Food Rules: The Big Bad Fat Monster!

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Though I was born in the 80's, I am certainly a child of the 90's. One of the biggest things that sticks out in my mind from the 90's (other than the plethora of handsome boy bands to adore) was the huge fat-free/non-fat craze.  My mother, for one, was hooked on Nabisco's SnackWells cookies. Hey, it was a good way to eat sweets within moderation...

...or so we thought. Which leads me to the next guideline from Michael Pollan's book Food Rules...

AVOID FOOD PRODUCTS WITH THE WORDOID "LITE" OR THE TERMS "LOW-FAT" OR "NONFAT" IN THEIR NAMES.

Just because the packaging uses these phrases, doesn't mean the food is healthier OR lower in calories. Allow me to explain.

Fat is what gives food it's consistency. When you remove the fat from food, it obviously has to be replaced with something. In these types of products, the fat is replaced with carbohydrates, sugars, salt and (many times) artificial additives. These ingredients are no better (and sometimes worse) than the fat that was removed to make you think you are eating something good for you. Next time you pick up a box of fat-free anything, scan the label and you'll be surprised at what's inside.

Second, without the fat, your body doesn't get the signal that it's full, causing you to overeat to the point of being stuffed. There's a reason you can eat that whole bag of fat-free chips! It takes a whole bag before you realize you are full. Additionally, studies have suggested that the sugar substitutes used in these products may overstimulate your taste buds, causing you to crave them more and more.

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Third, when you're consuming carbohydrates, it's important to allow your body some healthy fats in conjunction with the carbs. When your body breaks down the carbs, sugars are released into your blood stream very quickly. When you eat fat along with the carbs, the fat slows down the release of sugar, keeping your blood sugar from spiking and preventing the inevitable crash that results.

Last, some vitamins that your body requires are fat soluble (ie. vitamin D). Your body uses fat to absorb and store these vitamins. When you purposely cut the healthy fats out of your diet, you are limiting your body's ability to nourish itself.

Fat is a macronutrient for a reason. Macronutrients are needed to survival and basic bodily functions. You need fat for proper hormone function, for normal growth and development, to keep your cell walls strong, to cushion your vital organs, to provide you with energy and to keep you warm. Fat deficiency can cause dry skin, eczema, low energy, impaired kidneys, slow healing time, vision issues, learning problems, depression and even miscarriage. When choosing fats, it's important to pick healthy fats, such as olive or canola oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.

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Moral of the story? Fat-free and non-fat products do not necessarily equal healthy nor do they lead to weight loss. Michael Pollan makes it very clear...

"Since the low-fat campaign began in the late 1970s, Americans actually have been eating more than 500 additional calories per day, most of them in the form of refined carbohydrates like sugar. The result: The average male is seventeen pounds heavier and the average female nineteen pounds heavier than in the late 1970s. You're better off eating the real thing in moderation than bingeing on 'lite' food products packed with sugars and salt."

So my friends, think twice as you head down that grocery aisle. Get the good stuff.

The Protein Paradox: America, We've Got A Problem!

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Protein shakes, protein bars, protein powders. Protein seems to be stealing the attention these days when it comes to nutrition. But why the big protein push? Are we not getting enough? Do we need more? 

The answer is NO! PUT DOWN THE PROTEIN! We've gone overboard. When you over-consume protein and/or eat the wrong kinds of protein, you are setting yourself up for health problems. Let me explain...

On average, you should have about 50 grams of protein each day. Of course, this number goes up and down depending on your size, your sex, your activity level and whether you are pregnant or nursing, but for our purposes, it's an easy number to work with. Now here's the problem. America is protein poppin' like there's no tomorrow. The average American consumes almost 100 grams of protein each day. That's double the recommended amount! 

When you take in too much, the excess protein is not stored as protein, it's stored as fat OR is eliminated by the kidneys. When the protein leaves the body via the urine, it sucks calcium and other minerals from the bones and can put you at risk of kidney stones. Excess protein is not a good thing. If you're working hard to feed your body nutritious food, you don't want to unknowingly work against yourself by stripping your body of the minerals you just gave it.

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I know when I think of protein, meat and eggs are the first things to come to mind. But meat and eggs are not the ideal source of protein, nor are they the only source! Animal products are highly acidic foods. After your stomach digests them, the body is forced to neutralize itself. It does this by pulling minerals from your bones. Phosphates and calcium help bring the body back to a balanced state, though at the expense of your skeletal system. When this continues to happen over time, your chances of developing osteoporosis later in life are much greater.

Let's not forget that green vegetables are almost 50% protein, and on top of that, they give you a variety of phytonutrients and antioxidants, providing the perfect anti-cancer package! Just 2 cups of spinach provides you with a whopping 11 grams of protein! In addition to green vegetables, whole grains and seeds are great protein sources. One cup of brown rice is about 5 grams of protein, while 2 oz. of sunflower seeds is almost 7.5 grams of protein. Make a salad or other dish with all those ingredients, and you're well on your way to meeting the recommended daily value!

My brother Cale
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Now having grown up with a brother who also doubled as a professional athlete, I have a unique perspective into the mind of a man hell-bent on being BIG. Protein shakes were a regular part of Cale's day, and lots and lots of eggs graced his plate. Knowing what I know now, I can say with confidence that he was taking in way too much protein. 

The over-consumption of animal proteins especially leads to an increase in insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). In his book Super Immunity, Dr. Joel Fuhrman explains that 'IGF-1 is crucial for growth and development in childhood...but if levels remain high during adulthood, it speeds aging, reduces immune function and promotes cancer". To sum it up, higher protein intake from animal products has a direct link to cancer, especially breast, prostate and colon cancers. You might also find it interesting that higher IGF-1 levels have been linked to dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease.

Now does this mean you can never eat animal products? By all means, NO! I, for one, couldn't live without cheese. I mean, I've been to France. There's really no turning back. But Dr. Fuhrman suggests "that the combination of processed foods and animal products should comprise less than 10 percent of your total caloric intake". 

I'll leave you with Dr. Fuhrman's five simple rules for a powerful immune system:

1. Eat a large salad every day.

2. Eat at least a half-cup serving of beans/legumes in soup, salad, or another dish once daily.

3. Eat at least three fresh fruits a day, especially berries, pomegranate seeds, cherries, plums, oranges.

4. Eat at least one ounce of raw nuts and seeds a day.

5. Eat at least one large (double-size) serving of green vegetables daily, either raw, steamed, or in soups or stews.

If this laundry list looks like a foreign language to you, just pick one thing to start with! Changing your diet doesn't have to happen overnight. You're much more likely to stick to eating healthy if you ease into it. And remember, Whole Foods' salad bar makes rule #1 very easy to accomplish! You don't even have to chop anything up yourself! 

The Experts Weigh In: Battling With Body Image

BY: MARISSA ROY, CONTRIBUTOR

First of all, let’s be honest – I am no expert. The only thing I could possibly claim expertise for is being way too hard on myself. I am not an expert at navigating life, I am not an expert at work, and I am not an expert at surviving NYC. All I can offer you here is what I have learned over the past ten years - ten years that have left indelible ink on my soul and unforgettable emotions on my heart. Although my past has made me who I am today, shaping me and making me strong, I do not wish my experience on any woman. Unfortunately, I fear it is all too common amongst us these days.

I have no idea exactly when I started looking at myself and thinking I was fat. Actually, I eventually got to a point where I didn’t even need to look at myself to think I was fat; I just felt fat all the time, as it was so deeply ingrained in my mind. I began my freshman year at the University of Georgia like so many other 18-year-old women do – rushing a sorority, decorating my dorm room, rearranging my schedule. Going to UGA was going to change my life – I just knew it! I’d meet new friends, have a boyfriend, go to football games and find my path. Going to UGA did change my life. Although I can now look back fondly on my time there, I know that it was also strewn with hurt, pain, hopelessness and fear…and those feelings were rooted in my own self image.

If you’ve never been down South, you may not relate to me at all. You wouldn’t know that beautiful, thin, blonde girls rule the land, and let me tell you, they are EVERYWHERE. I quickly found that my 5’8” swimmer's build did not fit in down in Athens, Georgia. To this day I remember that shitty fraternity guy who walked by me as I wore 3 inch platform sandals (oh why??) and muttered “that girl is HUGE!”. I mean, what?? I knew I wasn’t huge! I knew I was fit and athletic (with a pension for the new pizza buffet at the dining hall maybe), but I was huge now…was I??

His words began to eat at me as I looked around campus, focusing only on those sorority girls I didn’t fit in with. I started reading Self, Fitness, Women’s Health, magazines I didn’t even pay attention to in high school. I went to the gym every day. I ate broccoli and chicken breasts for dinner. Every. Night. I remember going to bed with my stomach growling but not doing anything about it. I remember sitting in the hallway of my dorm crying my eyes out to my best friend because I had eaten a cookie at dinner and regretted it with every inch of my being. It seemed that overnight I had become obsessed with what I ate, when I ate, how much I ate and, even worse, what everyone else was eating as well.

By the summer after my freshman year I had stopped having a period. I’d lost 10-15 pounds. I'd caught the eye of a hot, older fraternity guy. A guy “friend” told me I was "looking good lately". All of these things made me think skinny = accepted.

That summer I found myself counting out the number of mints I’d eat at my hostess job. I felt guilty for having five after realizing that they had calories in them. I looked at everything for calorie counts. I was a nightmare to go out to eat with, scraping off any mayo, cheese or salad dressing that doused my plate. Sadly, this first year was just the start.

As my years at UGA went by, I continued to lose weight and became freakishly annoying about meals. I’d eat lettuce and tuna for dinner. I’d claim I wasn't feeling well when roommates wanted to go out to eat because I knew I would feel intense guilt for days after indulging in pizza or pasta. I even dated a guy who knew exactly how many calories were in a can of black beans – REAL healthy relationship. I talked about weight, thought about it, couldn’t let go of it. It ruined hours, days and weeks for me. God forbid I actually enjoy some bread and butter out with my family – nope! guilt, blame and fear would follow.

I cannot blame college, however, because unfortunately this behavior continued on throughout my early 20s after graduation and into my post-college life in Atlanta. I couldn’t enjoy eating ice cream on a date because the next day I would beat myself up. ICE CREAM! I would go into the bathroom at work and lift up my shirt to make sure my stomach was still flat. I would cheer myself on while shopping for being able to fit into a size 2 or size 4. Ribs and hip bones that stuck out were signs of strength and fitness. 5:30am wake up calls to get to the gym were regular, although I hated it and dreaded it. 

You know the worst part? These behavior patterns turned me into a person that I really didn't like. I was so caught up in ME that I couldn’t pour into those around me. It was always about how I looked, how I fit in, how I was seen through the eyes of others. I was miserable on the inside, and no matter how I looked on the outside, it would continue. Being skinny did not equal acceptance of myself. 

The funny thing was, I thought I was healthy…boy, was I wrong!

Summer of 2010 I took a new job, a job I never should have accepted, but at that time, I felt it was the best move for me. That job was the beginning of a deep, dark spiral to rock bottom. I was exhausted all the time but couldn't sleep. I was anxious all day and unable to concentrate on work. I didn’t find joy in normal activities. I didn’t want to be around ANYONE. Scared, I went to my doctor, who drew a lot of blood and ran a bunch of tests. The results, in laymans terms... I had NO hormones running through me, my iron levels were cancer-like low and my nutrients were nil. In short – I was the picture of sick. Not only was my body sick, but my mind was also. I sank into a deep, deep depression. I saw no use in moving forward because the future looked nothing short of bleak. I found myself wishing I would get into a horrible car accident because I just wanted a break – a break from life. I was so far gone that my mom feared for my life. She’d sit on the phone with me for hours every day while I cried and said my life was over. She promised me that I was stronger than I knew - that I would get through this and that we would go somewhere amazing when I did.

If I’m honest with myself, this need for 'a break' was a long time in the making. I was tired of trying to be someone I was not. In fact, I was plain exhausted with trying to keep up the appearance of being happy, thin and accepted. At this point, I started making decisions for my best interest. I quit my unhealthy job (step one...check!). Next I went on medication to heal myself from the inside (step two...check!). Finally, I took a job at Whole Foods (step three...check!). That was mid-October. 

By mid-November, it was like life had completely turned around. I was happy. REALLY happy. I know the other side. I’ve lived the other side. That November my mom came into town to celebrate my 26^th birthday. We went to dinner, had champagne and she gave me the gift of a lifetime – two first class tickets to Italy. We were going to Tuscany to bike through the beautiful countryside for six days and seven nights. THIS was proof that I had made it. I had been strong enough to bring myself back to life.

Over the next year I found this life. I gained weight. I ate. I got back to exercising, not because I wanted to lose weight but because it made me happy. I ran a half marathon with a good friend, and then celebrated with wine and cheese. I visited my best friend, Alex, in Colorado, and we went hiking through the Rockies. I got a dream job at Southern Living magazine. And, in September, I went to Italy with my mom.

We ate, drank and biked our way through Tuscany with a group of 12 other divine people. Not a morsel went into my mouth that made me feel guilty. Not a pedal stroke was taken without thinking: 'If this was four years ago, I would've NEVER been able to do this'. I have never felt so close to God as I felt on those dark days…until I was speeding through the hills of Tuscany. He was there, telling me, you DESERVE THIS! You deserve true happiness. You deserve a life not bound by the counting of calories and the guilt of indulgence.

Today, I don’t know why but that guilty feeling is totally gone. Sure, maybe I shouldn’t eat that burger and fries ...AND milkshake, but you know what? I’m DONE with denying myself a full life. I spent so much time (WASTED so much time) worrying that if I wasn’t skinny, I wasn’t good enough. Reading that now just makes me shake my head. Today, I know that who I am is NOT what I eat. Who I am is what I enjoy, who I spend time with and how I treat myself. I cannot wait to take another trip like that one to Italy. It was a cleansing of the mind and the heart…and food for the soul - the wonderful, cheesy, Italian kind.

It's my hope that my daughter will never feel anything less than perfectly accepted by this world. It's my hope that she will never question how thin she is and how society perceives her. 

Acceptance and healing begin when you realize you are worth so much more than the worry, fear and insecurity you choose to carry around. True beauty comes from within. I'm so glad I finally believe that now.

Marissa Roy, a native of Richmond, Virginia, and a proud UGA grad, now lives in the heart of the East village in New York City. When she's not taking the digital advertising world by storm, you can find her at her favorite coffee shop 'The Bean', at the dog park at Tompkins Square Park, biking up the West Side Highway or restaurant hopping and wine drinking (with yours truly!). If you like making 'good time' on road trips, Marissa is NOT your companion of choice. She likes to stop at least once per hour on road trips to stretch her legs and rehydrate (she has to have at least 3 different beverages going at all times while on the road). While it may take double the time to get to your final destination, you're guaranteed to enjoy the ride with Marissa by your side.

What's The Big Deal?: Grass-Fed vs. Grain-Fed

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If anyone should say 'NO' to red meat, it's this girl. I was once chased down by a pack of angry cows in a pasture in North Georgia (no, I didn't deserve it), I'm dating a guy who hates hamburgers (I know, I know, so un-American) and I recently watched the documentary 'Forks Over Knives' (yikes!). After watching it, I actually tried to be a vegetarian, or more specifically a pescatarian, but it was just too hard! I grew up eating my dad's amazing grilled hamburgers... I now date a committed carnivore... and I live in the restaurant capitol of the world! 

Give me a break!

Although I still eat meat, I have made a conscious decision to watch my intake, choosing the fish or veggie option when I'm not having an intense craving for that beefy goodness. I also try to buy (or order) grass-fed beef, since becoming more knowledgeable about the differences between grass-fed and grain-fed. 

Here's the quick breakdown so you can understand what you're eating and buying...

In the olden days of yore when children walked to school uphill both ways, the cows were grass-fed. They were placed in a pasture, and they did what they knew best - graze. But in more recent years, farmers got hip to the idea of feeding the cows grain - usually corn, soy, and other grains with LOTS of added hormones and antibiotics (not good for you, obviously). It was all about making money and making it fast! The corn fattened up the cattle faster, which meant they sold more meat each year. It also cost much less to feed cows grain because they didn't need to purchase and care for so much land. They were able to house more cows in a smaller space; thereby, increasing their profits.

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

This all sounds lovely for the farmers' wallets, but what does it mean for us?

When we eat grain-fed beef, we are losing out on nutrients AND consuming more fat. It's as simple as this... grass-fed cows are ingesting grass and clover, which is where they obtain their omega-3's. According to studies, your grass-fed beef will have double the amount of heart-healthy omega-3's than the alternative, grain-fed beef. 

In addition to nutrient-content, your grass-fed beef is more lean, meaning you are consuming less total fat and calories. This of course will change the flavor profile slightly, since most of the flavor comes from fat, but I, for one, don't think the taste is noticeably different if the beef is cooked well. Even adding more butter to flavor your grass-fed beef will put you in a better position than choosing grain-fed because most of that butter won't cling to the meat. It will still add less saturated fat to your meal overall than if you went with the grain-fed option.

On the downside, grass-fed beef is slightly more expensive to purchase (with often a $2-3 price difference), but when you consider what you're doing for your body, in my opinion, it's worth the cost. If you consciously invest in your health then you will actively reap the rewards.

What do you think? Can you taste the difference? Are you willing to pay more? Leave a comment below!

Image courtesy of twodaymag.com

And... if you're in the NYC area, you can try one of my favorite grass-fed steaks at Gustorganics, the first and ONLY certified organic restaurant in New York City. They even have a USDA certified organic bar...now that's crazy talk!

GUSTORGANICS

519 6th Avenue (at 14th St.)

New York, NY 10011

212.242.5800