May Fitness Basics: No Calories?

People make a common mistake with food: think "low ---" or "organic" means we can eat however much we want. But words like "organic" just mean it is better for your body because artificial fertilizers and hormones were not used to grow, feed, or produce it. They still contain calories and we still have to watch our portions. Portion control is always key.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

The Paleo Diet: Real or Dud?

When our ancestors (and I mean waaay back hunting and gathering ancestors) thrived physically, they did so by eating a strict diet of natural foods including lots of grass-fed meat, seafood, greens, and unprocessed nuts and grains. The diet was very simple because the technology to over-process food was not available at that time.

The premise of the Paleo diet is to focus on food like this that was being consumed in the Paleolithic era (the time period from about 2.6 million years ago to about 10,000 years ago). This in essence means dropping all food that was developed during the agricultural era, like dairy products, cereals, and processed sugars.

Aren't all Juices Healthy?

Some juices should be called cocktails, not juices, because I think they serve to confuse the consumers more than help them. I understand that it is cheaper for manufacturers to produce these 'cocktails' since most of the ingredients are non-perishable synthetic chemicals that don't require effort to keep fresh, and thus can be sold for cheaper. However, the word 'juice' makes people believe they are in some form healthier.

Let's face it: not drinking soda does not mean a person is healthy. In fact, some juices are just as bad as soda, containing just as much sugar and not enough actual fruit. See below for an example of the ingredients in a product that is identified as a juice:

Yikes! All I see is various kinds of synthetic sugar, and then some small references to fruit somewhere in the center. If we're going by the rule that manufacturers identify the ingredients in order of quantity with the largest first, then this poses a major problem. You're basically drinking sugar drinking this juice. Now, if you didn't pay attention to the actual contents or the calorie information, and simply thought "Oh, great! Juice.", then you see how this could lead to some unfortunate decisions.

Okay, but if you shouldn't drink all juices, what should you do? First of all, pay attention to the nutrition content. If one glass contains upwards of 100 calories, ask yourself if it is worth giving up that many calories in your day for a drink. 

Second, do all of the calories come from its sugar content? Look at the ingredients. If it's stuff you don't know (What is Carnauba wax?), maybe think twice. Look out for the "100% pure" on the back with the list of ingredients, not on the front with the name.

Now, wouldn't that feel better? 100% fruit and vegetables sounds good to me. I would rather go for tomato juice and other vegetables than fruit because it contains less sugar and helps me stay fuller.

Thirdly, consider this: Can you make it at home? I know things that are properly packaged always seem prettier and juicier, but in reality, the juices we make at home are fresher, more natural, and contain more nutrients than the ones we buy at the store. Plus, you have the free reign to mix and match fruits and veggies as you'd like. The juice below contains spinach and carrots.

If you must buy juice though, some of the best options are 100% cranberry juice (known to prevent urinary tract infections), pomegranate juice (contains tons of antioxidants), and vegetable juices (low in sugar and calories). If you're not hell-bent on juices, another option to try is flavored water. It usally contains 0 calories and it tastes better than water.

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: kitchensimplicity.com

Is Organic Really, Well, Organic?

It is a known fact that people would unconsciously pick the organic version of food over the regular if both options were the same price. In fact, people unconsciously go the extra mile and rate organic food as better tasting and lower in fat. But in today’s world, is “organic” more than a simple buzzword?

What does “organic” really mean?
Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic food is produced from plants that were grown without using most conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation. So technically, third-world style. If you're in a third world country, you're most likely already eating organic.

Why should you really care?
The fact is that most organic food has not been proven to contain fewer calories, and has not been proven to be more nutritious than conventionally grown food. The trick manufacturers use is that they sell “organic” as “natural” but these are two different things.

For example, you can say white rice is organic if you didn’t grow it using pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, but white rice is heavily processed. Conversely, you can say brown rice is not organic, but it is natural and unprocessed and much better for you.

This is not to condemn organic food though. The pesticides, fertilizers, and other products actually may have long-term effects besides your waistline. The chemicals have been known to affect our long-term health, and may be promoters of diseases like cancer. Besides, health is not the only reason people want to go organic. Some people do it for humane reasons, and others do it for environmental reasons.

So what organic food should we truly truly care about?
In some cases, it does actually pay to go organic. Here are a few:

• Dairy: Organic dairy contains higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids.
• Meat: Organically raised animals tend to have less saturated fat.
• Thin-skinned fruits and veggies: For veggies and fruits where the skin is eaten (like strawberries and potatoes), it is a good idea to stick to organic as much as possible because the chemicals easily seep through the fruit or vegetables.

Chemicals usually can’t seep through fruits with thick skins like bananas so being organic or not usually doesn’t make a difference. Also, processed foods like chips and cookies barely have any pesticide residue since we don’t eat them raw.

What does the “organic” label mean?
The good news? Governments have established rules on what can be called organic or not. And so companies cannot just slap on a Government-Certified-Organic label if it isn’t. However, small manufacturers can still slap on a crappy organic label so pay attention.

The Government-Certified-Organic label tells you that a product is at least 95 percent organic. Not 100, but 95. If you want something that is 100 percent organic, the manufacturers would usually say “100% organic” on the label.

Again, organic is great, but an even better option is natural unprocessed foods. Look for items that have very few ingredients, and try to stick to ingredients you can pronounce where possible. Forget about labels. Because a company says "all natural" does not mean much nowadays. Pay attention to the ingredients!

Questions, comments, concerns on organic or natural food? Ask away!

Cheers Eights & Weights!

Photo credit: hypnosishealthinfo.com