By Steve Edwards

Welcome to Part III of our oh-so-basic nutrition class designed to give you an overview of basic nutrition and make healthy eating much simpler. First, we had an introduction, which was followed by a very simple analysis of what you should eat. Today, we delve into the tricky world of marketing.

Farm

These days, the topic of what’s in food is probably less important than what you’re likely to hear about food. People can go for years without discussing their diets, but it’s practically impossible to go a day without hearing terms like organic, omega, or carb. Upon hearing one of these terms, you’ve found evidence that advertisers have used their market research tools and, thus, determined that they need to shove these words down your throat, especially since you probably have no idea what they mean. You see, as long as you don’t know what they mean, they can spin them however they like. Spin: it’s not just for politicians anymore. But these terms do have meaning. And once you understand them, they can help you make smarter food choices.

Foods without labels

Some foods don’t require a label, which makes them harder to spin. These are mainly very fresh and haven’t been tampered with so, in general, they are your healthy alternatives. The spin doctors here play both sides of the fence. When it comes to non-labeled foods, the important issue is how these foods were raised.

When it became clear that the reason certain companies could offer lower-priced goods was because they used inferior raising methods, those who didn’t use inferior methods began using terms to help distinguish themselves. When this affected the business of the former, they jumped into the fray and the spin games began. But that’s getting ahead of our topic. Let’s begin by defining which foods don’t require labels.

First are foods like apples, oranges, broccoli, and many other things that you can buy in the state that they come from the earth. Known as fruits, vegetables, and herbs, they’re entirely different than that soda you just bought with “real fruit flavor.” These foods have parts that aren’t really foods, either. Called fiber, it’s the indigestible part of a plant. It has no nutrient value, but it’s still an ultra-important part of your diet because it does all kinds of things, including cleaning out our digestive tract and soaking up excess cholesterol. It’s very important that our diets feature plants. They are loaded with nutrients and fiber and have no man-made ingredients (okay, some have pesticides, which we’ll get to in a minute). When we do things like cook or make juice from these items, they lose their nutrients and fiber, and get a label.

Next are grains and legumes. Things like rice and beans—also plants—these foods have more protein and calories than fruits and veggies. They are less easily found in their natural state. Rice, for example, often has its shell stripped, so it’s white. Grains get turned into breads and crackers, often at the expense of their healthiest ingredients. Beans get smashed and have things added to them. As a rule, the closer you can get a legume or grain to its original state, the better it is for you.

Finally, we have meats and dairy products. Nowadays, unless you live on a farm, you probably have to buy these with labels. That’s mainly due to suspect growing and harvesting practices. This topic is mainly one for Politics class, but we’re going to look at the consumer end of it next.

Hey! What are you rolling your eyes at? Yes, you, the guy in the white suit taking up two seats. What are you dressed like that for? Going to the Kentucky Derby after class? Well, pal. I believe that this subject concerns you more than anyone, so pay attention.

These animal products are loaded with protein, vitamins, and sometimes carbs and healthy fats. But we need to be careful with them because meats (other than fish) and dairy products have a lot of saturated fat. You can buy all of these products with much of this fat removed. For the most part, this is recommended, which we’ll cover in the “fat-free” portion of the lecture later on.
Organic and other terms for natural foods

Now it’s time to get to some good jargon. You’ve heard all of these terms, probably while you’ve been considering buying any of the aforementioned food items. But just what do they mean?

Organic. Organic means living, so organic foods are supposed to be alive or, at least, recently alive. Originally, “organic” meant produce that hadn’t been sprayed with inorganic things, like pesticides. But now you’ll see “organic ingredients” in boxed, jarred, and canned foods, which can be confusing. Organic was once a term used only by the folks who showed up at your weekly farmers’ market. Then, word started to get out about large-scale farmers spraying nasty pesticides on their crops, pesticides that would still be on those crops when we bought them. Most people are pretty sure they don’t want to eat something made to kill animals, so when the little “organic” guys’ businesses started to feel the impact, the big guys just started slapping an “organic” label on anything, until the government had to step in.

Now we have an imperfect system. Organic rules can be fudged to some degree, but it seems to be getting better and not worse. It’s made the large growers a bit more cognizant about what they add to or spray on their crops. Organic has also trickled up. So now packaged foods using “organic ingredients” are labeled as such. But be prudent because the fine print will tell you how much is organic. Lobbyists haggle over how much organic stuff needs to be in a product for the word “organic” to appear on the label, and the amount has changed and will continue to change. So you can see a product with a big “organic” on its label with very little organic inside.

Also, many farmers claim that organic growing remains behind the times. They argue that their products don’t seem to grow as healthily using organic standards because the classification needs reworking. This is no doubt true, as we’ll probably never be able to create a perfect system.

Bottom line: “Organic” on a label is probably better, but you should read the fine print. The more concerned the farmer or rancher, the more information they want to provide. A company that spends a lot of effort to list its practices is probably better than one that won’t go to the trouble. As a general rule, those going out of their way to meet organic standards probably care more. It’s not perfect, but buying “organic” still stacks the odds in your favor.

Grass fed. Cattle were once all grass fed. They lived on prairies and ate grass, ’cause that’s all there was to eat. On the prairie, that grass is nutrient rich because of the soil. Cattle that ate it grew big and strong, and when we ate them, we grew big and strong. Then, some guy figured out that cattle, if they had to, would eat grain. This meant he could build houses and strip malls on the prairie, put the cattle into little fenced areas and feed them grain, and make a lot more money. The downside was that grain didn’t have the same nutrient value (like eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts instead of broccoli), so the cows weren’t so big and strong. To make them look like they once did, he started shooting them with things like steroids, so that the cattle started looking like Jose Conseco, and all was good in the world. Except that when we ate the cattle, they didn’t have the same nutrient value. This meant we ate the same calories with less nutrient value. When this happened, we got fat.

For a while, we were none the wiser. Then, people started getting sick and dying because some genius, low on grain, started feeding cows parts of other cows mixed with the grain to make more money. Cows aren’t carnivorous, like animals with sharp teeth, so this didn’t work well and bad stuff like E. coli started showing up in meat. Anyway, feeding
cows other cows is now against the law, but lobbyists were also able to make a deal in which it’s nearly impossible for meat companies to be sued, so who knows what they’re actually up to.

Bottom line: Even though meat lobbyists have been hammering away at the “grass fed” requirements, it still means that the meat is likely to be much better in quality.

Free range. Cattle weren’t the only animals out on the prairie. Birds were there, too. In fact, birds were all over the place because they have wings and can, you know, fly. This became problematic when folks decided they wanted to raise them on farms. You listening, Colonel?

Figuring that if birds couldn’t fly and, well, they would then need no space at all, “farmers” started loading them all together in tiny little pens. Irritated—naturally—the birds would peck at each other and cause general turmoil, so good ol’ Foster the farmer put them in little cages wherein they couldn’t get at each other—for their entire lives!

Since this isn’t Animal Cruelty class, let’s just talk about how healthy these birds are when they grow up and we eat them. When you get out and exercise, how does that help you? Hmm, since some of you can’t answer this, I’ll tell you. You get healthier. Your body systems work better and you get more muscle. Muscle is meat, like the part of a chicken that we want to eat. If you sit in a small room for a long time, how do you tend to look or feel? Answer: You get fat. You get sick. You die young.

Take two chickens. Let one run around and eat stuff it finds growing out of the ground. Put the other in a 2-foot-square box and feed it junk food. Which one do you want to eat?

Bottom line: Only eat free-range fowl, which is harder than ever to find now that new grades of distinction have surfaced. Again, to stay on top of it, you’ll need to stay educated. To reiterate, the more concerned the company, the more likely they will want to educate you.

Farm raised. This term has to do with fish. For those of you who are confused, that is natural. Fish live in water. We live on land. How the heck do we farm them?

The obvious answer is to put them in big aquariums, but that would be too expensive. Instead, they raise fish in fenced-off areas and treat them a bit like the birds mentioned above. This tends to cause a lot of damage for the ecosystem in general, but this isn’t Environment class. We don’t offer environment classes because they don’t help your standardized testing. Anyway, the effect on the fish depends a lot on the type of fish. Some, like catfish that naturally live in sluggish conditions, do okay, while others, like salmon, do terribly. In fact, salmon are migratory and swim for most of their lives. Keeping them in a “tank” wreaks havoc on their lifestyle. Farm-raised salmon don’t even have red meat, like they do naturally, and are dyed red for market. Do you really want to eat fish that’s been dyed red?

Bottom line: Avoid farm-raised fish when possible. Always avoid farm-raised salmon.

Local. Some of you are no doubt wondering why this rather boring-sounding label is taking up more shelf space lately. After all, isn’t the gourmand taught to eat from exotic and far-off lands? Who, with ample means, wouldn’t always opt for Maine lobster, Norwegian caviar, and water from New Zealand?

Farmers’ MarketOne concerned for the health of the planet might be the obvious answer. You don’t have to be Al Gore to deduce that using 500,000 gallons of gas so that you can sip from a melting glacier near Christchurch might create a ripple effect with negative implications for the planet. But, hey, this isn’t Earth First 911; it’s Nutrition 911, so let’s stay focused. Buying locally allows us to play watchdog. It’s easy to check out your local dairy. Just ask around. You don’t even need to research. Good businesses tend to get talked about in the community. And if you suspect that a local business is wielding a bit too much power and influence over your neighbors, that’s probably all the information you need. But your local Chambers of Commerce, Better Business Bureaus, and independent news organizations are keen to help out should your scuttlebutt network not be broad enough.

Bottom line: Local companies should always be considered first.

Ah, there’s the bell. I hope you’ll feel a bit better next time you walk into your local market. But we’re not finished. Fat and carbs, two words known far better for their colloquial rather than literal meanings, will be covered next time.

ChaLEAN Extreme – P90X Workout – P90X Plus – Power 90 Workout – 10 Minute Trainer – Shaun T – Ab Workout – Turbo Jam

Your eating habits are contributing to your unhealthy lifestyle. Food is the number one cause of weight problems and health problems. Lack of exercise is the next contributing factor to weight problems. If you eat foods that are not healthy for you and have no exercise, you are going to gain weight, which can lead to health problems. So, how do you know what is healthy to eat and what is unhealthy to eat?

Unhealthy Foods and Beverages to Avoid

Alcohol and caffeine beverages are high on the list of unhealthy beverages to drink. Alcohol has bad carbohydrates and can pack on the weight if your metabolism is slowed down from lack of exercise. Caffeine is a stimulant that can actually slow down the body’s ability to burn fat.

Foods high in bad carbohydrates, greasy foods and fast foods are the worst foods to eat. This is hard to change if you are used to eating foods like this, but you have to eliminate unhealthy foods and switch to eating healthy foods. Fatty foods should be avoided.

Healthy Foods to Eat

There are so many healthy foods that you can eat and they taste good. Apples, bananas, cottage cheese, turkey, shrimp, fish and broccoli are just some of the healthy foods you can eat. If you plan a meal with healthy foods, you will not only maintain a healthy weight with exercise, but you will feel better. The body needs nutrition, but it needs healthy nutrition.

There are meal plans that you can make yourself, or there are meals that you can buy in a box that have less calories and less fat. There are many foods that help the body’s metabolism and those are the foods you should be eating. You can eat a brownie or a piece of chocolate cake as long as you are eating the right amount of calories a day and eating foods that are low in fat and carbohydrates.

If you are ready to start eating healthy, you should look at what you eat now and see how many calories the food is and what the fat content is for that specific food. Changing your eating habits and exercising is the right way to live healthier.

By Joe Wilkes

We’ve all read the news this past week that peanuts make excellent carriers of salmonella, but what else do you know about this recently beleaguered legume?

1. From what continent do peanuts originate? Peanuts originated in South America, where they have been cultivated for more than 2,000 years. Spanish and Portuguese traders brought them back to Europe. Currently, the largest producer of peanuts in the world is China, followed by India, and the U.S. is a distant third.
2. How much peanut butter does the average American eat each year? The average American eats about 3 pounds of peanut butter every year. Marlon Brando was an avid peanut butter fan. It was rumored that after visits by the actor, his hosts would discover emptied peanut butter jars in their kitchens.
3. On average, how many peanuts does a typical 18-oz. jar of peanut butter contain? On average, it contains 850 peanuts. It’s because of this that about half of the Georgia peanut crop goes to making peanut butter. Peanut butter is not as popular in the rest of the world as it is in America—two-thirds of the international peanut production goes to making peanut oil, which is very popular in cooking due to its high smoking point (the temperature at which it begins to smoke).
4. Why does peanut butter stick to the roof of your mouth? Peanut butter sticks because of its ability to almost instantly absorb moisture due to its high protein content (30 grams per cup). It’s like the ShamWow® of food! This may also explain why it is a secret weapon for removing chewing gum from fabric or hair.
5. Who invented peanut butter? Contrary to common belief, it was not George Washington Carver. There is evidence that the ancient Incans created an ancient mash, and John Harvey Kellogg, the cereal magnate, marketed a nut butter in 1890, years before Dr. Carver’s famous experiments at Tuskegee University, where he discovered over 300 uses for peanuts, as adhesives, ink, fuel, and cosmetics, among others. His research revolutionized agricultural practices in the southern U.S.

ChaLEAN Extreme – P90X Workout – P90X Plus – Power 90 Workout – 10 Minute Trainer – Shaun T – Ab Workout – Turbo Jam

Working out at home is easier for some people, but may be harder for some people to stay motivated. In order to workout at home, you need a routine that you feel comfortable with and can do around your busy schedule. You need to plan a workout routine that you want to do and not something that you have to do. If you make the workout plan hard or tedious, you may have a problem staying on track.

Planning Your Routine

If you have a busy schedule, you need to plan a time every day when you can work out without any interruptions. This may be in the mornings, afternoons or at night. The best time to plan your workout is when you usually have nothing to do. This could be when you normally sit down to watch TV or when you sit around waiting to leave for work. Look at your daily schedule and see where you have down time. This will be the best time to plan your workout routine.

The Workout Routine

Never plan a workout routine that you will try a few times and then quit. Make it something you will look forward to doing. You could walk, jog or even use a treadmill while watching TV. If you keep the workout routine simple enough, you can succeed more than if you plan a routine that will be hard to do or lose your interest. You need something that you can commit to doing every day or every other day.

Needed Equipment

The workout routine does not mean that you need different types of gym equipment. You can easily plan a workout without needing any type of equipment. You might use a workout video such as the P90X Workout or Chalean Extreme workouts, or plan an exercise routine consisting of sit-ups, jumping jacks, push-ups and so forth. Just remember all the exercises you did in gym class that required body movement and you will have some great ideas.

If you take the time to plan your routine, and make it something that you can commit to, you will have more success sticking to it more so than if you choose to do routines that will lose your interest quickly.

Have you ever wondered why it is that most fitness programs are for 90 days? The basic reason is that this is the amount of time it takes to see results in the composition of your body and to get into the habit of exercise. This also helps you create good nutritional habits and makes sure that you have mastered the nuances of your program.

In many programs like P90X or Turbo Jam you will have nutrition plans to follow that are well balanced and easy to follow. This is important for your overall health because a workout program to lose weight will only work if you add proper nutrition with it.

If you are not using one of the aforementioned programs then there are tips that you can follow to get the most out of the 90 day workout.

Become Conscious of What You Eat

Most people eat whatever they want when they are hungry, but this may not be the best way to make sure you that you are getting the nutrition you need for your workouts. Start by becoming conscious of the things you put into your mouth. Stay away from those things like fast food that stop you from moving forward with weight loss and stick to those things that promote it.

Make Better Choices About What You Eat

You will need to eat lots of lean protein to keep your muscles strong. Stay away from the rich and refined carbs because these will add weight instead of taking it off. Keep grains in your diet but go for whole grains or whole wheat instead of white flour or white grained options. Limit your fat intake by getting more Omega-3 fats and eliminating saturated fats.

Drink More Liquid

Most people will not get enough liquid into their bodies and this essential to flush out toxins and replenish needed water. Although many fitness programs only promote water, according to the Institute of Medicine it doesn’t matter if the liquid is water or other beverages. Women should consume about 2.2 liters (or 9 cups) a day and men should consume 3 liters (or 13 cups).