Weight...or height?

Is trying to control our country's height just as plausible as trying to control our country's weight? Maybe so.

Economists estimate that excess weight accounts for 9% of the U.S.'s medical spending. And while there's no similar figure for height, it is clear that both obesity and short stature cause similar economic strain [1].

Whatever the reason as to why, higher weight and lower height are associated with chronic disease, low wages, and poor educational attainment. In the US, the shorter you are the higher risk you're at for developing coronary heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Women weighing more than 212 pounds at 5'4" tall are paid up to 9% less for their work, for example. According to survey data collected from over 450,000 adults suggests that male college graduates are, on average, more than an inch taller than men who never finished high school [1].

Is the reshaping of America both a war against fatness and shortness? How can one increase stature?

Height is not only genetic, but nurture and nature-related. Exposure to malnutrition, infectious disease, chronic stress, and poverty can abbreviate children's proper growth and height. Promoting foods which are low in calories and high in micronutrients, such as fruits and vegetables, is one feasible option. Increasing and improving education as a means of decreasing poverty and environmental stress is another. And of course, access to quality health care providers to improve prenatal and postnatal care is imperative [1].

This information is simply food for thought...and a topic that peeked my interest. Or maybe we should just throw everyone on growth hormone and run a blow-out sale on bariatric surgery!!

Kidding.

Yesterday checked out like so...

Breakfast:
1 cup steel cut oats, prepared (2 carbs)
1 Tbsp pumpkin butter (1 carb)
1/2 tsp turbinado (0 carbs)
     Total: 3 carbs

Lunch:
1 slice Buffalo Chicken Lasagna (2 1/2 carbs)
1 2% string cheese (0 carbs)
apple (1 carb)

     Total: 3 1/2 carbs

Snack:
6 ounces fat-free yogurt (1 1/2 carbs)

Dinner:
1 serving Chicken Tamale Casserole (2 1/2 carbs)

     Total: 2 1/2 carbs (low)

Snack:
4 peanut butter crackers (1 carb)

10 more days of being a diabetic...I can DO IT!!!!! Though, I am yet to look up the carbohydrate content of the INCREDIBLE pumpkin spice cappuccino I mixed with Dark Roast coffee this morning. It was worth the splurge though, I swear!!

Gina, CandidRD, is having a great give away on her site. Go here for more information!

[1]. Engber, Daniel. The Fat and Short of It. The New York Times. October 15, 2009.

Hm, is that -really- what I ordered?

When you order this....

...are you disappointed when you get this...?

Are YOU disappointed when your indulgence is sub-par in appearance when compared to your envisioned order?


I'm tellin' ya...advertisement is moooooney in the literal and urban sense of the term. 


The objective: sell, sell, sell.
The result: Chew, swallow, repeat. *Head scratch and guilty eyes*


I have had patients tell me that they've been sitting at home, in for the night, see a commercial advertising xyz fast food item come across the TV screen, and before they know it...they're on their way to go get said xyz fast food item! Voila. Advertisement is MONEY, as in the literal and urban sense of the term.



Growing up, I babysat for a mother who worked in food photography, or "food modeling," as she called it. Just as models aren't naturally primped and primed...nor are burgers or burritos, PEOPLE! And let's just say, this mom was in one heck of a well-paid position and could readily point out the commercials featuring her "models". As I recall, I was paid $8 an hour -- big bucks way back when, ya know. She hit the jackpot in her career, especially with the continual economic return fast food brings to the world, wouldn't you say?



I am a believer in knowledge being power. So maybe, just maybe, with the following knowledge, you can reach deep for the power to just say...NO! 'Cause as you'll see, that burger you see isn't even edible...


How to photograph a (nearly) irresistible burger:
· When shooting a bun with sesame seeds, carefully arrange them with glue and tweezers.
· Use waterproof spray on the surface so it won't get soggy.
· Cook just the outside of the meat and leave the center raw to keep it plump and moist.
· Paint the burger with oil and brown coloring.
· To make grill marks, brand the meat with a hot metal skewer.
· Use paper towels to make a diaper for the meat so no juices leak on the bun.
· Find an attractive lettuce leaf with no brown spots.
· Use only center slices of the best tomato.
· Spray the tomato with a mist of water and glycerin to keep it looking fresh.

And on a completely unrelated note...


A new study out states that stressful times can produce favorable change, negating the "comfort food" theory. Increasing levels of stress and change actually caused people to choose unfamiliar products. It's a really interesting study, read more here.

Yesterday's intake ended up like so:

Breakfast:

1 1/2 cups Cheerios (2 carbs)

1 cup skim milk (1 carb)

QT fat-free cappuccino/coffee (1 carb)

     Total: 4 carbs

Lunch:

Lean Cuisine Shrimp Stir Fry (2 carbs)

small apple (1 carb)

1 wedge Laughing Cow Light (0 carbs)

1 cup Waldorf Salad (1 carb)

     Total: 4 carbs

Snack:

1 pear (1 carb)

1 Vita Brownie (1 carb)

     Total: 2 carbs

Dinner:

2 cups tossed greens (0 carbs)

1 Tbsp Asian Sesame Ginger Dressing (0 carbs)

1 cup whole wheat rotini (3 carbs)

3 ounce chicken breast (0 carbs)

3/4 cup organic marinara sauce (1 carb)

1 ounce mozzarella cheese (0 carbs)

     Total: 4 carbs

Snack:

1 cup skim milk (1 carb)

2 graham cracker squares (1 carb)

     Total: 2 carbs 

Happy weekend to all and to all a Happy Friday night! Go Illini!

P.S. Thanks for the blog idea, Erin...it was fun!

Blog topic request: sleep and diet

Our friend Lena requested a blog topic: sleep and eating. She asked, "How does sleeping tie into what/how you eat? Is there really much of a connection?" Lena, I'm so glad you asked!

Yes! There most definitely is a connection between sleeping and what and how one eats. There has been a lot of recent research focused on sleep and diet/weight/nutrition with the ever expanding obesity epidemic.

What's the deal? There's lots of theories and ideas, let's discuss.

Scientifically speaking, hormones such as leptin, ghrelin, and cortisol can become out of whack with insufficient sleep. Leptin is the hormone playing a central role in fat metabolism; ghrelin is a hormone counterpart to leptin, which stimulates hunger -- increasing before meals and decreasing after meals; cortisol is a hormone commonly referred to as the "stress hormone", which helps the body use sugar (glucose) and fat for energy (metabolism). A lack of sleep triggers a wave of reactions in the body that begins with the hormones mentioned above. This results in the body waking up exhausted and craving fat and carbohydrates, says Dr. Joseph Koninck, director of the University of Ottawa's Sleep Research Laboratory. There is no doubt that the hormones which control appetite are effected by insufficient sleep [1]. So, sleep more!

Basic math would also lead any logical person to the conclusion of less hours awake leads to less hours of eating, and thus, less calories consumed. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Those staying up late to watch TV, catch up on emails, or surf the Internet are more often than not consuming high-calorie foods. When you eat late at night, Dr. Koninck suggests one's sleep is more fragmented due to the body's digestion process. Lack of deep sleep can also cause a drop in the "satiety hormone", leptin. This can cause excessive hunger the following day, even after eating. All the while, ghrelin, the "hunger hormone", is rising...setting one up to overeat [1].

Stanford University connected a lack of sleep to the rise in obesity back in 2004. Their 15-year study of 1,024 volunteers with sleep disorders found that individuals sleeping less than 4 hours a night were 73% more likely to be obese [1]. If you don't have time to sleep, you certainly don't have time to cook or eat properly, right?

Think YOU'RE getting enough sleep? Maybe not!

In 2006, University of Chicago researchers found that while adults may be in bed for 7.5 hours, the average woman slept for 6.7 hours, while men enjoyed a mere 6.1 hours of rest [1].

How much sleep does one need? Follow these steps to find out...

1. Set a bed time. Calculate back 7 1/2 hours from the time you need to get up to figure out what time that bedtime ought to be.

2. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier every day. Make note of what length of sleep leaves you feeling refreshed and awakening without the use of an alarm clock. This is your optimum length of sleep -- likely between 7 1/2 and 9 hours each night.

3. Keep a journal. Track when you go to bed, when you get up, any restless periods, when you ate and exercised before bed, whether or not you napped, and if so, for how long.

4. Keep on this schedule! Your body and waistline will thank you!

Key points to remember:
- exercise 30 minutes daily, but not within a few hours of your bedtime
- keep your bedroom a place for sleep and sexual activity only
- get into a pre-bed routine (i.e. bath, music, reading)
- DO NOT check email, watch TV, or play video games before bed -- it can leave you sleeping restlessly or unable to get to sleep
- cut out caffeine in the afternoon and evening hours
- DO NOT go to bed on a full stomach OR hungry
- use alcohol in moderation, and not as a sleep aid!

I have to say, I may ace this test. Mark and I climb into bed around 9:40 every night. My alarm goes off at 6:22 am, which is when I get up, so long as Lily has a restful sleep, too. Generally, I feel refreshed and ready for the day. While I still require one dose of caffeine and an alarm clock, I think we happily master the sleep routine.

What time is your bedtime? Are you often tired? What gets in your way of getting more sleep?

[1]. Beun, Chown, Julie. Dozing to diet: Sleep as a diet aid works, research shows. Canwest News Service. September 18, 2009.

One RD's take on your failing diet...

Why does your diet fail? Lots of reasons, probably...

Reason 1: You follow the plan that worked for your friend.

There’s not ONE “right” diet…you have to do what works for YOU. Last year a study completed by the New England Journal of Medicine found that when compared, the Mediterranean diet, low-fat diets, and low-card diets all produced weight loss. Some say, "Pass the bread basket!" while others shout, "Give me the MEAT!" -- to each their own, and same goes with their diet.

Reason 2: You eat a small breakfast.

Check THIS out: one study including 94 women showed that eating a larger (610 calories!) breakfast produced more weight loss in women when compared with those consuming a smaller breakfast (290 calories!). How much of a difference, you ask? The big breakfast eaters lose an average of 40 pounds, while the nibblers lost a pathetic 10 pounds! For the record, I completely agree with this one! Bring on the breakfast - yum!

Reason 3: You’re clueless about calorie counting.

Yep, that’s right…they’re calling you out. Did you know that an additional 100 calories each day leads to a weight gain of 10+ pounds a year? That’s a glass of fat-free milk or slice of 2% cheese too much in a day. Ouch! Add on a can of regular pop for an afternoon caffeine jolt, and you can count on an excess 25 pounds a year. Eek! So, write down what you eat by keeping a food log. A 2008 study found that recording your intake can DOUBLE your weight-loss.

Reason 4: You skip meals.

Extending the time between standard meals by 4-5 hours to “save up” for a special occasion can cause you to consume substantially more. And, you’re more likely to choose less healthy options, too. What to do? Eat every 4 hours as to not set yourself up for disaster at your next meal.

Reason 5: You load up on superfoods.

Nuts, avocados, and dried fruits are healthy, right? Yep! But, those are superfoods that are extremely easy to over-indulge in. While they’re PACKED with nutrients, they’re also extremely calorically-dense – it doesn’t take much to get the benefit before you’ve gone over-board! Your body loves the healthy stuff, but losing weight boils down to consuming LESS calories than we need. The body doesn’t care whether the excess calories are coming from fruit or candy – excess calories will lead to excess pounds.

Reason 6: You’re canceling out the benefit of your workouts.

Workout to pig out? Not wise rationalization… unfortunately. We tend to under-estimate our intake while over-estimating the number burned during exercise (Psssst: DO NOT get duped into thinking the elliptical accurately measures the number of calories you burn!). To burn off that 1 slice of 2% cheese we talked about earlier, you would owe the treadmill another mile of running. And with that additional can a pop, an ANOTHER 1 ½-2 miles of running. Walking, biking, and other aerobics will cost you even more time working away. Reward hard work at the gym with something other than food. Manicures, anyone?

Reason 7: You watch what you eat Monday thru Friday only.

Splurges ought to be reasonable and the weekend need not bring your weight loss efforts to an entire 2-day hault. And if you go really over-board, you've undone the results of scheduled, predictable (and probably good!) eating patterns the work week brings. Plan your weekend and act accordingly. A weekend, every weekend, is not a right to binge! (Duly noted. I do love the weekends...)

Reason 8: You don't plan for stress.

Food is not a licensed therapist or source of entertainment -- it's fuel for our bodies. When you're having an emotional moment or a mental uprooting, think about the situation at hand and devise an appropriate means of dealing with the situation. The right response to stressful situations does not involve fast food, refrigerators, or ice cream. Stress happens...learn to cope without using food as an answer. It won't solve your problems, I assure you!

Ansel, Karen. 8 Reasons Your Diet Isn’t Working. Family Circle. August 2009.