Mindful Eats

Health Tests: Know Your Numbers

The tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. ~Benjamin Mays

Hi gorgeous! MindfulEats is beyond thrilled that you are becoming even more radiant and healthy. How healthy are you? Having a health baseline helps you figure out what you need to do, and it helps you set goals. When's the last time you went to the doctor or had your numbers checked? 

Get your numbers checked: weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose. Having a mind-body connection is important, but your numbers provide a health snapshot of a moment in time. They are not the sum of who you are - it's just a picture of where you are now, and they can get better or worse.

I started eating healthier 4 years ago after I went to a health fair at work. My cholesterol reading was 194, which is close to the borderline of 200. That's when I decided to improve my diet.

Don't be scared of your numbers, even if you suspect they are bad. Having "bad" numbers will make your improvements even more impressive! After I worked on my diet my cholesterol got better, but it climbed back up to 195 this May when I ate excessive amounts of dairy. 

We had a health fair at work again this past week, and I expected my cholesterol to be terrible since I had started eating meat. Instead, it was 166 - the lowest it had ever been. (Maybe it's the meat or eating breakfast). The point is, don't be scared. You don't know what the results will be, and they will be a great guide.

Sorry the picture is sideways. Flip your head - tests are in the left column, and normal values are in the right column.

What to do - Check Your Numbers

1. Get a blood work-up. If you have insurance, call your doctor to get a checkup today. If you don't go, you are wasting this benefit - you're paying all those premiums for nothing. If you don't have insurance, you can take advantage of health fairs. Check your community center or local health clinic - they will have them on occasion. You can also check your religious center (church, temple, synagogue), or work. If there isn't a fair, ask your clinic if they provide the service.
2. Look at your numbers. The picture above shows the numbers you should focus on. Look at the left column to identify the test, and look at the column on the right to see what the desirable levels are. Ask your doctor/counselor to explain your results to you. In general:  
   • Cholesterol is a fatty material found in all people. We need it to function, but too much of some cholesterol can cause problems. 
     • High Density cholesterol (HDL) is "good cholesterol." We often think of cholesterol as bad, but HDL is good - it protects the heart. The more of this the better.
     • Low Density cholesterol (LDL) is "bad cholesterol." This can lead to blocked arteries, heart disease and heart attacks, uh oh.
     • Total cholesterol are all the cholesterols together.
     • Total Cholesterol:HDL ratio - this is another way of calculating your cholesterol levels. The lower this ratio is the better.
   • Triglycerides are another fatty material - too much of this can lead to blocked arteries and heart attacks. Another uh-oh.
   • Glucose measures the sugar in your blood. Too much can indicate pre-diabetes or diabetes. 
   • Blood Pressure measures how much pressure your heart is putting on your circulatory system when it's pumping and when it's at rest. Too much pressure is tough on your system. You don't want to blow a gasket! When it's high, you have hypertension.
   • BMI is a weight to height calculation. You don't want to be too thin or too fat. These conditions will lead to other health problems.
3. Keep a log of your numbers. Use whatever system works for you. Handwrite them on a sheet of paper with the date at the top, then write your new numbers and the date in the next time you get your numbers. Keep a spreadsheet, or put your numbers in a file.
4. Look at your numbers and set some goals. Want to lower your cholesterol or glucose? Want to decrease your BMI? Want to keep everything the same? Awesome. Understand your goals and work toward them! 
5. Schedule an appointment for your next set of numbers. Look at those numbers to see how they compare to last time and your goal. Then put the new numbers in your log. 

   Knowing your numbers is an important tool for getting healthier. Don't be disappointed if they aren't as perfect as you want them to be. Stick to your eating and exercise plan, and they will get better. Promise. It's about getting better and improving your batting average, not about being perfect.

   What I ate: 50 oz. Gatorade, 1 banana, Yogi cereal + milk, 1 hard boiled egg, 2 plain Gus (not real food, but it works for me during a run), 30 oz. water, 2 lattes, mentai rice ball, lobster sushi, dried mango slices, macadamia nuts, almonds, eggplant + tomatoes + zucchini + Israeli couscous

   Exercise: Ran 20 miles

Sigg Aluminum Water Bottles and BPA

Lying is done with words and also with silence. ~Adrienne Rich

Many of you have stopped using plastic water bottles and food containers since you are worried about the health implications of chemicals leaching from plastic. The most popular post on MindfulEats is about steel vs. aluminum water bottles. We came down on the side of steel water bottles since they don't require a lining.

Especially a "secret lining". Even though we like the designs of the Sigg water bottles, we couldn't get over the "secret" ingredients they used. Why have a secret at all? It just didn't add up. Well, earlier this month, Sigg admitted that BPA exists in the lining of the bottles manufactured before August 2008.

People are outraged! Sigg maintains that the BPA in their liner was tiny, and all testing has shown that there is no leaching. Their new liners are BPA-free. If you are really concerned, Sigg will exchange your bottle for a new one by October 31, 2009 (but you pay for shipping).

No matter what, we still recommend using high-quality, unlined stainless steel or glass:

• Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles (loop top or sports top) 
• Klean Kanteen sippy bottles for the kids
• Dr. Brown's glass bottles for babies. Glass is heavier, so these are small 3.5 oz. sizes

Want to read more about the Sigg controversy?

• Apology from Sigg CEOs
• Simran Sethi guiltfest. Apparently Sigg is one of the only products she recommended - on Oprah no less! We're not sure who she is or why she is recommending products when she doesn't know what's in them, but she appears on Oprah and Martha Stewart so you'd think she knows something.

What to do

1. If you don't own an aluminum water bottle and are still using plastic, see above for recommended products. Also read these posts on water bottles and plastics.
2. If you have a Sigg aluminum water bottle that was manufactured before August 2008, you have BPA in your liner. Don't panic! Sigg says that all the testing has demonstrated there is 0% leaching. You are probably fine, but if you want to participate in their exchange program, go here. Just do it before 10/31/09. We still recommend you get a stainless steel bottle.
3. In the future, use common sense. If you ask someone a question, and they won't give you an answer, be suspicious. Or just ask us at MindfulEats. :)

What I ate: Fage Greek yogurt + 1 tblsp Sarabeth's strawberry + peach jam, macadamia nuts, 16 oz. cafe au lait, 2 bananas, 6 squares dark chocolate, rotisserie chicken + brown rice + roasted asparagus, 1 nectarine, sauteed squash, whole wheat spaghetti + Rao's sauce, kettle corn, water

Exercise: None

How to Know When You're Healthy: Develop a Mind-Body Connection

This unicyclist at the NYC Dance Parade feels great!

Character is the result of two things: mental attitude and the way we spend our time. ~Elbert Hubble

You want to be healthier. Yay! We want you to be healthier. But what does healthier mean? How will you know when you are?

There are certain physical measures you can look at like cholesterol and glucose levels, weight lost, or number of workouts per week. These are all good, but not necessarily readily available. One indicator that you can always check in on is how you feel. Develop a mind-body connection, and you can check yourself at any time - you don't need to find a scale or have your blood drawn. You can even do it right now while you're reading this.

Think of a time when you felt fabulous (altered states of consciousness don't count). Maybe it's right now. How did you feel? Energetic, engaged, on top of it, smart?

It's important to be mindful of your mind-body connection (sounds New Agey, but it's true). The healthier you are, the better your body feels, and the better you feel. 

A mind-body connection comes naturally to some people while others have to develop it. Personally, I've only recently started to develop one. I used to push myself to the limit and as a result, I'd fall asleep wherever I was. Sometimes I would walk in my door and fall asleep on the carpet (not being able to make it to bed). After a close friend told me that this was abnormal, I started noticing where my physical limits were. This has been great for me since I feel noticeably better as I add healthy habits, and I'm more on top of it than not. It's also good for those around me since they don't have to deal with the fall-out of my being unaware. Once, in college, I went to Hong Kong with my cousin, and tried to fit everything in by getting minimal sleep. I also tried to save money by eating minimal food. This seemed like a great plan until I collapsed on the Star Ferry which scared us both. Not fun.

Be mindful of how you feel, and you will reap the reward as you get healthier.

What to do - Develop your Mind-Body Connection

1. Remember a time when you felt great. How did that feel? What was your energy level like? Your clarity? How engaged with your surroundings were you?
2. Focus your attention on yourself right now, and be mindful of how you feel - energy level, mood, awareness. Are you fully engaged?
3. Check in with yourself regularly - after exercise, after eating, anytime. How do you feel? How is it related to your habits? The beautiful thing is that you can always improve how you feel by following the Mindful Eats Map. If you feel sluggish and bad, make a note of what caused it.
4. If you can't tell how you feel, stick with it. Keep trying and checking in with yourself. You'll start to develop your awareness.
5. Try exercises that actively develop a mind-body connection. Meditation, yoga and qi gong help.

What I ate: hardboiled egg, Barbara's Bakery Puffin cereal + strawberries + milk, 24 oz. Gatorade, spaghetti + squash + goat cheese, latte, Fage Greek yogurt + strawberries, rotisserie chicken, ingari, Pirate's Booty, Ike & Sam's kettle corn, Bar Breton: foie gras, warm green bean salad, crab and parmesan crepe, spinach + goat cheese crepe, lemon + sugar crepe, chai, cider, 70 oz. water

Exercise: ran 20 miles (last few weeks before NYC marathon)

Mission Accomplished: Eating Breakfast

Weekday breakfast: latte, plain yogurt +ground flaxseeds +strawberries, When Pigs fly whole wheat bread +butter, hard-boiled egg

Victory belongs to the most persevering. ~Napoleon

I did it! I ate breakfast for the last four months. Mornings are a huge rush for me - I work out, read the papers, do last minute cleaning and run out the door for work. The only breakfast I had was coffee at my desk. If you're sheparding kids to school, it's even more chaotic!

Writing on the importance of breakfast prompted me to commit to eating it. All the research indicates it supercharges your day. I'm not sure that breakfast supercharges my day (I'm also not sure it doesn't), but it definitely made a positive difference:

• It saves time: I used to snack desperately during the morning before lunch, and I'd start snacking ravenously again at 3pm for a couple hours. Looking for all that food took a lot of time! Now I only need one morning snack and one afternoon snack.
• I eat less. The volume of snacking went down, and also the amount I eat for lunch and dinner. It probably has something to do with evening out glucose levels. This also helps if you are trying to lose weight.

It makes enough of a difference that I'm going to keep eating it. Since I'm always running late in the morning, the key to breakfast is having easy breakfast food around. Protein keeps me fuller longer, so I make an effort to include it. I try to stock my refrigerator with the below list, and start the day with 1-2 of the items:

• Tub of plain yogurt: Spoon out a bowl and add flax seeds and fruit (or a tablespoon of jam if you're in a hurry)
• Cottage cheese: same as the yogurt
• Sugarfree cereal + milk: Barbara's Bakery or Kashi are great
• Hardboiled eggs: these travel well if you have to dash
• Whole wheat bread: this also travels with you
• Fruit
• Nuts

For all you non-breakfast eaters, try it for a few weeks and see what you think.

What to do: Eat Breakfast

1. Read the post on breakfast
2. Figure out what easy breakfast foods work for you, and stock up on them. 
3. Eat breakfast daily, and see if it makes a difference for you

Of course, lingering over breakfast/brunch is an occasional treat. My friend Jon is in Ireland, and he sent in a picture of his recent Irish breakfast. The eggs and the beans are healthy, but we wouldn't recommend this as a regular occurrance (unless you're a professional athlete or do a lot of manual labor). 

Ingredients: free range eggs, rashers, sausages, black (blood) pudding, white pudding, potato bread, toast, and thimble of orange juice.

What I ate: yogurt + ground flaxseeds + strawberries, latte, 2 hard boiled eggs, brown rice + seaweed, cajun fries (Labor Day celebration), Pirates Booty, Mindful Mix, 1 black plum, chicken, salmon, fava beans, Greek yogurt + strawberries, 1 peach, 12 oz. kefir, milk, water

Exercise: easy 5 mile run, a little lifting (very little)

Raw Peach, Tomato and Basil Salsa

Preparing fruit salsa with NYC Greenmarkets at Stanton Street fair

Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring and because it has fresh peaches in it. ~Thomas Walker

Late August is almost always sticky and hot, so I rarely actually cook. NYC Greenmarkets asked me if I wanted to do a cooking demo with them, and the heat made me pause. But we didn't really cook - we prepared a fruit salsa. The most common comments that I heard about the salsa from the people that tried it were: "This is really fresh!" and "Delicious!" One young man kept coming back for more samples, and he eventually brought over a slice of cheese pizza to sprinkle the salsa over. Creative.

I was skeptical of the recipe at first, but those comments were right on. The salsa was incredibly easy to make - we made the whole thing from start to finish right on the street - and it captured the succulence of summer. You can use any stone fruit, but peaches are currently in season, as are tomatoes. The peaches we used were seconds (they're cheaper). They might not be picture perfect, but they are just as delicious and perfect in recipes like this salsa!

Peach, Tomato and Basil Salsa

Adapted from Rose Water Cafe (in Brooklyn)

Serves 3

2-3 ripe (or overripe) peaches 
1 large ripe tomato
1 bunch of basil
1/4 red onion
1 lemon
Salt and pepper

1. Dice the peaches, tomato and garlic.
2. Shred or slice the basil into small pieces. Discard the stems or save for your vegetable juice (or compost).
3. Combine all ingredients into a bowl. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over salsa, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy your supereasy treat. Your guests will think you're brilliant! (Well, you are - you served this, didn't you?)

What I ate: 1 slice When Pigs Fly whole wheat bread + butter, 10 oz. kefir, 2 cups coffee + milk, pineapple + watermelon + blueberries + cottage cheese, spinach salad + roasted brussell sprouts + blue cheese + pesto pasta + green beans + grape tomatoes + cucumbers + parmesan cheese, macadamia nuts, quinoa, tempeh + spinach + broccoli + mushroom stir-fry, 1 black plum, hot chocolate, 50 oz. water

Exercise: Ran 5 miles