{Food For Thought Tuesday: How to Shop The Grocery Store}

Over the weekend I had to stop and get groceries, and I realized how much my grocery shopping over the last 6+ months has changed. I now realize that the freshest and healthiest foods are all located on the perimeter of the store, and for the most part I avoid the aisles. The foods in the aisles besides things for cooking & baking spices, flour, oils are typically:

• Junk foods like cookies, candies, chips, and sodas
• Canned, boxed, or frozen foods which contain preservatives & additives for packaging
• High-carb pastas and cereals

When eating clean {choosing fruits, vegetables, and meats that are raised, grown, and sold with minimal processing - often organic, and rarely (if ever) containing additives}the highest quality foods are going to be the fresh versions which again are located in the perimeter of any grocery store. Typically, by the time I finish shopping the perimeter of the grocery store, my basket is pretty much full of all I need. Don't get me wrong, not all foods in the aisles are bad, just be sure to read your labels, keep the ingredients down to 5, and try increasing your shopping along the perimeter, and let me know what you find!

Just a little food for thought...

{Food For Thought Tuesday: 7 Foods To Avoid}

As you know I've been working towards eating more clean, and that means choosing fruits, vegetables, and meats that are raised, grown, and sold with minimal processing. Often they’re organic, and rarely (if ever) should they contain additives. But in some cases, the methods of today’s food producers are neither clean nor sustainable. The result is damage to our health, the environment, or both. I'm pretty solid on what foods I should be eating, and just recently researched foods that I need to avoid and this is what I found:

1. Canned Tomatoes

The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people's body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals.

The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), or Tetra Pak boxes available at Trader Joe's

2. Corn-Fed Beef

The problem: Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. More money for cattle farmers (and lower prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us.

The solution: Buy grass-fed beef, which can be found at specialty grocers, farmers' markets, and nationally at Whole Foods. It's usually labeled because it demands a premium, but if you don't see it, ask your butcher.

3. Microwave Popcorn

The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize-and migrate into your popcorn.

The solution: Pop natural kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings.

4. Non-organic Potatoes

The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes-the nation's most popular vegetable -they're treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won't.

The solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn't good enough if you're trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh.

5. Farmed Salmon

The problem: Nature didn't intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. You can only safely eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer. Preliminary science has also linked DDT to diabetes and obesity, but some nutritionists believe the benefits of omega-3s outweigh the risks. There is also concern about the high level of antibiotics and pesticides used to treat these fish. When you eat farmed salmon, you get dosed with the same drugs and chemicals.

The solution: Switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon. If the package says fresh Atlantic, it's farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon.

6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

The problem: Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers.

The solution: Check labels for rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk. These phrases indicate rBGH-free products.

7. Conventional Apples

The problem: If fall fruits held a "most doused in pesticides contest," apples would win. Why? They are individually grafted (descended from a single tree) so that each variety maintains its distinctive flavor. As such, apples don't develop resistance to pests and are sprayed frequently. The industry maintains that these residues are not harmful. But experts counter that it's just common sense to minimize exposure by avoiding the most doused produce, like apples. Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers, and increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides (from all sources) with Parkinson's disease.

The solution: Buy organic apples. If you can't afford organic, be sure to wash and peel them first.

Just a little food for thought...

{Food For Thought Tuesday: Weight vs. Inches}

As I’m saying this to you – I’m screaming at the top of my lungs to myself trying to get it sink in that I shouldn’t worry about my weight, but instead of the inches and fat that I’ve gotten rid of. Because so many of us want to lose weight, at any given moment, most of us know how much we weigh. Most of us even have a favorite scale, the favorite being the one that gives us the lowest number possible. We talk about weight, think about weight and, sometimes, lie about weight, but how often do we think about what that number means?

For too many of us, weight isn't just a number but something that can actually change how we feel about ourselves. But, what does your weight really mean and how useful is it when it comes to tracking weight loss progress?

When you talk about losing weight, what you usually mean is slimming down. But slimming down doesn't always mean losing weight. It may sound odd, but it's possible to get thinner without actually seeing a change in your weight. This happens when you lose body fat while gaining muscle. Your weight may stay the same, even as you lose inches, a sign that you're moving in the right direction. But, if the scale doesn't change, you may not even be aware that you're getting real results. Knowing the difference between losing weight and losing body fat can change how you get results and may even change how you look at your own body.

You now know that focusing on fat loss is much more important than focusing on your weight. When you lose body fat, you're making permanent changes in your body, shifting your body composition so that you have less fat and more muscle.

When you first start a program, you may need extra encouragement to keep going, proof that what you're doing is working and the scale may not give you that. Other ways the scale can work against you:

• It measures everything: The number on the scale includes everything - muscles, fat, bones, organs, fat, food and water. For that reason, your scale weight can be a deceptive number.

• It doesn't reflect the changes happening in your body: If you're doing cardio and strength training, you may build lean muscle tissue at the same time you're losing fat. In that case, the scale may not change even though you're getting leaner and slimmer.

• It doesn't reflect your health: As mentioned above, the scale can't tell the difference between fat and muscle. That means a person can have a low body weight, but still have unhealthy levels of body fat.

• It isn't always a positive motivator: If you step on the scale and you're unhappy with what you see, how does that make you feel? You may question everything you're doing, wondering why you even bother at all. Focusing on weight may overshadow the positive results you're getting such as fat loss, more endurance and higher energy levels.

Even if you're not ready to stop weighing yourself entirely, using other ways to measure progress can keep you motivated and help you realize that you are making changes, no matter what the scale says.

• Go by how your clothes fit. If they fit more loosely, you know you're on the right track 

• Take your measurements to see if you're losing inches 

• Get your body fat tested 

• Set performance goals. Instead of worrying about weight loss or fat loss, focus on completing a certain number of workouts each week or competing in a race.

If the scale is making you crazy, taking a break from weighing yourself may just open your eyes to other possibilities. Your weight isn't the only measure of your success. Put away the scale and you may just see how far you've really come. Do you hear that Jessica???

{Food For Thought Tuesdays: Overeating}

\Most people that are trying to lose weight have a big problem to overcome, and it's the reason why we are in the position of having to lose weight - overeating. I have certain trigger foods {french fries, nachos, and potato chips}that I simply can chow down on for hours - my brain doesn't cut off and tell me to stop until I'm to the point that I'm stuffed and uncomfortable.

I did some research to why we can't just stop at one and I learned that we have what food-industry insiders call a “bliss point,” a nirvana of the taste buds triggered by particular amounts of salt, sugar, and fat. Menu scientists {yes, that’s a job!} at popular restaurant chains and packaged-food corporations use their knowledge of the "bliss point" to manipulate your appetite, adding salt, sugar, and fat to their products in combinations that are designed to create hedonism on a plate—a taste experience so intense that it kicks the brain’s pleasure system into overdrive. It’s like a drug. And like any drug, it leads you to obsess about that moment of pleasure so much that you’ll do almost anything to prolong or relive it. The result: a bigger bottom line for them—and a bigger waistline for you.

This leads to the solution that I limit my eating out because I want to know what I'm eating, and most importantly control the portions that I allow on my plate and into my body. I save my "bliss point" for one day a week as I feel I can have it all - just not all at once....moderation is key!

What are the trigger foods that lead you to overeating?

{Food For Thought Tuesdays: Alcohol}

I would love to say this pic is from many years ago, but in reality is was just last Thursday. In fact, I had a few drinks last week as it was a very trying week, on top of one of my co-workers/dear friend was leaving the company…and the state. So to get me through the week, we went out for a bunch of liquid lunches and dinners {did I just admit I had a drink for lunch? While working? Yep I did! Lol}.

Now that I’ve admitted I went on a binge last week, honestly drinking alcohol is something that I don't do that much. Don’t get me wrong, I usually have a glass of wine or a single cocktail on Saturdays {my cheat day} but now that I literally count everything that goes into my mouth – I’ve decided to eat my points rather than drink them. The beer shown above was easily 10+ points {and I only get 29 points a day}. So it got me thinking – what does alcohol do to your body as you’re trying to loose weight? Sigh…..here we go:

Alcohol is metabolized differently than other foods and beverages. Under normal conditions, your body gets its energy from the calories in carbohydrates, fats and proteins, which are slowly digested and absorbed within the gastrointestinal system. However, this digestive process changes when alcohol is present. When you drink alcohol, it gets immediate attention {because it is viewed by the body as a toxin} and needs no digestion.

On an empty stomach, the alcohol molecules diffuse through the stomach wall quickly and can reach the brain and liver in minutes. This process is slower when you have food in your stomach, but as soon as that food enters the small intestine, the alcohol grabs first priority and is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. You still with me?

When the body is focused on processing alcohol, it is not able to properly break down foods containing carbohydrates and fat. Therefore, these calories are converted into body fat and are carried away for permanent storage on your body.

Alcohol can easily be the enemy when it comes to weight loss. It adds extra calories to your diet, encourages you to eat more food, and alters the normal digestive process. Not only are the extra calories a hindrance, but the changes in food breakdown sends turns those extra calories into unwanted body fat. Alcohol does have a bad reputation when it comes to weight loss, and rightfully so, so be smart about your alcohol choices if you're watching your weight.

In summary – while we all need to let loose from time to time, we simply need to be smart about our alcohol consumption and frequency. For a full list of alcoholic drinks with calories and points - click here.

{Food For Thought Tuesdays: The Skinny On Fat-Free}

Below I have take a picture of two different versions of the same brand of cream cheese. One version is the "regular" kind and the other is "fat-free". Can you tell just by reading the label which one is which?

As you can tell, there are quite a few things that are different - so let's get started! The first label is the fat-free version and true to it's label, it has reduced the fat content of the cheese down to nothing. There's also 70 calories less in the fat-free version than there is in there regular. Should we insert an applause here? Not so fast.

Now look at the number of ingredients in the fat-free cheese in comparison to the regular version. Better yet, how many of those ingredients are actual real food items and not the result of a chemistry experiment?

I’d also like to compare the contents of the ingredients lists. In the regular version of cream cheese, it’s straight-forward: “Milk, cream, cheese culture, salt, carob bean, guar gum (a thickener, similar to cornstarch).” In the fat-free version? There’s… tragedy. And shame. And two “kinds” of salt (salt and sodium tripolyphosphate, a preservative derived from triphosphoric acid.) And twelve more ingredients than you can't find in the regular version.

It takes a manufacturer 18 ingredients (many of whom not found in nature) to present you a cream cheese with the same taste. Sure, it has twice as much sugar and almost 60% more salt, but hey – at least you get fewer calories, right?

Why does this matter? It matters because in the quest for hunting for “fat free,” we’ve neglected the primary purpose of food – nourishing our bodies. If you change the structure of the milk used – from regular to skim – then you change the nutrients available. You change its ability to nourish you and fill you up. You’re sticking more chemicals in your body.

If you spend some time in the grocery this weekend, compare your “regular” versions with your “fat-free” versions – and see how unclean they are. I think you may be quite surprised.

In summary - eat clean, eat food NOT chemicals, READ YOUR LABELS, and eat in moderation.

{Food For Thought Tuesdays: Real Bacon vs. Turkey Bacon}

While I've been cutting way back on my meat intake {basically only eating it when I go out to dinner on Saturdays} but when it comes to bacon, I have a major weakness. Because probably like many of you, I've been eating turkey bacon only because I thought it was better for me. But lately it started to dawn on me that if 1 slice of regular bacon is 1 point+ on the Weight Watchers program, and 1 slice of turkey bacon was also 1 point+ - how much different or better is it really? That's when I started to do a little research and was shocked at what I found out - so here we go:

As far as calories go, the difference between “healthy” turkey bacon and “fatty” regular bacon is negligible—and depending on the slice, turkey might sometimes tip the scales a touch more. Additionally, while turkey is indeed a leaner meat, turkey bacon isn’t made from 100% bird. One look at the ingredients list will show a long line of suspicious additives and extras that can’t possibly add anything of nutritional value. And finally, the sodium content of the turkey bacon is actually higher than what you’ll find in the kind that oinks—so if you’re worried about your blood pressure, opting for the original version is usually the smarter move.

LOTS of turkey bacon brands out there are, in fact, still hiding pork {some even dip their turkey bacon in pork fat}. They’re also put together using TONS of chemicals because turkey does not have a CUT of bacon. Bacon comes from a very specific part of the pig. Turkey bacon is just put together pieces of turkey, sometimes held together by foreign substances, dyed a certain color to make it appear to be more like bacon, and formed into a shape similar to what you’re used to expecting from pork bacon. Ummm....yuck!

In summary - 1. READ YOUR LABELS, 2. Stick with as few ingredients as possible, 3. Watch and try to minimize your overall intake of meat in general. Just a little food for thought...