And when it comes to your own health and food choices, the subject matter becomes personal—and rightfully so! It is YOUR BOD and the foods you nosh to keep it burning and churning that are being discussed! Yet, WE ALL have lil’ bumps along our busy paths that could be spruced up just a bit to keep us well—in body and mind.

So—I have compiled a list of 6 things that WE ALL could do better, which you may leave or take. I will say the FaB part is that they’re all quick, cheap, and easy steps. Basically, they’re practical actions—even for the busy professional, student, Mom or Dad. Take to heart what you wish and do what you please. No telling here, just suggestions. After all, I’m just providing thought for action.

6 Easy Steps to the Wealth of Health

1. Drink MORE water! Carry a reusable Bisphenol A (BPA)-free water bottle. It’s better for you and your surroundings.
2. Sleep so you can count those sheep! Aim for at least 7 hours a night. Sleep alone can work wonders.
3. Reorganize the plate. Make plant-based foods like quinoa, brown rice, black beans,  and zucchini your main meal focus and treat meat as your side.
4. Move the day. Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator, pace the office when on a conference call or a “I can’t believe what happened last night call,” stand while working on the computer, park in the furthest spot from the store.
5. Relax. If you start to feel that blood pressure rise, take a deep breath in while counting t0 10 Mississippi style, hold that breathe for 10 seconds, and exhale for 10 seconds. This lil’ ritual is uber helpful and helps ease any steam from your machine.
6. Laugh really hard. Call that friend, read that column, listen to that radio show, or dance to that crazy song! Whatever it is, Do It! Didn’t they say laughing helps you live longer … Well, I think it does! And at the very least that belly-aching laughter sure brightens any day

Personally, I’m working on #2

Which step are you shooting for?

Happy Healthifying!

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During this heart-pumping cardio session I just so happened to be watching E! Yea, yea … I know—mindless television—but trust me, sometimes that is needed! Well, during my time out in “la-la land,” Richard Simmons, the motivating, cheery, eccentric man who is just as synonymous with fitness and nutrition as he is with itsy-bitsy, bright shorts, came on (during some count down show or whatnot) and said something to the point of, “I don’t believe in diets … do you realize that the first three letters in diet spell D-I-E … DIE! … now who wants to do that!?! Because that’s exactly what dieting can make you feel like…”

Despite my blurred vision from face lotion seeping into my eyeballs and barely functioning ear phones, Mr. Simmons’ quote stuck with me. Perhaps because the first three letters of my chosen profession—a dietitian—also spell die. Consequently, this got me thinking–do any of the negative connotations that at times surround dietitians subconsciously have to do with this fact …?  But then … I got back on track to my MAIN thought.

Diets Don’t Work

Right on Richard! Diets don’t work! Almost all who severely restrict items allowed in their shopping cart and consequently, in their mouth, regain their lost weight and perhaps more. As soon as those “forbidden” foods are let loose from their cell and the “all or none” mentality takes over, all healthifying efforts—exercising, more sleep, more produce, more whole grains, etc.—may be left sitting on the bench just waiting to get back on the playing field! In other words, the diet has gone out the window and “eating real, non-diet food” is allowed again … until the dreaded “diet” returns.

AND … it’s more about just the numbers on the scale! Diets make people feel deprived and alone in their “restricted world.” Basically, they zap that pep right out of your step! And who, may I ask, doesn’t want a peppy step?!?

Healthy LIFESTYLES are Key

This, my friends, is exactly why it’s about a healthy lifestyle! A lifestyle where you forego the numbers on the scale and focus on health, where you listen to when your body is hungry and full and respect those internal cues, where you appreciate your body, truly enjoy food and never feel deprived.

Now … Why are you doing these things? Because ultimately, it’s about your health—inside and out. When you live healthfully, in a balanced sense (you need to have some fun too; i.e. the daily sweet treat and a day or two off from training to mentally and physically recoup), your body will show your healthifying efforts and remain likely to say that way—as opposed to regaining all the weight lost from some fad or detox diet.

Proof to the pudding … According to the National Weight Control Registry, people who have lost  weight and kept it off for the long haul engage in the following healthy lifestyle behaviors:

• 78% eat breakfast every day.
• 75% weigh themselves at least once a week.
• 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.
• 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.
• 98% modified their food intake in some way to lose weight.

Ahem … notice the LIFESTYLE piece and no dieting, regarding the above stats? YES, foods eaten may have been healthified in some way (i.e. smaller portions, more veggies, etc.), but no “diets,” so to speak, were in place. Instead, a healthy lifestyle was waiting to hatch out of the egg—which is necessary for long term successful health and wellness!

Small Changes Lead to BIG Results

Keep up your healthifying ways and simply add to them to continue on your healthy lifestyle path. If you eat a vegetable twice per day, add another serving or try a new vegetable! If  you’re exercising, think what you could do to add to your routine—more weights, adding an extra session each week, or simply, taking stairs instead of the elevator? Over time, when you add on “healthy” behaviors, you’ll adopt a healthy lifestyle or maybe even a healthier one.

For example, if you’re already on the up-and-up with the produce eating and exercise loving, but you don’t cook much at home–start! That’s healthy not only for your insides, but for your brain, as you’re learning something new and personal life, as you can have more cooking fun with others … see where I’m coming from? This “healthy lifestyle” will help keep your ticker tickin’ fabulously, a smile on your face, and an appreciation for food and yourself in more ways than one, which I think is most healthy.

Happy Healthifying!

What’s one of your healthy behaviors? We gotta share the health!

That line is crossed once eating healthfully—or purely—becomes an obsession. Once one enters this realm of healthy eating obsession, orthorexia nervosa may be the culprit (“ortho” means straight and “orexia” refers to appetite).

Yes—orthorexia nervosa– not anorexia nervosa. They are both psychological disorders, yet they differ in that those with anorexia nervosa, as well as bulimia nervosa, obsess about calories, weight, and the quantity of food consumed, whereas those with orthorexia nervosa obsess, on a long-term basis, about “healthy” eating and the quality of foods consumed.  Simply put, orthorexics strive for personal purity in their eating habits—think lots of “raw foods” straight from Mother Earth. Here, weight and calories are not the main focus—“pure” foods are.

Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher, a clinical psychologist and director of the eating disorders clinic at the University of Illinois at Chicago, stated in The Downside of Eating Too Healthy:

While orthorexia begins with a desire to achieve better health, it’s very connected to an underlying fear of food. If I believe the food will make me sick, I become afraid of it, and I avoid it and, bit by bit, continue to avoid more and more food types.

Orthorexia is not an officially recognized disorder. According to Psychology Today, the term was coined in 1997 by Alternative Medicine Specialist and author of  the book Health Food Junkies, Steven Bratman, who suffered from the disorder himself. In the article Orthorexia: Good Diets Gone Bad, Bratman states, “”This is about the obsession with eating to improve your health.”

In Orthorexia: Good Diets Gone Bad, Bratman says:

The obsession doesn’t necessarily lie just between the mouth and the other end. An out-of-control healthy eater feels a sense of spirituality…You’re doing a good, virtuous thing. You also feel that because it’s difficult to do, it must be virtuous. The more extreme you are, the more virtuous you feel

P.S. there is NOTHING wrong with root veggies, tropical fruits, grains, or beans! In fact, these things are packed with phytochemicals, minerals, vitamins, and fiber! EAT. THEM. UP.

What are signs of Orthorexia?

According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, people suffering from this obsession may exhibit the following characteristics:

• Spending more than three hours a day thinking about healthy food
• Planning tomorrow’s menu today
• Feeling virtuous about what they eat, but not enjoying it much
• Continually limiting the number of foods they eat
• Experiencing a reduced quality of life or social isolation (because their diet makes it difficult for them to eat anywhere but at home)
• Feeling critical of others who do not eat as well they do
• Skipping foods they once enjoyed in order to eat the “right” foods
• Feeling guilt or self-loathing when they stray from their diet
• Feeling in “total” control when they eat the correct diet

Treatment Info

According to Astrachan-Fletcher,

Orthorexia should be treated as anorexia. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the treatment for anorexia is three-pronged: “restoring the person to a healthy weight, treating the psychological issues related to the eating disorder, [and] reducing or eliminating behaviors or thoughts that lead to disordered eating, and preventing a relapse.

In treatment, Medical Doctors, Registered Dietitians, and psychotherapists specializing in eating disorders, each play an integral role in getting the patient back up to a healthified stance.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Multiple articles on this topic have appeared over the last few weeks, and I have received questions on the topic. Hence, I was prompted to share my findings with you. But, even more so—I wanted to show how a good thing—eating “healthfully”—can be taken way too far!

Yes, stacking your plate high with veggies and fruits, getting in lean sources of protein, amping up the fiber, downing low-fat or non-fat dairy, wheeling and dealing heart healthy beans, and crushin’ on whole grains, are uber important for health and wellness! But, what I also think is HIGHLY important is enjoying your life and your food!

My rule of thumb is eat 90% healthy and allow for a daily 10% indulgence. So go ahead–have that slice of cake, scoop of ice cream, or few Hershey’s kisses—just make sure it’s not half a cake, 5 scoops of ice cream, or 20 kisses—see the difference?

You should truly enjoy the food you eat and allow for a daily treat! After all, who wants to eat boring “health” food all their life? If you don’t like your “healthy” chow, try new healthy recipes! Go snag a healthy cookbook you like—buy one used if you’re short on cash. Or, spend a couple hours browsing online—with the gazillion foodie sites now awaiting for that click of your mouse, I’m sure you’ll find some recipes you adore!

Lastly, DON’T feel restricted because if you do—I bet that cabinet with the “forbidden” foods will soon not be so forbidden. Make that food “unforbidden,” have a serving, and then put it back. The problem will be if you can’t put it back,  then and only then, you may want to consider temporarily evicting that item from your place.

The Bottom Line:

If you or someone you know has an eating disorder, get in touch with a medical professional—they are treatable disorders. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association for further information and helpful resources.

Eat healthy fare you enjoy and indulge in a sweet treat now and then! After all, you follow a healthy lifestyle NOT a diet.  AND, if you ask me, a lifestyle just isn’t healthy if you aren’t happy!

Happy Healthifying!

What are your thoughts?

Why of course! How could I forget … I and all other healthifying professionals need to do is recommend this “latex-free adhesive bandage with … 25mg of bladderwrack kelp extract, garcinia cambogia and menthol,” and hey—people will start shedding pounds like no other because this patch is a “metabolic accelerator that helps burn stored fat.”  But, of course the “weight loss” associated with this patch has nothing to do with the fact that consumers are instructed to eat healthfully and 1/3 less than they normally do and exercise. After all, ladies and gents, if you “want to be a winner” and lose weight, you’ll buy a 30-day supply of 15 patches at the lovely price of $28.49–available at Amazon.com.

By the by, I did the research and sorry folks, but brown kelp seaweed (the bladderwrack), garcinia cambogia— a small Indian fruit from which the “active” ingredient hydroxycitric acid (HCA) is derived—and menthol from the mint plant–DO NOT cause weight loss, especially by adhering a patch to your body.  But—oh, I don’t know—perhaps it’s the exercise, healthy diet, and eating less that the company instructs people to do that causes some weight to go? And, by the way—have you ever heard of the placebo effect? Need I say more?

Another Product …

Now, the second new deal on the up-and-up that struck me as “oh no you didn’t” is  GNC’s be-HOT. Yes ladies, that’s what it’s really called. Didn’t you know all you need to do for that extra oomph, better workout, and calorie burning booster, is simply take these pills? Yup, and you can get a 30-day supply  for a mere $50. Now, you ask–what comes in these lil’ pill packs? According to GNC, here’s the low-down:

• be-DEFINED™–toning & sculpting formula: an amino acid derivative, electrolytes, and antioxidants … “to help as you strive to sculpt a leaner you.”
• be-ENERGIZED™–calorie burning formula: “GNC’s own clinically-proven thermogenic blend to help boost your metabolism” with 4 antioxidants: grape seed extract, green tea extract, glutathione, and alpha-Lipoic acid.
• be-ENHANCED™–diet supporting CLA: “features a blend of essential fatty acids and clinically-studied Tonalin® CLA, to help support metabolism and enhance your diet, with other essential fatty acids to provide a healthy source of energy …”

Now—I am not going to go into each minute detail of why these ingredients won’t cause the weight to magically dissipate–just know they’re scientifically bogus in terms of weight loss.

Heck–if pills and patches worked, don’t you think this would have made Oprah followed by all talk shows, late night talk stand up, news segments, Discovery, the Health Channel—like REALLY HUGE HEADLINES all over? Everyone would be a Skinny Minnie then. But, NO, 60% of people  are overweight or obese and this number is only increasing. Sorry, folks better luck next time.

The truth-telling science nerd in me must tell you that antioxidants in be-HOT may help prevent disease and CLA has been shown to help lower cholesterol—but let’s all remember that whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fiber, basically all plants, exercise, and sleep—have shown to do the same darn thing! And, guess what–they don’t cost you an extra $50 for a 30 day supply.

So Many Diet Products, So Few Healthy Lifestyles

As Gary Foster, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia, stated in Woolston’s Do Diet Patches Stick?

Red flags should go up whenever a product promises to speed weight loss by boosting metabolism or reducing appetite. No compound known to science can increase metabolism enough to really budge the scale, he says, and every known appetite suppressant has significant side effects.

Today, there are so many products that claim if you take them, you’ll become leaner, sexier or drop weight. And, to assure this, I went down my local drugstore’s “Diet” aisle. Now, what would I expect to see in a “Diet” aisle? Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, broccoli, zucchini, squash, apples, oranges, beans, low-fat dairy, lean meats, olive oil, canola oil, kale, spinach, salmon, grass-fed meats, grapes, oatmeal, and so forth, but NO. Instead I see: SlimQuick, Dual Action Cleansers, Fat Burn Cleansers, Hydroxycut, SLIM Shots, and Jillian Michal’s Fat Burner and Detox and Cleanse System (oh, my heart sinks!). And, let me just say–all of these products are around $20-40 a pack.

Again, if these things worked—no one would be overweight or at least the percentage of overweight would shrink from the current 60% … instead of continuing to increase. These supplements are simply money makers. According to a New York Times piece, Mintel, a market research firm, projects sales of vitamins  and minerals to grow more than 6% this year — to $11.2 billion, from $10.6 billion in 2008 . That’s a lot of money from pills and potions! I hate to say it, but there is no quick fix to lose weight and actually keep it off. If I could box a healthy lifestyle and sell it, that would be the long term fix.

Bottom Line: Don’t Waste Your Hard-Earned Cash on Pills & Potions—they’re only Puffery!

Use that “extra” money to buy:

• A gym membership
• More workout DVDs
• A set of dumbbells
• More fruit
• More vegetables
• More whole grains
• More lean meat
• More low-fat dairy

And, Don’t Forget

• Sleep more
• Destress more
• Move more

Happy Healthifying!

What are your thoughts on the “diet” aisle???