Food 101

Did any of you watch Oprah this past week when her show was titled “Food 101 with Michael Pollan”?  Michael Pollan is not a nutritionist; he is a journalist and book author who has been researching food and health for over 20 years.   Due to his vast years of research on the food industry in our nation, and diets around the world, I think he can legitimately be considered an expert on how food is manufactured and how it affects our health.  He currently has a new book out called Food Rules.  His previous 3 books include The Omnivore’s Dilemma, The Young Reader’s Edition of the Omnivore’s Dilemma, and In Defense of Food.  I have to admit I have not read any of his books (yet!), but I am familiar with his research and I did watch the documentary Food Inc. in which he appears.  I was really glad to see Oprah take on the subject of where our food comes from, factory farms versus local farmers, and the fact that how we treat animals and what we feed them has a direct impact on our own health.

At the beginning of the show, Oprah gave everyone a little “food” quiz.  One of the most interesting (and disheartening) questions asked was regarding antibiotic use in the livestock industry: “Americans take 3 million pounds of antibiotics a year.  How many pounds are given to livestock?”  The answer:  28 MILLION pounds!!!  And we wonder why so many antibiotic resistant diseases (such as MRSA) are popping up. 

Pollan noted that there are all sorts of different types of diets around the world (e.g the Inuit in Greenland have 75% of their diet come from fat – primarily in the form of seal blubber, one particular tribe in Africa eats a lot of beef and drinks cow blood, other countries eat high carbohydrate diets, etc.).  The thing these diets have in common is that they are made up of whole, fresh foods and not heavily processed foods.  What else do these people have in common?  They have virtually no incidence of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, etc.  The point Pollan was trying to drive home is that we can eat a variety of different types of diets, but the key to being healthy is using minimally processed foods.  This is something I have really tried to emphasize to my clients as well. 

Part of the problem I have run into in trying to get people to eat more fresh food is the cost.  A lot of people I work with complain that it is too expensive to eat healthy.  According to Pollan, thirty plus years ago, Americans spent 18% of their income on food and nationally Americans spent about 5% on health care.  Today Americans spend only 9% of their income on food, less than any other population on the planet, yet nationally Americans spend 17% on health care.  Between health care and food, in total we are spending about 3% more now than we did in the past.  What does that tell you?  Would you rather spend a little more on eating healthy and in turn feel better, have more energy, and get sick less often; or would you rather have the convenience of buying and eating cheap, heavily processed food but then need to visit the doctor more often to get medications for allergies, insomnia, blood pressure, diabetes, etc.?  We all have to make a decision about who we would rather pay; the farmer or the doctor.  

Oprah also had Alicia Silverstone, actress and co-author of the book The Kind Diet, appear via satellite.  Alicia has been a practicing vegan for the past 10 plus years, and her new book is basically a “guide” of how to eat a more plant based diet including a number of recipes and other tips.  She gave her own personal testimonial about how improving her eating habits improved her health.  She also took viewers on a virtual grocery shopping trip and demonstrated preparing a recipe out of her new book.  Her role was showing that eating healthy does not have to be difficult or take a lot of time. 

Another guest was Steve Ells, founder and CEO of Chipotle restaurants.  Steve is a chef who had a desire to open up his own restaurant when he first finished culinary school.  He now has Chipotle’s all over the country.  Even though Chipotle is considered a “fast food” restaurant, they do not provide your typical highly processed food.  Ells stated that all of their produce is fresh with the exception of corn (frozen), and each restaurant purchases from local farmers when seasons permit.  In addition, 45% of their beans are organic, 60% of their beef is “naturally raised” (meaning the cattle are not given antibiotics or growth hormones and are allowed to graze on grass rather than fed grain in feed lots), and 100% of their pork and chicken is naturally raised. 

Ells opened his first Chipotle in 1993; last year his restaurants served over 700,000 people and had over $1 Billion in sales!  He has shown that you can be successful at using fresh, organic, and naturally raised meats while still providing consumers with a reasonably priced meal.

You can read more about the show, as well as take the quiz, by visiting Oprah's website.

Running a Marathon after the Flu

This past Sunday, January 17, 2010, my husband and I went to Houston, TX to run the Chevron Houston Marathon.  It was our first race in Houston and we had both been looking forward to it as we had heard that the race was very well supported and a “fast, flat course.”  Living in Austin, we are used to running up some massive hills, so our marathon is not exactly a “fast” course! 

Unfortunately, he came down with the flu the day after Christmas, and I got it one week later.  So, he had just recovered about 2 weeks before the race, and I just had one week of recovery under my belt.  Needless to say, neither of us expected to have a very fast time, but we were still expecting to have fun.  After all, it should be much easier than what we are used to running, we told ourselves! 

As you may remember from my blog a couple of weeks ago, when you are coming back from a sickness involving a fever, you should really take at least 10 days to ramp back up to your previous workout level.  Unfortunately, I did not have that long.  Running the marathon meant that I was going to go beyond my “pre-sickness” workout level after just 7 days, as my previous long run was just a 30K.  Knowing that my body was still in “ramp up mode,” I decided the safest course of action was to run the race at a slow, even pace (which for me means I started out running about 30 – 45 seconds slower than my normal marathon race pace).  I also planned to have more protein, in addition to carbohydrates, immediately before as well as during the race to hopefully keep myself well fueled and able to handle the demands of a race my body really probably should not have been doing so soon after being sick. 

As far as pre-race nutrition, we did our normal things for the most part.  Since this was a “destination race,” the night before we made sure we would be able to get food either at the hotel restaurant, or at the hotel’s “grab and go” area.  I had also packed us plenty of snacks in case we would not be able to get what we needed.  Luckily, the restaurant opened at 5 a.m., while the grab and go area was open at 4 a.m.  Plenty of time, and lots of options!

I had a bowl of cold cereal with milk about 2 hours before the race was scheduled to start, while my husband had a cup of orange juice, a cup of black coffee, a small bowl of oatmeal, and some fruit (he’s much taller/bigger than I am!).  About one hour before, we both had a boiled egg, along with some water (I had brought the boiled eggs from home and had them stashed with a freezer pack in our room).  About 30 – 45 minutes prior to the race, my husband and I also both drank a full 20 ounces of Accelerade (sports drink with both carbohydrates and protein, in addition to electrolytes).  In addition, he ate a full Lara bar and I ate about half of one (this is something we have not traditionally done in the past, but I felt like we could use the protein).  

Normally, I would pop a sports gel of some sort (or sports beans) about 15 minutes before the race, but because I had just had half a Lara bar, I really didn’t feel like I needed one, so I skipped it.  I did pack 4 for during the race “just in case.” I also packed some “real food” (by that I mean I had a snack size baggie of dried apricots and the other half of my Lara bar!).   

During the race, besides running slower, I also planned to stop and walk at each water stop, which is something I usually do anyway because I’ve never been very good at running and drinking at the same time!  For about the first half, most of my walk breaks were around 15 – 30 seconds, but as the miles ticked on, these breaks got up to 1 minute.  I ate 1-2 apricots at most of the stops until I ran out (around mile 16), then I took a few more miles to finish the rest of my bar.  While I was eating the apricots and the bar, I just drank water at the stops because Gatorade was the sports drink on the course and I do not normally drink Gatorade and was afraid of what it would do to me.  Eventually, I went to my gel (Cliff shots); actually I only used one, which was around mile 22 or 23.  I did have a couple of sips of Gatorade at the last 2 or 3 water stops, but I also had some water afterward to get the taste out of my mouth! 

In general, I felt pretty good during most of the race.  I did have a much harder time breathing than I normally would, and I did have a slightly upset stomach, but nothing unbearable.  I also slowed way down the last 3 miles, but this was due to some knee pain I developed going down a stretch of the course that had severe banking. 

I am happy to report that we both really enjoyed the race, and were pleasantly surprised by our finishing times, which were close to “normal” times for both of us; mine was actually a PR by a few minutes!  The race was extremely well supported; there were lots of people throughout most of the course cheering on all the runners; most of the water stops were well staffed and stocked; there were LOTS of port-o-potties shortly after the water stops (so many that I actually decided to stop around mile 11 because there was no line!  I lost about 3 minutes, but it made for a much more comfortable rest of the run!); and at the end there was a very nice sitting area where you could enjoy a hot meal, along with hot coffee, hot chocolate, hot tea, or cold drinks. 

So, running a marathon after getting sick late in training can be done, but you have to be very diligent about listening to your body, running at an easy pace, and fueling properly before, during, and after the race.  Aim to just have fun rather than expecting to get a PR!  

Can Genetic Testing Help You Lose Weight?

Have you tried several different diets in an effort to lose weight, but can’t seem to find one that works for you?  Were you successful at the low carb diet, but not the low fat diet, or vice-versa?  Have you found that no matter how much exercise you do, you can’t seem to lose weight?  Well, now there may be an answer to these questions!  For those of you who are fans of my Facebook page, you may remember that back in December I posted a question asking people if there was a genetic test available to help them lose weight, would they take it.  Several people did comment that “yes” they would.  I am happy to report that genetic test is now here! 

Ever since the Human Genome project was completed in 2003, scientists around the world have been using that information to develop drugs, tests, etc. for various health conditions.  Interleukin Genetics, Inc. is one such company.  It is a personalized health company that focuses on genetics research and how to utilize knowledge about our genes to improve our health. They have developed 5 different genetic tests for various conditions (including bone health, heart health, dental health, etc.) and in 2009 launched their health and wellness brand “Inherent Health™” to market these tests.    One of these tests is specifically for weight management. 

Starting in 2006, a team of scientists at Interleukin Genetics teamed up with researchers at several universities around the world (including Harvard and Stanford), as well as other industry researchers, specifically to analyze data for all genetic variations associated with body weight, body fat, or body mass index.  After three years of research and testing, they were able to develop the “Weight Management Genetic Test Panel.”  This test is able to determine what percentage of carbohydrate, protein, and fat works best for your genotype.  In general, this means it will tell you whether you should follow a balanced diet, a low fat diet, or a reduced carbohydrate diet.  The other really useful piece of information that this test will tell you is whether you need to work out at a low, moderate, or high intensity to lose weight.  For more information, check out the Inherent Health website.

This is definitely not for everyone.  It is by no means a “magic bullet”, you still have to be willing to continue to work on improving your diet and tweaking your exercise according to your genetic make up to lose weight.  You also still need to work with your dietitian to determine what calorie level to eat for weight loss and for weight maintenance.  The test does not tell you that, it merely tells you what percentages of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats you should be eating. 

I have had the opportunity to listen to 2 dietitians who were part of the research and development team (Ruth DeBusk, PhD, RD; and Colleen Fogarty Draper, MS, RD), the Chief Scientific Officer (Ken Korman, PhD) and CEO of Interleukin Genetics (Lewis H. Bender) and ask them questions about the test, as well as how the dietitians use it with their clients.  I have to say, I do think this test can be very useful for the person who has “tried everything” to lose weight, but has still struggled to lose or keep it off.  For that reason, I have decided to make this kit available in my practice to those of you who would be good candidates for this type of weight management program. 

As with everything “new,” Inherent Health was kind enough to provide several test kits at a reduced cost to me, so that I could pass the savings on to you!  Normally the test costs $149, as you can see on their website.   Right now, I have a limited supply that I was able to purchase for $120.  If you are interested, contact me ASAP.  Once these are gone, they are gone!  I will still have access to the kits and be able to provide them in my office, but not for such a low price. 

Coming back from the flu. . .

Unfortunately I managed to start the New Year off with a mild case of the flu!  Yes, I did try to take my own advice and drink plenty of fluids, eats lots of whole grains as well as fruits/veggies/garlic, etc., but two of the most critical pieces of advice I could not follow:  avoid sick people and get plenty of sleep.  Why?  Because unfortunately the sick person I was exposed to was my husband!  I suppose I could have quarantined him/made him sleep on the couch, but I really didn’t want to do that.  As a result, his nights awake coughing & sneezing became my nights awake, which put a lot of physical stress on my body and eventually led to me “catching” his flu. 

I think he came down with it first because he had been under a lot of stress at work, so when he happened to get coughed & sneezed all over by the little kid at the Christmas lights display, his body’s immune system was not prepared to fight it off.  But that’s all water under the bridge . . . However, I do think this brings up a good time to talk about exercise, nutrition, and recovering from the flu or a really bad cold. 

If you are running a fever, you really should not exercise as this can cause a worsening of symptoms and may even lead to heart complications (even death!).  I admit, I have done races and long runs with a fever in the past and obviously did not die of a heart attack, but it is definitely NOT advisable, and will just make your recovery take longer.  So, if you have a fever, DO NOT exercise! 

If you just have the “early signs” of a cold, such as a mild sore throat, sniffles, and watery eyes, you can still exercise, but try to do your workouts “solo” and avoid exposing other people to your germs.  In other words, do not go to the gym or meet your workout buddies, but try to run or cycle around your neighborhood or do an “at home” yoga/trainer/treadmill/or strength training workout.  Make sure that you are drinking more fluids than normal because your body will be using some of that liquid in the production of excess mucous, which can end up dehydrating you.  Even if your workouts are lasting less than an hour, this is a good time to use a sports drink with electrolytes in it, as this will provided added nutrition to fight the illness. 

If your cold has progressed to the point that you are constantly coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose, etc., it’s time to skip all your tough workouts and just do moderate activity (walking, a slow jog, stretching, etc.).  You may also want to avoid exercising outside as the cold air can irritate your nose and throat even more. 

Once your fever has broken, and your other symptoms have started to diminish to the point that you have more energy, do not just jump right back into your old workout routine.  Take a good 10 days to slowly ramp back up; otherwise you could relapse.  If you are a runner, keep in mind that a hard run that lasts longer than 90 minutes can decrease your immunity for up to 24 hours because your body’s stress hormones remain elevated for this long after a tough workout, so make sure that you are particularly careful during this time frame.  This is a critical time to eat properly and avoid sick people!  Make sure if you are working out this long that you are using a sport drink with CALORIES in it (not something sugar-free or low calorie) or ingesting some other form of calories (gu, gel, sports beans, etc) in addition to electrolytes, as the carbohydrate and/or protein calories will help maintain a normal level of blood glucose, which can help drive down your stress hormones. 

It’s also important to realize that running more than 60 miles per week can actually DECREASE your immunity (below 60 miles has been shown to increase immunity), so if you normally run high mileage, during cold and flu season you may want to cut back to below 60 and increase your cross training.

Have a Happy, and Healthy New Year!