Why fiber is good for us

Today my wife asked me why fiber was important for one's diet. I thought I'd do some researching on the Internet and see if I could come up with an answer. Under my explanations you'll find my sources.

1. Fiber acts like a "colon scrub," clearing out bacteria and buildup, and as a direct result helps prevents colon cancer.
2. Fiber helps us to avoid overeating. It does this by slowing down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, preventing glucose (sugar) spikes in the blood. Glucose spikes are bad because they fall off quickly and then cause us to feel hungry.
3. Fiber also helps us avoid overeating by moving food more quickly through the intestines, which is a signal to the body that we are full.
4. Studies have indicated that fiber helps prevent diabetes and heart disease. It can help prevent heart disease by lowering the blood levels of C-reactive protein. High levels of C-reactive protein is an indicator of increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
5. People with high fiber - low fat diets are more likely to have a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI).
6. Fiber might contribute to lower build up of cholesterol filled plaque in arteries.
7. Fiber seems to lower bad cholesterol in the blood.
8. Fiber works against constipation.

Good Internet sources:
Why fiber is so good for you (University of California - San Francisco Children's Hospital)
Fiber good, and not just for you gut (Web MD)
Why you need more fiber (Medicine. net)
Fiber helps kill bad cells (Augusta Chonicle.net)

Listening to our bodies

A few blog posts ago I wrote on avoiding injury when exercising and offered some of my own tips. I happened to read an interesting article on a NY Times blog ("That Little Voice Inside that Twinge", by Gina Kolata) that speaks to the difficulty of "listening to your body." I thought it was pretty good and so posted it here.

My only real concern with the article involves its exclusive focus on long-distance running and marathon running. At the risk of annoying my many marathon-running friends, I wonder if long-distance running is more prone than other exercise routines to causing short-term and long-term injury. Not that people shouldn't run long-distance or do marathons - I do think people have different motivations and goals. Personally I've avoided running altogether due to worry that it causes knee problems and because there are healthy alternatives.

Table sugar is now healthy for us???

This blog post by Monica Reinagel, M.S., LD/N, highlights what Michael Pollan reported on Democracy Now! (see previous blog post): companies are switching from using high fructose corn syrup to cane sugar and then marketing plain old sugar as healthy. This was mentioned by Pollan as evidence that, as a guiding principle, we should not buy what is advertised as healthy.

Michael Pollan

I've referenced Michael Pollan a few times in recent blog posts, in reference to his rule that we don't eat foods that are advertised as healthy. I wanted to embed the video interview of him with Amy Goodman, but had some technical problems in trying to do it. Here is a link to that video.

A bread that has turned me into a believer - In healthy bread, that is

Today all the rage is whole grain bread. A few years ago I first read about importance of eating whole grains in the book that popularized the South Beach diet, and soon after, I was surprised to see that every food company out there was touting its food as whole grain - from Cheerios to Captain Crunch. Of course I suspected foul play. Sure enough, a food expert I trust, Michael Pollen, says that the vast majority of these claims are bogus. All it takes is to throw in a few grains, or sprinkle some whole grains on top of a loaf of bread, for the food to qualify as whole grain. Apparently, like everything in capitalist America, the industry isn't regulated. As Michael Pollen says, to eat healthily, don't eat advertised foods.

Against Pollen's advice, though, I have to make a plug for a bread company whose bread I found in my local health food store and which does make bread that is truly whole grain. The company, Food for Life, and one of its products - Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain - is made from sprouted organic grains and contains absolutely no flour! Being flourless, and therefore unprocessed, this bread is extremely nutritious: extremely high in protein (with all 9 essential amino acids, and 18 in all), low on the glycemic index, and high in fiber. But, I'm sure you are asking, how does it taste? My wife was extremely skeptical on this point, saying that any nutritious bread must taste like cardboard. However, Ezekiel 4:9 is very good tasting, I would say better tasting than popular mainstream breads. And it is available in practically every supermarket; besides our health food stores, I've found it at Schnucks and Kroger's. The only aspect about the bread that leaves me wondering is how it is possible to trademark a biblical verse, and what Christians would think about that!

Diet on the road

My trip to the Chicago Blues Festival is over, and as always after a trip I'm happy to be home! One reason for my good mood is being able to return back to my routine of diet and fitness. As I said before in my previous post, the trip was somewhat of an experiment to see how I would fare on my diet, and in the end, I learned a little on what to do when mostly eating out in restaurants.

My general plan, before setting out, was to stick to salads in chain restaurants when I wouldn't be able to find an independent healthy restaurant. This worked pretty good, I believe. The biggest snafu was ordering a Cobb salad at Panera Bread when I first got to Chicago, realizing upon eating it that it had a very oily vinagrette that undoubtedly packed a good many bad calories. (I should've known that a vinagrette would be a bad choice.) It seems that this happens consistently in corporate stores - the advertisement of healthy choices - when in fact salad dressing or bread choice make it very unhealthy. As consumers, we need to be conscious of what is in the food and what the health claims mean. Subway, in particular, is very guilty of this sort of advertisement. They advertise subs that contain only 290 calories, but they inform eaters in small print that this is there 6 in. sub. Most people in America are lured to a store by the ad alone, thinking an idea like "Subway is healthier," but then might order food that is just as unhealthy as McDonalds or Burger King. All of this reminds me of Michael Pollen's recent rule of thumb: "Don't eat advertised foods."

I did find, however, next to where I was staying at the Chicago Youth Hostel a fantastic health food store called Kramer's Food and Health. This place is a health store with a cafe above it. The cafe serves healthy burritos, excellent salads (I had one with really good asparagus in it), and various vegetable drinks. I chose a beet juice, not knowing what to expect or if I would like it, and I have to say that it was very tasty. I planned to go back but unfortunately the store is closed on Sundays.

So, my verdict is that it is indeed possible to eat healthily and well in restaurants when on the road. This is more true if you plan ahead and probably easier in larger cities with their more diverse restaurant choices. The greatest problem, however, is the periodic temptation that a vacation itself encourages to break your diet. At the Blues Festival, with everyone drinking beer, I did break down the first day of the festival and had myself a number of Bud Lights. At a party I attended, again beer was the breaking point along with some brats. But, honestly, with all the walking and taking of public transport, it is very possible that I lost weight over my vacation weekend.

Eating on the road

Tomorrow I'm heading for Chicago to the Blues Festival and will be eating out for three days. Currently I'm on a fairly strict diet, in what I call weight-loss mode (as opposed to weight gain mode from weight training), and so I need to be especially careful in what I eat. My diet isn't exact; it follows some principles I've gathered from South Beach and nutritionists I have heard speak over the years --- only good carbs (real whole grain, preferably flourless); load of vegetables, at least 5 servings up to 10+; clean protein sources such as beans or white meat such as turkey.

I've found that dieting on the road is no easy task, but there are some strategies I have discovered over the years. First, I'm going to rely upon restaurants that serve salads and vegetables, and then try to supplement those salads with white meat or tofu. Of course salad dressing is out (unless it is vinegar). That is my primary strategy. The other is to look up healthy, perhaps vegetarian, restaurants near where I'm staying. Let's see what I find!

Hypochondria kicks in

Funny that I should start a health blog and immediately have a health problem! Yesterday, or the day before, I noticed a cut on my finger that seemed a little more severe than what I am used to. This morning when I woke up, it looked a little red and puffier than before and hurt a little. Of course the hypochondriac in me kicked in, and immediately I thought about searching the Internet for answers and calling my medical parents - my mom's a nurse and my dad's a retired physician. I can't have an infection now! In just a day I'm heading to Chicago by train for the Chicago Blues Festival!

Health blogs

There is a general directory of health blogs, a consortium of sorts, at healthblogs.org that I considered joining in making this blog. While having health blogs grouped together seems to make sense, I noticed that they seem very strict, and somewhat vaguely so, on what you can and cannot do. That frightened me, especially the warning that any infraction would result in the deletion of your blog from their system. And after just a short review of some of their blogs, there are a few goods ones, but there are quite a few that are undeveloped. Ah, well, I suppose I'll stick with blogger and their terms of service for now and yet check out what they have to offer from time to time.

Choosing a gym

I have found that there are many variables in choosing a gym. After having used 3 in the past 2 years (Los Campeones in Minneapolis, YWCA in Minneapolis, and now Gold's in Bloomington, IL), I have discovered over time what factors are most important for me. I think how these factors get ranked depends upon the individual, but it is still important to reflect upon them. Here is how I have prioritized them:

• Hours of operation - I oftentimes head out to the gym late, arriving sometimes as late as 9 or 9:30. A later closing time is extremely important, then, in keeping my workout schedule consistent.
• Location - Being able to walk or bike to the gym would be ideal for 2 reasons. It could serve as a warm-up and is the most environmentally-friendly choice.
  
• Cleanliness and comfort - Most places are fairly clean; some are very clean. Last time I went looking at gyms, however, I saw a place that was hot, stuffy, and dirty. Needless to say, I didn't choose that gym.
• Equipment - Of course, surveying the equipment and checking to see that Cwhat you need is there is very important.
• Cost - Sometimes cost is a factor. But the difference in cost is usually not that significant.

What are your factors in choosing a gym? Comments are definitely welcome.

Web MD

One health resource I have used from time to time is Web MD, one of a number of sites that have health information. I used this site recently when I experienced extreme back pain, due to an injured muscle, back in February. From my experience with the site, Web MD has a huge collection of articles on every conceivable health issue, and for the content it displays, it has won many awards. Currently, probably because of its advertisement efforts on TV, it is the dominant health site on the web.

Some pluses of the site include its organization of information according to categories (disease, symptom, drug, and health issue), its overall useful layout and appearance, and its use of community forums and personal forums.

Starting out

I'm just starting out on this new blog idea --- that of recording my thoughts and resources surrounding the topic of health and fitness. I've especially gotten into health and fitness in the last couple of years, even though I've always been somewhat health conscious. My dad is a retired physician, and from the experience as a child, I've always had an interest in the way the body works. But, through my twenties, I let my health go, first with some bad habits and lack of exercise, then with overeating in my thirties just as my metabolism started to slow. As you can well guess, I gained a little weight in my mid-section and that was all I needed for motivation! Since then, I've been getting more health conscious with every year.

I hope my collected reflections and resources help you. If you would like to find a specific topic, scan the topics organized under labels (in the sidebar).