Human Foie Gras anyone?

Whether you have a physically or mentally demanding job, you are burning fuel to get you through the day.  From the time you wake up, get dressed, drive or  walk to work, to the actual problem solving and interacting with everyone you encounter as you wade your way through your list of to-do’s.  It  takes a enormous amount of energy, depending upon your age and gender you have basic caloric needs to fuel your body machine.

  I spent years of getting into the bad habit of skipping breakfast, or eating something low quality, like a extra cup of coffee  which left me feeling light headed and unable to focus as the morning progressed. I would then  inhale a huge lunch late in the day, which made me so groggy a couple of hours afterward I could hardly stay awake…working late would eventually bring  a very late  dinner after a performance  or client meetings.  It's not surprising having a routine like this would result in less than optimum performance.
 As I look back on that time in my life It seemed like I never had any energy, I was so used to not feeling well, that I just accepted it as “how I felt”.

 We have a  behavioral shift of poor diet and inactivity that  is killing us, and in the process creating a society filled with preventable chronic illnesses. (1)


One of the biggest changes in America in  the past 20-30 years has been our food portion sizes.  The food industry has had a major impact on what we are being force fed.

  
 20 years ago it was 1993, lets take a look back  at some major shifts in how we have changed our eating habits during that time.


In 1993 dinner plates were actually smaller- typically 9” versus today’s dinner plates  which are typically  12”  This shift to accomidate the much larger portions that the food industry was super-sizing our way.


Cheese burger:


1993                                                                       2013

Calories: 330                                                        McDonald’s Big Mac
Size  3”    serving                                                 Calories: 540
                                                                              * 220 calorie increase per serving

Coffee:
1993                                 2013
Coffee w/ 2 tsp milk       Starbucks Venti cinnamon latte (no whip cream)
Size 12 oz                      Size 20 oz
Calories  25                    Calories 340  * 315 calorie increase per serving

 1 small person @ 8:30am
 eating 1 X-large slice of cheese pizza and a 20 oz beverage-  


Pizza  (4" slice)                         20 oz soda                            Totals: 
479 cal                                         248 cal                                  727 cal 
13 gr saturated fat                    
  3 gr  sugar                                68 gr sugar (high fructose)
1059 mg sodium                         15 mg sodium
   73 carbs

During a recent trip,  I gasped when at 8:30 in the morning I saw the breakfast this cute kid was eating!  Over 700 calories and most from sodium, saturated fat,  and sugar,  the unpleasent plane ride with this poor kid who was gonna have a melt down in about an hour  seemed like nothing compared to a lifetime of bad eating habits, learning disabilities and chronic health issues the poor little guy is on the road to developing!  He was zoning out, LEARNING how to eat crap!
HUMAN FOIE GRAS:

With over 70 million adults, 30% of our population is suffering from  fatty liver and fatty liver disease!  Isn't that crazy? We have laws that ban making  Foie Gras from animals because we feel it is in-humane to  force feed  animals high volumes of fatty foods, But we don't limit human consumption of fat and sugar??

 The best visual  example I could find of this   expanded view of  humanity was while in a international airport,  You can throw a deep fried twinkie and hit someone who is a prime example of human foie grax.

 This has really made me think about health care reform, This is effecting all of us, If you don't believe me drive down to your airport or hospital ER  and tell me what you see.   

 This is a pandemic situation that  isn't just the governments mess to clean up.
 A third of our population is suffering from chronic illnesses that our health systems get jammed full of,  Hospital Emergency Rooms are  filled with  heart attacks, strokes, diabetic insulin drops, bronchitis, asthma.   In metro cities around the country you can see dialysis centers popping up as fast as the fast food joints that are putting people there.
All of the health conditions I listed are preventable or controllable through proper diet and exercise.       STOP the madness!!!   Each of us needs to be responsible for our own health, and if your a  head of the household the health of our families.
5  things you can do right now

Start with easy steps, shop at the farmers market for your fruits and veggies and buy grains in bulk section, shop for organic locally food when ever possible- you will save $$

1) Eat out less frequently- Most restaurants cook w/ butter, cream, lots of salt and sauces with enormous portions, remember 1993’s 9” plate size?  Learn more about healthy food selections- THEN venture out

2) When you do eat out, ask about the size of the dish, it’s ok to split a full sized entrée or appetizers with friends!   You don't need to eat 2nds!

3) The U.S. is one of the few  countries that has “Sweet”  breakfasts,  don’t buy boxed cereal packed full of sugar, preservatives and fillers, check out the bin section, try cooking whole oats, polenta, or

·      In a hurry cooking tip: Heat up the rice or other grains that you had for dinner last night with a (+ )poached or fried egg  or egg substitute on top- 
·      (+)Microwave Egg poaching: put your egg in a coffee cup that has a little water in the bottom of it  add a pinch of salt and pepper then microwave it for :45-1:00 to desired done-ness to quick poach your egg)

You now have a 560 calorie breakfast with all "good fuel"  28g protein, 78g carbs 12g fiber and only 432 mg sodium!


4) Remember these portion sizes!
   
1 cup  *     1 Tablespoon *    1 fist  *     1 deck of cards

1 cup:   Pasta-Grains
Many foods recommend  1 cup as their portion size. So, if you are making pasta or grains, use a  measuring  cup  to insure you have the right portion in your pot!
1 Fist: Fruits- Vegetables
Measure your vegetables with your fist size. An average serving of fruits and vegetables corresponds to the size of a closed fist.
1 Deck of Cards:  Meat
  Imagine  a deck of cards when serving your meat dish. The correct portion for most meat is roughly the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand.
1 Tbsp / (a poker chip) Spreads / Oils
Measuring spoons can also be a useful tool to figure out portion sizes. Peanut butter  or cooking oils are often measured in 1 tbsp serving sizes and can be correctly measured out with the spoons before you serve them.
Top Sources for *Unhealthy Calories:  Desserts, Bread, Soda's and energy drinks, Alcohol, Fried foods.*calories that do not provide nutritional benefit due to sugar and fat content.

 Do you feel like you have a good understanding of  what foods provide you the best energy value? or do you feel like you need more information to make better informed decisions about what you or your family eat?