Food and Meat Production

I showed two films to my health students this semester: Food Inc, and Fast Food Nation-- well not the entire film FFN because it is R-rated but I showed them enough that they can see that in fact animals have to die in order for us to have a McMeal, and also that the food supply is not safe.                                                                                                                                                     Food Inc teaches us in a documentary format that feeding cattle corn (subsidized by the US government) is a way to produce e-coli in cattle, and that deadly bacteria makes it's way into the meat.                                                                                                                                                                                     Eating lower on the food chain is just that. Eating more veggies, grains, and fruits. It's cheaper, lower in fat, and far better for the planet since feeding a cow takes a tremendous amount of freshwater and land in which to grow that precious corn which they eat.

Thinking BEFORE Eating!

True Confessions

I am a big late night eater. Like eating just before bed. I am better than I use to be though. Now I am only eating 2-3 times a week before bed. It use to be something like 9x a week. I wish I could say it was bananas, mango, kiwi late at night but it's generally one of the sinful foods... chips, ice cream, crack-lite, etc.

So the other day it's about 10:15 pm and I go down to the kitchen and I grab a bag of salty banana chips from Trader Joes. I take the bag and sit down and start reading the newspaper. Just as I am about to start eating/reading, I STOP and take out maybe 5-6 and then put the rest of the bag on the counter about 6 feet away.

Guess what happened? I read for ten or so minutes while eating the chips, and then saw the bag on the counter, gauged my hunger (gone) and put the bag away and went to bed!

This was shocking to me because generally I would just read and MINDLESSLY eaten almost the whole bag. Yet, this BAD HABIT was broken (at least for now), but it takes planning and THINKING for it to occur.

So instead of late night reading/eating, are you eating while watching late night TV or texting? It's okay to be hungry at night or in the afternoon but we would be better served if we take a small amount and put it in a bowl, PUT the original package away, and then EAT - instead of mindlessly or habitually OVEREATING straight from the bag! Hey if this OLD DOG can still learn a new trick maybe so can you!

Zumba... super cool, super fit!

About two years ago my wife came back from her first Zumba class.  "How was it", I asked.  She smiled and said, " I ran out of water and my legs hurt."

She loved it.  And what's not to love.

The first link below is a WHYTE GURL shakin it to Rude Boy... Would love to do that thing with my hands.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHOOHWFPAlY

and here is a more vigorous Zumba workout... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT3TBOb_oz0&feature=related

So what are you waiting for?  Look around, there are classes everywhere.  My wife does it through the local community ed.  Your community, or "the Y" probably does too.

How's that EXTRA CREDIT coming along?

I haven't heard from a single one of you!! Any questions? Any success yet? Let me know! E-mail me at pschroed@lausd.net . thanks, gracias, danka, arigato, tak, merci....

Buns of Steel?

That title (above) comes from a line of exercise videos in the 1980's as people wanted tight and toned rear ends. SPOT REDUCING it's called. It is harder to do that than you would think. Take a person who is 30-40 pounds overweight. They can do the BUNS OF STEEL exercises all they want but until they lose 20+ pounds you won't be able to see it. The good thing is of course while they are doing ANY EXERCISE at all, it will help them lose weight.

Okay you skinny people out there with NO weight to lose. Are you still pleased with you shape or could you be more TONED? There are skinny people out there with cellulite! Really! (don't believe me, Google on Misha Barton cellulite) Of course there are more overweight people with cellulite but skinny doesn't always mean good. EVERYONE can and should exercise more... because regardless of your thighs or butt, exercise is good for your STRESS levels, and GREAT for your heart and blood vessels. Plus, if you find an exercise you like to do (maybe with a friend, or while watching TV) it's also a FUN way to spend 20-30+ minutes. So what are you waiting for? Get out there!!!

Sweating In Spring!

Everybody sweats in July in Los Angeles. It's so hot! But how about now, with the weather moderate, low 70's. This post is going to be an ENCOURAGEMENT TO EXERCISE!!! Pick something that's fun, in an effort to lose weight, or tone up those flabby arms, thighs, or ____________.

It doesn't have to be a sport like basketball, soccer or running. But it could be. What about dance? If you danced for 30 minutes non-stop, even on a cool day you would be sweating for sure. And fun, oh yeah!

So let's start shakin it-- yeah, your booty, whether it be on the soccer field, basketball court, or in your living room. C'mon, ya know you want to.

The Importance of FIBER

Fiber is the new Happy Meal #99 -- there aren't really that many I hope! None of the articles on the web are that attractive--- I favor BULLET POINTS for easy readability, but here is one that isn't too bad - http://www.fiberweightloss.org/soluble-fiber-boosts-weight-loss-says-study/#more-15weight-loss-says-study/#more-15

Basically read the last paragraph just before NO COMMENTS to get the results. Also, if you read earlier in the article, it reports the study group lost 4.4 kg of fat (that's almost 9 lbs), versus a control group that had a placebo.

I could get technical here, and I will a bit when we return to health class in May, but for now remember eating FIBER HELPS WITH WEIGHT LOSS and IT ALSO HELPS KEEP YOUR COLON (intestines) HEALTHY and may also CUT YOUR RISK OF BREAST CANCER!!!!

As you read, you will notice that articles about fiber breaks things into 2 groups... Soluble and INsoluble. And here is an article-- (with LOTS OF BULLET POINTS!!!) -- about the two types.

http://www.healthcastle.com/fiber-solubleinsoluble.shtml You read that and think - that's a lot to remember! Yes it is. And if you quizzed me on the two I would probably fail. So what to do? Just remember to eat more APPLES, oranges, MANGOS, strawberries, BLUEBERRIES, and whole grain oats, beans, and lots of veggies. Then don't sweat it, leave your sweatin to the gym or if you're like me, THE GREAT OUTDOORS IS YOUR GYM!