing. Yes, our bodies have cravings, but typically not every day if we feed it properly. If you can keep your blood sugar balanced throughout the day, you will find an unbelievable wave of self-control come over you. Itās true. Eating every four hours will keep your body satisfied and not searching for something more or ātemptingā. All your body wants to do is provide you with the energy to do all that you ask it to do. So, if it has enough food to do that and it doesnāt feel like it is running low (drop in blood sugar), it will clear the mind and let you focus on more important things than chocolate or French fries.
Eating “healthy” just sounds so horrible (and boring) ….so, let’s call it Eating “yummy”….what do ya say?! Yummy foods are easy to find and don’t necessarily take a ton of preparation. It’s true. It’s best if you go to the grocery store at least once a week, but not a requirement. Breakfast: Always good to kick start the metabolism first thing in the morning. Yes, the body works that way. If you feed it after it’s 8-12 hours of starvation during sleeptime, it will respond with a boost in energy. The other key to breakfast is make sure you eat something that will carry you thru to your next meal. Yummy Ideas?? *Bowl of fresh fruit & one slice Peanutbutter toast *Oatmeal with berries (fresh or frozen) & scrambled egg whites *Kashi Go-Lean Crunch cereal and low-fat milk or soymilk (try it, you’ll like it!) *Whole grain bagel & smoked salmon & lowfat cream cheese Lunch: Keep it simple cause we are going to add a snack to your mid-day. You now don’t need to worry about your lunch having to keep you full until dinner time! Crazy concept, I know. Yummy ideas?? *Grilled fish with lots of veggies of choice *Spinach salad with avocado, tomatoes & protein of choice (fish, chicken, egg, etc.) *Sprouted grain bread & tuna salad & fruit *Grilled chicken sandwich & side salad (dressing on the side please) Dinner: This one seems to be most difficult for people. Don’t worry, enjoy your family time and family favorites, just cut the portion size a bit and look at the sides you are eating. To make a change at this meal is simple if you start with the food basics – apply this at home as well as when dining out. Yummy ideas?? *4-6 oz lean Protein (Fish, Chicken or lean Beef) & all the veggies you want *Smoked Salmon sandwich on Ezekiel Bun & sauteed Spinach *Large Salad with low-fat dressing & 4 oz Protein & 1/4 Avocado Snacks: Mmmmm….snacks! Yup, it is now time to make snacking a priority. Yummy snacking is important for keeping your metabolism strong. Huge meals are a thing of the past. Being the efficient machine that we are, our body digests most food in about 3-4 hours. This means that once the food is digested, our metabolism slows down in preparation for our potential desert island excurtion. The body is always prepared for a food shortage, therefore it is critical that you let it know that it can BURN as much as it wants whenever it wants. Yummy Ideas: *Banana & almond butter *Handful of Almonds or Walnuts & piece of Fruit *Hummus & carrots *Cliff Bar *6 whole wheat crackers & low-fat cheese
Michelle Ricker RDN
