Archive for the 'nutrition' Category

Dear Diary, I’m through counting calories

Published on October 6, 2008 in fitness, food and nutrition. 0 Comments

stock.xchng - Red notebook (stock photo by biewoef).pngMost of us already know that keeping a food or workout diary is an incredibly effective way to increase fitness. There is plenty of research and anecdotal evidence to support this. Just last July, a Kaiser Permente study showed that people who kept a daily food diary dropped more than twice the amount of weight as those who didn’t record their food. And just check out the huge popularity of websites like SparkPeople, Gyminee and The Daily Plate.

A few years ago, after several hits and misses in the fitness department, I started tracking my food calories. I kept it up for a few months and it worked like a charm - the food diary taught me portion control and helped “kick start” the “healthier habits” I have today. But there was a downside.

Counting calories, while a great way to lose weight, is also a great way to become obsessed with numbers and ridden with mixed priorities. I stopped counting calories over two years ago but I’m still getting over the irrational worry that an extra walnut here or splash of cream there is going to instantly undo all of my progress. Cranky Fitness has an excellent post that really sums up the problem with this “data-driven” approach:

You may have all kinds of healthy nutritional goals–eating more whole foods, less processed crap, avoiding transfats or whatever. But it’s hard to track a bunch of different goals, and what most people end up paying attention to at the end of the day is a number. How Many?

When I was counting calories I used to allow myself one free day a week a la Bill Philips’ “Body for Life” advice. This day was usually a Friday and involved lots and lots of beer. Then on Saturday, I was supposed to return to my “diet”, which unfortunately precluded me from indulging in the ultimate hangover cure: a mushroom, onion and cheese omelet with buttered toast, orange juice and coffee. What a dilemma. Fine, I was losing weight, but was I really any healthier? My Friday night beer binges suggest otherwise. And the way I felt on Saturday, both in mind and body, certainly didn’t feel very healthy.

There must be a better way

I’ve since stopped tracking calories, but I haven’t stopped tracking my food. I seem to have replaced my numeric obsessions with an overall obsession with eating (whether this is a good thing is open for debate). My recent food diary efforts have traded numeric trends for other patterns, such as

  • Recipes - noting little tweaks and changes, an extra pinch of thyme here, a dash of vinegar there, that sort of thing
  • Seasonal trends - it’s fun watching the cabbage and kale of winter slowly replace the cool salads of summer
  • Various body patterns - sleep, cycles and all that other fun stuff stuff I should probably keep to myself
  • Time of day - Okay, this is a number, but since I’ve been doing yoga in the morning I’ve noticed that my performance is effected by the time I ate dinner the night before. It seems like an early, light dinner is good for yoga in the morning. But if I’m going swimming, I have a much better swim if I pack it in at dinner time.
  • Taste changes - Earlier this year, my diet seemed to follow variations on the theme of of bean mush - lentil soup, Indian dal, a pile of puy lentils, veggie chili. I guess we got sick of eating with a spoon all the time and now we’ve been experimenting with more stir fries, pasta dishes and other forkable foods. But the dal will never die!

Since I quit counting calories, I’m enjoying food more than ever, and I love to cook. Taking pictures is part of the process; if I’ve created something in the kitchen, I feel compelled to capture it permanently in a photo. I was chuffed to read about the research that suggested photo diaries may be more effective that traditional journals for helping people lose weight. Sure, the photos are a great way to reinforce ideas of portion control and nutritional balance, but my photos aren’t about weight loss. I simply enjoy the nostalgia of looking back on all the food I’ve eaten and I’m fascinated by the way my tastes evolve over time.

Diary Attempt

In addition to photos, I’ve also been keeping a very lazy written journal that simply lists meals and exercise. The trouble with both the diary and the photos is that I’m horribly inconsistent. Keeping a food diary is a pain in the ass! Photos can be annoying too, especially when I’ve taken ten pictures of the same salad and impose on myself the necessity to choose one of basically identical photos to upload to Flickr. And Flickr, though great for sharing photos, isn’t as good for taking notes or tracking days of the week.

I am inspired by people like jenna, an AFPA-certified nutritionst and blogger at Eat, Live, Run, who religiously photograph and post every bit of food and drink she consumes, from cocoa to quiche. I love Jenna’s approach to this whole calorie business:

I do not set a certain number of calories for myself per day. I find that too restricting for my active lifestyle. A trend in my life/diet has shown that I intake about 1800 calories or so a day and that’s fine with me. It just seems to usually be within that amount without me regulating it…it just comes naturally I guess–that’s what my body wants.

I’m also trying to listen to what my body wants rather than spend pointless minutes scouring the food database for how many calories are in a prune. I know calorie-counting works for some and it certainly worked for me in some ways, but these days I want something different.

So how do I motivate myself to keep better track of my foods? I took a picture of my breakfast this morning. Will I remember to take a photo at lunch? Will I write any of this down in my journal? I haven’t yet… and I didn’t yesterday. Do I need more motivation or do I just need to let go and give up on all this OCD diary malarky?

Breakfast: Bircher, Book and Rooibos

What do you think?

How do you feel about food and exercise diaries? Hate em’? Love em’? Do you journal in words or pictures? What would be your ideal way to track all of this stuff? What would you want to measure?

Read more

As I mentioned earlier, Crabby’s post, But I don’t Wanna Write it Down, is a pretty good summation of what sucks about food diaries.

Jenna’s blog, Eat, Live, Run, is fantastic inspiration for any of us who want to to be a food-photo fiend.

Diet Blog has a few good pointers on keeping a food diaries, plus some pretty good reasons to do so that aren’t related to calories.

Want to become a better food photographer? Then check out this recent post from VeganYumYum, Food Photography for Bloggers, which covers everything from plates to lighting.

Sharing means caring

For other Flickr users out there, I’ve created a Flickr group called SmarterFitter. I’m posting my food diary there along with other SmarterFitter-related photos. Feel free to share your own by adding your photos to the group pool!

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

Life Experiment: First Coffee after Four Weeks Caffeine-Free

Published on September 28, 2008 in Personal, food and nutrition. 0 Comments

Birthday Coffee

Way too much coffee.
But if it weren’t for the coffee,
I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.
- David Letterman

I never intended for my caffeine-free stint to last forever. I like coffee. I like tea. I especially like chocolate! I simply don’t like being dependent on caffeine.

Yesterday, just one-day shy of my four-week caffeine-free anniversary, Tim and I found ourselves at Rory’s for brunch. Rory makes exceptional coffee. He’s got a super-badass espresso machine but that isn’t what makes the coffee so special. Rory pays loving attention to every cup of coffee he makes, from the roast to the grind (which he does himself) to the tamp to the steamed milk. If I was going to break my caffeine fast, there is no place I’d rather do it that at Rory’s over one of his superb coffees.

Rory’s signature coffee is a “flat white”, a popular beverage in his and Tim’s homeland of New Zealand. A flat white is generally made with 1/3 espresso and 2/3 steamed milk, where “the volumised milk is prepared by folding the top layer into the lower layers”, or so Wikipedia tells me. Rory might have his own method, or he may have written that Wikipedia entry himself. I wouldn’t be surprised!

As the resident American in the room, I opted for an Americano with a splash of milk.

Yes but how did it feel?? At first it felt, well, tasty. Nothing special. Ain’t no thang. But after cycling home I found myself intensely WIRED. I forgot what it feels like to have a caffeine high. I can’t say it felt terrible, but it also didn’t feel great. I found it impossible to concentrate or sit still. I couldn’t get any work done so I went for a walk, then cooked, and finally had a beer and a glass of wine, which seemed to take the edge off.

I could see the odd coffee being a good thing if I were, say, on holiday and were about to spend the day galavanting around town, where concentration wasn’t such an issue. Of course, if I went back on caffeine regularly, the buzz wouldn’t happen because I’d be immune again. But that’s not something I plan to do. Yesterday’s coffee doesn’t have me jonesing for another cup. But it does remind me that it’s okay to enjoy caffeine once in a while. It’s a quality of life thing, and once in a while, especially on a sunny Saturday and with good friends and tasty food, it’s important to enjoy the moment and just be.

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

My Daily Protein Smoothie

Published on September 22, 2008 in food, nutrition and recipes. 4 Comments

skitched-20080922-170458.pngI’ve been hitting the protein smoothies lately. Why? Because I’ve also been hitting the pushups and pull-ups and I think a little extra protein can only do this vegetarian some good. I used to drink smoothies all the time as a little reward after finishing a long run. Now I find them to be a great mid-morning snack to get me through til lunch.

Today, Crabby posted her Simplest Smoothie Recipe Ever recipe and it inspired me to share my own. She doesn’t use ice in hers but I like to add a good 4-6 cubes per person for a thick frothy milkshake that’s a little slow-going through a straw (this keeps me from downing my smoothie in one gulp). I also like to add a few dried pieces of fruit such as prunes or date… the blender chops them into little bits that are fun to eat, and any large bits that don’t get blended are like a nice fruity surprise at the end.

The protein part usually comes from unsweetened protein powder, either whey or soy (tried pea protein once - yuck). If I’m out of powder, I use tofu or yogurt. My preference is for tofu (shown above) or soy protein powder, both of which seem to result in a creamier smoothie than other options.

I don’t find that this needs any extra sweetener; usually the frozen fruit is sweet enough. But if you like a sweeter smoothie, add some honey or substitute the water for fruit juice.

Easy Protein Smoothie

Serves 2

3 scoops protein powder (or 1 350g block of silken tofu)
1 banana
200g frozen berries
2-4 dates or prunes
4 Tbsp flax meal
8-12 ice cubes
water, enough to cover

Put everything in the blender and WHIZZ, adding more or less water to achieve the desired smoothie smoothness. Enjoy!

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

Three Weeks Caffeine Free

Published on September 15, 2008 in food and nutrition. 0 Comments

It’s old news now. I’ve been caffeine free for three weeks as of yesterday. The cravings are gone and I haven’t been missing the “ritual” of afternoon tea now that I’ve embraced rooibos as a black tea alternative. The best part about all this? After about two weeks without caffeine, my sleep quality suddenly improved substantially. I still wake up about once during the night, but that’s my own fault for insisting on having a comforting mug of tea right before bed (in bed, with a good book!).

The benefits of improved sleep seem to be filtering into all of my other daily activities, most notably push-ups! I had a couple weeks back there where I just felt constantly lethargic, the push-ups felt impossible, and I kept having to repeat weeks because I wasn’t progressing. Then last week I suddenly felt stronger and more energetic and I’ve finally graduated to Week 3 of the one hundred push-ups program. (I’ve also re-introduced protein smoothies to my diet, which may also be playing its part.)

I wasn’t sure if I’d stay off caffeine but now that I’m passed the danger zone and feeling good, I don’t feel hugely compelled to go back. I do miss the occasional coffee, and I confess to having a mug or two of decaf which is not 100% caffeine free. But for now I’ll just stay off caffeine completely and enjoy all this wonderful sleep! Zzzzzz.

Ivy Sleeps

Photo Diaries More Effective Than Food Diaries?

Published on September 7, 2008 in Personal, The Dinner Project, food, nutrition and photos. 2 Comments
skitched-20080907-062437.jpg

I’ve been taking photos of food for a while now, not so much to lose weight, but simply because I like taking pictures and I love food and it’s a great way to remember what I eat. Now, a new study suggests that this habit may actually be more effective than a written food diary for weight loss.

From the New Scientist:

[Researchers] at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told 43 people to record what they ate for one week in words and as pictures.

When they quizzed the volunteers, photo diaries seemed to be the most effective. Not only did they provide powerful visual documentation of snack binges, they also triggered critical evaluation at just the right time - before the food was eaten. “I had to think more carefully about what I was going to eat because I had to take a picture of it,” was a typical response.

In contrast, written diaries are often completed long after the meal and do not create as powerful a reminder of the quantity and quality of the food that was eaten.

At the moment, I only take pictures of my food if it’s really yummy or pretty and I can be bothered. But I love the idea of doing this all the time, for every meal, so I can have a historical account of my eating habits over time. I think it’d be interesting to correlate what I’m eating with my mood, and to see how the types of food I eat changes with the seasons and my ever-changing tastes.

Does anyone else do this? I think I’m going to start!

Snap-happy dieters reap benefits [New Scientist]

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

Quick Tip: Add beans to pasta for a quick protein kick

Published on September 1, 2008 in food, nutrition, photos and recipes. 0 Comments

skitched-20080901-204246.jpg We all know that protein is important, especially for active folks trying to put on a little muscle. For vegetarians like me, this is a little tricky - many of the foods we eat don’t contain complete proteins. That is, beans and whole grains may contain lots of amino acids, but on their own, they don’t contain enough of the right amino acids to form a complete protein (you can read more about this in Nutrition by The American Dietetic Association). As a result, I usually try to balance my meals with grains and beans so I’m sure to maximize the protein punch!

Most recently, I’ve been doing this with pasta. There’s no meal like a pasta meal that cries CARB FEST. But you can easily turn pasta into a more well-rounded meal by simply adding a few beans. Pasta is actually high in the amino acids methionine and cysteine, but low in lysine. Legumes such as kidney beans, however, are low in methionine and cysteine, but high in lysine. Put the two together and you get a complete protein. Science!

Adding beans to pasta is as easy as, well, simply adding beans to pasta. Beans compliment most sauces just as well as pasta, but some combinations work better than others. Here are my preferences:

  • Chickpeas or kidney beans with tomato sauce
  • White beans or chickpeas with pesto sauce
  • White beans or broad beans with garlic and olive oil

I’m not even going to touch alfredo (some foods you just shouldn’t mess with).

Here’s the recipe for the meal I had this evening (pictured above - it inspired me to write this post). Pesto linguine with chickpeas and arugula. YUM! I served this with a tomato, cucumber and red onion salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Bliss, I tell you. Pure comfort.

Pesto Linguine With Chickpeas and Arugula

Serves one 5ft tall shortcake

50 grams dry linguine
100 grams cooked chickpeas
2 Tbsp pesto
1 Tbsp parmesan
1 Tbsp toasted pine nuts
1 large handful arugula (aka rocket)

Cook the pasta and heat up the beans. Toss together with the pesto. Pile on a plate and top with arugula, pine nuts and parmesan. Serve with a nice glass of red wine.

Per serving: 455 Calories; 19g Protein; 12g fat; 67g Carbohydrate

Seasonal Food: Blackberries

Published on August 28, 2008 in London, food, nutrition, photos and recipes. 0 Comments
Flickr Photo Download_ Wild Blackberries in Abney Park Cemetery.jpg

I always thought that the old cemetery across the road was just another neglected London landmark. That it may be, but amongst its overgrown shrubs and creepy crawly vines are blackberry bushes galore. Say what you will about foraging for food in a cemetery, but I feel pretty darn lucky. Their luscious fruits are just beginning to ripen and I suddenly find myself with more blackberries than I know what to do with.

skitched-20080827-200553.jpg

The skinny on blackberries

  • The blackberry season is from late July to early October
  • Blackberries get kind of gross after a day or two, so eat them straight away or freeze them
  • Blackberries are rich in antioxidants, including vitamin C and ellagic acid, and their seeds contain high levels of omega-3 and -6 fats, protein, and dietary fiber
  • Superstition in the UK holds that blackberries should not be picked after Michaelmas (29 September) as the devil has claimed them, having left a mark on the leaves by urinating on them

I have a few months before season’s end, and I’m all about a.) hoarding blackberries in my freezer and b.) experimenting with as many blackberry recipes as possible while there are still fresh blackberries to be picked. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so I like the idea of a blackberry vinaigrette for salads. Even so, I really want to try my hand at jam, and I can’t resist a good cobbler. Here are some other recipes I look forward to experimenting with:

Blackberry recipes

skitched-20080828-215654.jpg

Readers, I need your help! Do you have any blackberry recipes you can recommend? Send em’ over! I’m dying to try them!

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

Red Lentil Dal with Panch Phoran

Published on June 24, 2008 in food, nutrition and recipes. 0 Comments
skitched-20080624-215246.jpg

It’s no secret that I’m a dal fanatic. Rich in protein, low in fat, and very high in flavor, dal is one of nature’s perfect foods. It’s quick and easy to make and tastes like a dream. I didn’t think it could get any better than this, but Susan proved me wrong with her recipe for Cauliflower Dal with Panch Phoran. I love the way she describes this dish:

Sometimes a recipe comes along that’s so spectacular that you feel compelled to climb your way up to the top of the nearest alp and sing like Julie Andrews, giddy and overflowing with such love for the world that the power of your emotions threatens to send you skidding down the mountain on the backside of your lederhosen.

I can’t say I was singing, exactly, but the dal did make me extremely happy. The secret is in the Bengali spice blend called “panch phoran” (also spelled panch phoron and panch puran).

Panch Phoran is easy enough to make from spices readily available at most grocery stores. Simply mix equal parts of fenugreek, mustard seeds, onion seed, fennel seeds and cumin seeds. Make a big batch because I guarantee you’ll be using it again.

Panch Phoran

Here is a simplified version of Susan’s recipe. I’ve subbed the cauliflower with spinach and use tinned tomatoes instead of fresh.

Red Lentil Dal with Panch Phoran

Serves 6

250 grams red lentils (masoor dal)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon turmeric
olive oil
1 tablespoon panch phoran
10-20 curry leaves
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
400g tinned diced tomatoes
pinch of chili flakes (optional)
salt to taste
1 cup chopped spinach

Combine the red lentils, water and turmeric in a pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until the dal is tender, about 20-30 minutes.

While the dal cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the panch phoran and curry leaves. As soon as the seeds start to pop, add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook until the onion is soft (it should not brown). Add the tomatoes, cooked lentils, chili and salt. Cook for at least 10 minutes to allow the flavors to bend. Shortly before serving, add the chopped spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted.

Serve hot with basmati rice.

Panch Phoran

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

Simple Soups: Spicy Greens and Beans

Published on June 10, 2008 in food, nutrition and recipes. 0 Comments
preview.jpg

The sun is finally out and the park is aglow as Londoners everywhere take to their shorts and give their pasty white legs a double dose of the ol’ Vitamin D. While the lucky lads with gardens flock to their barbecues, I turned to the soup pot and a recipe I’ve been meaning to try: Susan’s Spicy Collards and Black-eyed Pea Soup.

I didn’t have collards or black-eyed peas, so I improvised with chard and mixed beans. Susan’s recipe calls for hot sauce, cayenne AND chipotle pepper. Yes, this is one spicy meatball (sans meat). I skipped the hot sauce and went easy on the cayenne for a subtle heat. The result? Freakin’ amazing, man. The tomato paste makes everything uber-rich and delicious. Tim and I mmm’d and aah’d as we ate. This is more of a chili than a soup, and I was glad I decided to serve it with vegan cornbread.

Oh by the way, cooking this soup requires very few brain cells. And it’s fast and nutritious to boot.

And one more thing, the recipe estimates the true amount of beans and greens I actually used. Add more or less of these ingredients to suit your mood. I can also see carrots being good in this.

Spicy Greens and Beans

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups of cooked beans
4 cups chopped chard, spinach, or other leafy green
1 teaspoon oregano
1 16-ounce can tomatoes
2 cups veggie broth
pinch of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
water as needed

Heat the oil in a big pot. Add onions and cook on a low heat until onions are soft, not brown. Add the celery, bell pepper and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

Add everything else. Put in more water if you want it more soupy. Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 25 minutes to let all of the flavors mingle.

Serve with brown rice or cornbread.

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

3 Good Reasons to Quit Soda

Published on June 6, 2008 in food and nutrition. 1 Comment
Lightroom Catalog.lrcat - Adobe Photoshop Lightroom - Library.jpg
Monica at age 10:
a budding coke addict

It’s been over four weeks since I first felt the tickle in my throat that turned into the weirdest, worstest cold-like lurgee that I’ve ever had. The theory is I have whooping cough, an illness charactarised by severe coughing attacks that often end in difficulty to breath in air (hence the “whoop” sound). All the signs listed at the Mayo Clinic suggest whooping cough:

  • Severe coughing attacks that bring up thick phlegm
  • Coughing attacks that end with a high-pitched “whoop” sound during the next breath of air
  • You may even bruise or break a rib if your coughing episodes are severe.
  • Coughing may be worse at night.
  • Over-the-counter cough medicines have little effect
  • A case of whooping cough usually resolves in six weeks but may last longer.

I’m heading into week five of this bullshit and things are finally starting to look up. My energy is coming back and the coughs are far fewer and far between. Best of all, the strain in my ribs has eased up and I’m swimming again.

But what does this have to do with soda??

I don’t know about you guys, but when I’m sick, I lose all will to better any part of myself except my immune system. I’ve been trying to lay off the diet soda for a while now, but when I started whooping, my mind instantly went “screw it, I want soda, and I want lots of it.” I even started buying 2L bottles of Diet 7-UP and Coke Zero instead of 500mL bottles (at least I haven’t stopped being economical).

Then, a few days ago, No Calories Needed announced that he had consumed his “last Diet Mountain Dew.” His reasons made total sense:

I’m tired of wasting money on soda when tap water is free.

I’m tired of dealing with sugar and caffeine highs.

I need to drink water - and when I drink sodas, I don’t feel like drinking water.

This must have inspired me because I haven’t bought a diet soda since. And since I’m feeling better (whoop, there it is), why not draw a real line in the sand: I’m not drinking any more diet soda from this point forward. “PERIOD!”

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

« Older Entries