Healthier Eating in 4 Easy Steps

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After my last post, some of you asked for “baby steps” toward better health.  I thought these four steps might be helpful. Some of you said that cutting back on sugar and certain other carbs is tough.

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Biggest donuts I’ve ever seen: Bakery in Madrid

I battle the sugar demon on a daily basis, so I get it. We’re not in total control of our fate; but if we were, wouldn’t you choose health over sickness?

We have control over what we put into our bodies.

Let’s get started:

I. Shop the grocery store’s perimeter for colorful, local, seasonal, and organic produce.

You have control over this.

The perimeter — or areas against or near the walls — is where you find meats, fish, dairy, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. This setup is used by both mega-grocers and organic grocers.  You don’t even need to buy all organic produce.  Find the list of pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables, known as the “Dirty Dozen,” here.

Farmer’s markets, community gardens, and community-supported agriculture (CSA) subscriptions are great sources for diverse, colorful, and local produce.

Community garden in downtown Detroit

Community garden in downtown Detroit

What does it mean to buy local produce? The theory — and it makes sense — is that local produce may be higher in nutrients because it doesn’t travel far or spend time in a warehouse; meaning less time between harvest and when it comes home with you. It is likely to be seasonal. For instance, summer is the season for stone fruits, like peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries. You can still find pears and apples in some grocery stores, but they are probably not sourced locally. Their season is really fall and winter. Believe me, fruits eaten in their season even taste better.

(Speaking of what’s in season and where it came from, I bought an “unseasonal” butternut squash from Mexico in July. I really, really wanted  some butternut squash.)

II.  Be Discriminating! Read labels on packaging. 

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You have control over this.

Fats – Eating fat doesn’t make you fat. The right type of fat is, in fact, good for you. Check listed ingredients and avoid partially hydrogenated fats. Best fats are olive oil and coconut oil. I avoid products that list two or three different oils that might be in the product. Every time I eat a snack or meal, I make sure it has some good fat, along with protein and fiber. (Examples: nuts and 70% or higher dark chocolate.)

Sodium –  Good practices:  be aware of sodium content and taste food before reaching for salt. High blood pressure can lead to a lifetime of meds. Who wants that?

Restaurant meals, canned foods, soy sauce, miso, and cheese can be high in sodium. Bragg’s Amino Acids can substitute for soy sauce in stir-fries because it has a lower sodium content and it’s gluten-free.  At restaurants, you could ask for low-sodium entrees — that’s probably no fun — or ask the chef to dial down the salt.

Sugar –  Check for two specific things: the type of sugar in the listed ingredients; and the amount of sugar grams. Avoid a product that lists high fructose corn syrup, that being The Worst.  If food at home is sweetened with it, dump it. As for number of sugar grams, try to stay below double digits.

Yogurt is generally considered healthy. But, consider: a) the quality of the milk; b) the sugars already in milk; c) added sugar; and d) sugar in added fruit. All these things ratchet up the sugar grams. I think added sugar in yogurt defeats the beneficial value. You can retrain your taste buds for plain yogurt, which is supposed to be sour, anyway — and blend it with sweet, fresh fruit.

The Ingredients List – If you can’t pronounce the ingredient or don’t know what it’s doing in the product, leave it at the grocery store. Avoid products with coloring and flavoring ingredients. When I see words like “natural flavors,” I’m wondering, what the hell does that mean?  Answer:  lab work.

[Note: Local produce might not be certified organic or farmed according to organic and sustainable practices. Sometimes there’s a tradeoff.]

III.   Avoid Fast Food Restaurant Chains. If You Don’t, They Win — You Lose (with a notable exception)

You have control over this.

Be skeptical about food that is sold so cheaply and mass-produced.

Some great news here:  CHIPOTLE.

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Check out Chipotle’s philosophy.  The restaurant tries to source local and fair produce. (“Fair” means the agriculture workers are treated right with decent wages.) My sister, Cheryl, eats at Chipotle often and confirmed this: Chipotle won’t offer an item on the menu if it can’t find a good source for it.  I love that the company puts itself out there with its philosophy. Is that integrity, or what?! Clean Plates — a service that lists restaurants that provide sustainable and healthy food — endorses Chipotle, too!

Food for thought:  Convenience foods are about time management. Work on that concept and you might not need to stop at a drive-thru window.

IV. Cut out soda. Period.

You have control over this.

Here’s the real skinny on “diet” sodas:  they don’t help you lose weight. In fact, you may head in the opposite direction. Regular sodas have 65-77 grams of sugar in a 20 ounce bottle; and some are sweetened with corn syrup. There’s no good news on the soda front.

Learn to love water and drink it liberally. If you need flavored water, you can infuse filtered water with real fruit and save money while you’re at it.

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Sparkling mineral water – better for you than soda (or, pop, as we call it in the Midwest).

These four steps will make you more mindful of what you eat and what you might crave. Do you think these four tweaks to your eating habits could make you healthier? You’re not powerless; you have more control than you think. What are you willing to do?

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To Detox or Not Detox?

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I’m on a mission.

I have one little lingering issue from surviving estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.  I didn’t take a drug my oncologist prescribed seven years ago. The drug basically blocks estrogen production in the body.  Every year I see the doctor, she still asks if I’ll take the drug, which is now supposed to be effective for 10 years. Nope, I say. At the 10 year mark, I’d be on my own, anyway.  I decided to reinforce and tweak my eating habits instead.

I’m on a mission to take my health to another level.

So, why tweak eating habits that have already made me lean? Because I still craved sweets; I had become more agitated and stressed; and sometimes didn’t sleep well. I’ve read a ton of information to figure out which way to go because I’m not a candidate for certain prescription drugs.

I learned there are different types of estrogen and not all are bad. In my oncologist’s view, estrogen is my enemy. Period. But, I think it depends on how it’s metabolized in the body. I decided to go a natural route and balance my hormones through diet and by removing man-made substances in my environment that could disrupt that balance. It sure couldn’t hurt to try.

At the beginning of the year, I signed up for a three-week hormone-balancing detox and seminar offered on this website. The seminar was right on time and what I had been looking for. I liked the instructor’s credentials, her focus on functional medicine, and her own wake-up call that started with her husband’s health crisis. (I also think she favors the Paleo diet.)

The seminar included a few hour-long lectures, a community board for Q&A with the experts, and support during the detox, and recipes. She explained the endocrine system in layman’s terms. There’s a lot of information out there about certain foods and chemicals that can disrupt this system. The endocrine system plays a vital role in whether you develop diabetes or another hormone-related disorder.

Some people debunk the whole notion of detox. They say:

  • There’s no such thing as a food “toxin” because “toxins” are a classification of defined substances, like botulin.
  • Sugar is not a toxin.
  • The liver doesn’t need to be “rested.”
  • Detox supplements are gimmicks; and peddlers of detox services are quacks.

Those arguments don’t get to the reason behind why people may need a detox. They don’t address  the collective adverse effects to our bodies of  highly processed foods, refined sugars, and the abundance of chemicals in our environment.  I agree that the wellness industry has its share of quacks and bad products. But, let’s face it — they’ve successfully played in the wellness market because if we only needed a “magic pill” to make us healthier, we would take it.

It seems to me that we are either absorbing or ingesting substances that are working at cross-purposes with our health. Diabetes is rampant in the U.S., as well as some other parts of the world. Our bodies are letting us know something’s not right. We need to pay attention.

I learned some things that were brand new to me. During the three-week detox, we were asked to eliminate some foods that are Paleo-acceptable, like eggs and fatty meats (like beef and lamb). Dietary suggestions seemed to follow the Paleo diet protocol, but were also very vegan-friendly. Recipes and menus came with the seminar — some of which I liked, and others not so much.  I also did my own thing in the kitchen within the provided guidelines.

Blueberry scones (gluten-free); sweetened with coconut nectar

Blueberry scones made with almond flour (gluten-free); sweetened with coconut nectar

Here’s what I got out of  the three-week detox program:

  • Better ideas for snacks
  • Good information about plastic and food: replacing plastic storage containers for glass, and plastic spatulas and spoons for bamboo or wood
  • High cost of a Paleo-centered pantry
  • Switching to a variety of coconut products and sweeteners; not buying so-called healthy snack foods
  • Smarter grocery-shopping with a list; and less food waste
  • Understanding which foods can spike blood sugar, like dairy (and oatmeal); substituting dairy with unflavored almond milk
  • Passion flower herbal supplement for calming the nervous system
  • Flaxseed meal and tempeh —  estrogenic, but not necessarily bad
  • Magnesium and vitamin B supplements — additional support to the body
  • Wine (sigh) is not necessarily my friend. (I drink it on fewer occasions now.)
  • Sleep — very important
  • Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, arugula, bok choy, and kale
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Red kale

I participated in this online seminar along with 200+ other folk, each of whom had their own concerns about the effect of hormone imbalance on their health. All in all, I’m glad I did this hormone-balancing detox. It was my first step this year on my very personal mission to resolve that last lingering little well-being issue.

What do you think of a diet-based detox?

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