Mindful Eats

Paula Deen is a Waste

  Paula Deen photo from the Huffington Post, 1/24/12 

The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. ~William James

Paula Deen's diabetes announcement happened nearly three weeks ago, and she still makes me mad. I have to take a break from our regularly scheduled program for a rant.

We ask very young athletes to be role models and hold them to high standards of behavior. LeBron James was razzed mercilessly when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers at the age of 26 in 2010. Tim Tebow receives intense scrutiny at the age of 25. Tiger Woods. Enough said. These people didn't ask to be famous - they were given amazing athletic ability and worked hard. Should they be role models? I'm not so sure. What about more mature, accidentally famous people like US Airways pilot Chesley Sullenberger who was held up as a role model after he successfully crash landed his plane into the Hudson River without losing a single person? Sully was 58 and never asked for fame. He did his job admirably and held up gracefully as an old-school role model under public pressure.

Paula Deen is a 64 year old fame whore that has just been gifted the opportunity to be an inspiring role model. Without a great deal of discernable talent, she doggedly pursued fame and money by shilling fatty fried food and saturated fats. She achieved her goal. That in itself is admirable.

Then she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and hid it for three years so she could continue flogging fatty foods that are hurtful to diabetics and those susceptible to it. If she were young and didn't know any better, that would be shameful. However, she is a 64 year old grandmother. Elders in society should display wisdom. If they are fame chasers, they should be role models. Paula Deen makes me sick. She did neither. Instead of highlighting healthy lifestyle changes, she chose to highlight a drug (Americans love quick fixes) for cash.

Ms. Deen also denies responsibility for pushing unhealthy recipes by telling Al Roker, "I've always eaten in moderation." Mindful Readers, this is a joke. Her physique belies her. Ms. Deen says that though she always ate in moderation, she is now eating lighter and increasing her exercise. The "increased" physical activity she is adding? She says she is walking with her husband more (up to a mile!) and running after her grandkids now. People, grandparents are supposed to run after their grandkids. If they were too unhealthy to do it before, that is a serious problem. And her diet? She wants to show you can continue enjoying food. Hello? Whole foods in their prime ARE delicious. What is wrong with her? Just in case you wanted to argue 60 year olds can't be in shape, here is a photo of 62 year old Vera Wang from a recent Harper's Bazzar interview, who probably has no problem chasing after her kids.

What could Paula Deen do? I would be awed if she used her diagnosis and her fame to be an inspirational role model. She could determinedly set her pudgy jowls, look her fans in the eyes, and say "Y'all know that I have type 2 diabetes. Being fat, not being active, and eating unhealthy foods for years did not help. Now that I have personally learned about how food, exercise, obesity and disease are interrelated, I am very sorry for the food I have encouraged America to eat in the past. I commit to y'all that I am going to manage my diabetes with a healthier lifestyle. I commit to losing 30 pounds through exercise and diet. Watch and support me on this journey." 

It's not too late, Paula Deen. Prove me wrong. Inspire us. 

Want to learn more?

• Did Paula Den's Diet Cause Her Diabetes?
• The Paula Deen Debacle on Eater

 

What I ate today: 1 grapefruit, 1 pear, latte, 2 slices multigrain toast with butter, 10 Rising Moon Organics wild chantarelle ravioli + Rao's marinara sauce, biriyana rice + tikka masala sauce, saag paneer, macrobiotic noodles, dried squid, spelt berries, haricort verts, shrimp, 1 Crumbs Blackout cupcake, hot chocolate, 45 oz. water

Exercise: jogged 3 miles, 120 situps, 7 pushups, 25 tricep bends, 3 backbends

 

Produce: Dirty Dozen and Clean 15

You cannot build a better world without improving individuals. ~Marie Curie

You know how sometimes you have seemingly opposing goals like 1) you want to lose weight AND 2) eat delicious food?  (Okay, I gave that to you as a confidence booster because you already know how to do that. Eat whole unprocessed foods, yum.)  Well, maybe one of your New Year's resolutions is to eat more produce.  So what if you want to 1) eat organic to reduce your chemical intake in the form of pesticides AND 2) you want to be light on your wallet?

Fortunately, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has compiled a list of the "Dirty Dozen" fruits and vegetables with the most pesticide residue, and a list of the "Clean 15" with the least pesticide revenue. You can significantly limit your pesticide intake by avoiding the "Dirty Dozen" and eating the "Clean 15". Likewise you can stretch your dollar by buying the Dirty Dozen organic and the Clean 15 conventional. Now that it's winter, there are several items on the Clean 15 that are seasonal: onions, cabbage, sweet potatoes, grapefruit and mushrooms.

What if you can't buy the Dirty Dozen organic? Just go ahead and eat them. You deserve a gold star for eating unprocessed foods. What if you don't have a budget constraint? Buy everything organic since it's better for our environment not to be depositing chemicals on our soils.

Here's the current list of Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 Foods, but check the EWG database since it is updated.

Dirty Dozen

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines - Imported
7. Grapes - Imported
8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries - Domestic
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/Collard Greens

Clean 15

1. Onions
2. Sweet Corn - there is no required labeling for Genetically Modified Foods, so you may want to purchase this oganically to avoid genetically engineered corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet Peas
7. Mangoes
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe - Domestic
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet Potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms

Want to learn more?

• The Low Down on Organic Food
• What is conventionally grown, industrial food?
• EWG Database

What I ate today: 4T blackstrap molasses, 4T apple cider vinegar, cheese popcorn, caramel popcorn, olive oil popcorn, brown rice, sauteed kale, boiled shrimp, cheese, 1.5 cups coffee + cream, whole wheat spaghetti + bolagnaise sauce + spinach, 1 apple, 30 oz. water

Exercise: jogged 4 miles, 60 situps, 6 pushups

 

All About Eggs and their Benefits

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. ~Abraham Lincoln

Photo Credit: Delish.com

You know what you should have for breakfast? Eggs. You know what you should have as a snack? A hard boiled egg. You should be eating eggs regularly. Yup, you. Unless you have 1) allergies, 2) diet restrictions (e.g. you're vegan), or 3) disease restrictions (e.g. diabetes). Eggs are little powerhouses of goodness - they are a nearly perfect protein and packed with other nutrients. They are also cheap compared to other protein sources. 

Eggs are a nutritional powerhouse. The protein in eggs are such high quality that all other proteins are measured against them. They contain 18 out of the 20 amino acids, and all the essential amino acids (essential means that your body can't synthesize them - they can only come from your diet) which makes them a complete protein. 43% of the protein is in the yolk, while 57% is in the whites. Eggs are also one of the best sources of choline, which is tough to find elsewhere but important for brain health and reduces inflammation. Eggs also contain all vitamins except for Vitamin C (though not necessarily in significant amounts). And what about the common knock of eggs being bad for your cholesterol? Research has not shown a connection between moderate egg consumption (1 per day) and high cholesterol levels. One extra-large egg contains 7g of protein (14% RDA), choline (30% RDA), and only 80 calories.

What are the best eggs? Egg quality is affected by freshness and chicken health. Most eggs consumed in the U.S. are chicken eggs. You want to eat eggs from the healthiest, happiest hens. Makes sense, yes? Factory chickens that are sick, dosed up on antibiotics, can't move (let alone exercise) because they are smushed in a cage with nine others getting pooped on from chickens above them, pooping on chickens below them, and eating only grain are not going to make the best quality eggs. Go to the farmer's market where you can ask the farmer how her chickens live. The best eggs come from hens that can spend their days outdoors, poking around for bugs in grass. These girls produce healthy eggs with more Omega-3's. Chickens weren't meant to be vegetarians! Find a producer you can trust, and buy eggs that were recently laid. They're the tastiest and most nutritious. Eggs are a cheap protein. Pay up for the best ones. You're worth it.

So what do all those labels mean - cage free, pastured, organic? Pretty much nothing. There are no standards, except for certified organic.  The only thing I trust that to mean is that the chickens eat organic grain. The best thing to do is talk to the farmers at the market about the way their hens are raised. Ask if you can visit their farms or see some pictures.

How can one distinguish egg quality? When you have a healthy, fresh egg, you'll notice right away when you try to crack it. Thwack! That egg is hard to crack because the shell is strong. The chicken had adequate calcium to make that egg. She ran around in open air and ate bugs for protein. Then when you open it, the egg stays tight and contained instead of spreading out all over the place. You notice a bright yolk that sits up high above the white. It's trying to say hello. The whites are tight and thick instead of runny, and you can notice the two layers of whites - a tighter white that's surrounded by a paler white. The highest quality are Grade AA, then Grade A and finally B. B and below usually goes to restaurants and food service.

How should eggs be stored? Eggs are porous and can dry out, so they should be stored in your refrigerator. Preferably in the cardboard carton if they are going to be kept for a while.

Are some egg colors better than others? An egg derives its color solely from pigmentation. If they come from a brown hen, the eggs are brown. If they come from a white hen, the eggs are white. Besides color, there are no nutritional differences. Certain breeds of chickens produce different colors - for example, Platine Bleues produce blue eggs, which I personally think are richer. Try different types as you come across them and let me know what you think!

How is an egg made? Eggs begin their journeys inside a hen, and take about 26 hours to be made. Eggs don't need to be fertilized. The hen creates a yolk as part of ovulation, and it is released into her oviduct. If it is going to be fertilized, that is where it happens. In either case, as the yolk travels down the oviduct, a membrane than the whites are created around it. Then at the bottom of the oviduct, the hard calcium shell is created.

Fun fact - most hens lay their eggs in the morning before noon. None are laid after 3pm.

Tip: Want to eat more eggs? Hard boil a dozen and leave them in the refrigerator for a fast breakfast or snack.

Hens confronted by snow - they stayed in

Acknowlegement to Aliza Holtz for a great deal of egg knowledge

What I ate: 2 slices toast + hazelnut butter, 4 clementines, 1 apple, 32 oz. chicken rice soup, 3 green tea mochi ice creams, bacon ranch popcorn, 1 dark Chocalive truffle, sauteed shrimp + brussell sprouts, 1 cup quinoa, 2 squares dark chocolate, 16 oz water + blackstrap molasses + apple cider vinegar,  50 oz. water + Vitamin C

Exercise: jogged 4 miles

 

 

 

Juice Fast/Cleanse Testimonial

Cleanses have been trendy for quite a while now. They can be anything from a juice fast (no food, only juices) to clean eating (no processed food). You can do it yourself, or you can follow a company's instructions. They usually last 3 days or longer. While I've been fascinated by cleanses, I've never actually done one. Fortunately for you, my friend Walter Frye did his second cleanse this summer and blogs about his experience below.

People go on cleanses since they believe they are giving their body "a break" from digesting and allowing it to focus energy on ridding itself of toxins and healing itself. The medical establishment believes that cleanses are unnecessary since your body is built to cleanse and detoxify itself (through your liver, intestines, etc). If the idea of a cleanse interests you, and you want to re-set your attitude toward food, you may want to try a cleanse. MindfulEats does not endorse cleansing, but since different things work for different people, you may want to try it. Just research it first.

So, without further ado, here is Walter's experience:

When I was asked to journal my experience on the 3-day Organic Avenue juice cleanse, I was starving. It was day 3, which was by far the hardest.

I decided to do a cleanse because I wanted to rid my body of all the toxins I've poured in, in the form of gallons of diet coke, fried food, and my other vices. Who am I kidding? I did it to kickstart my summer body and get rid of the last layer of fat stopping me from ab definition. I must say, to that end, this was a success and even though it was very challenging at times, I'd do it again.

For me, the first two days weren't so bad, except for the 2-hour meeting that someone decided to bring freshly baked chocolate chips cookies to -- pure torture. I'll admit, many of the juices were downright gross, but I'd hold my nose, gulp, and feel relatively sated for while.

It's the morning after, and I think the worst part may not be over. I've heard the body takes a while to readjust to food, and the rumblings currently in my stomach give me reason to believe this is true. I'm not so worried about that because I think there will be continued benefit as my appetite is reduced and the idea of eating a french fry or having a soda (usually my idea of a good time) is completely unappealing. We'll see how long that lasts...

What to do - Research Cleanses if Interested

1. Identify your goals. Some commonly stated goals for cleansing are to increase energy, eat more cleanly, jumpstart a change in your diet, etc.
2. Research. There are many different types of cleanses out there - figure out which ones make the most sense. Talk to people that have done it, look at different companies, read some books. As your doctor. Some cleanses are the Master Cleanse, Clean, Blueprint. 
3. If you are still interested, cleanse. Follow the program that you've identified as being the best for you. You can do it yourself and create your own juices/food, which is cheaper (and you know exactly what went into it) or order from a program, which is more convenient. Here's a post on juicing yourself. Let us know how you're experience went!

What I ate: 1 large latte, 1 plum, 1 cantalope, Japanese rice crackers, vegetable stir-fry + Violet Mountain sicky rice, 10 almonds, 5 cheese and crackers, Hawthorne Valley yogurt + strawberries + ground flaxseeds, whole wheat spaghetti + bolognese sauce, 2 tablespoons chocolate ice cream, 45 oz water

Exercise: jogged 4 miles

Eat Whole Foods: Organic OR Conventional

Blueberries, strawberries and cherries

Live each season as it passes; breath the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit and resign yourself to the influences of each. -Henry David Thoreau

Summer harvest is on! There's a bounty of fruit and vegetables in the farmer's markets and grocery stores that isn't available the rest of the year. My stove has gone OFF, except for the occasional wild-caught salmon and hard-boiled eggs.

I find myself getting caught up in looking for local and organic offerings. Earlier in the season I was obsessed with delicious organic blueberries at their peak. Then they disappeared. Blueberries are one of my favorite foods, yet I almost stopped eating them because the most delicious organic ones seemed to disappear earlier in the season. Then I remembered that eating seasonal, fresh food is the best food to be eating. Even if it's not organic. Organically farmed produce is better for the environment, and I'd prefer to eat chemical free food, but sometimes it's just not available. Or sometimes you've lost your job, and you can't quite afford to buy organic food. It's OKAY. Here's your free pass to not feeling guilty (if you do). You're doing the right thing for the health of you and your loved ones by supplying them with fresh whole foods. Conventional fresh food is in a completely superior league to processed foods, even if they are organic processed foods. So keep filling your cart with conventional zucchini, apples and cherries.

And I'll keep eating New Jersey conventional blueberries. I'd rather buy them organic, but well-washed conventional blueberries at the peak of deliciousness are a happy alternative.

Want to learn more?

• What is processed food?
• What is conventionally grown, industrial food?

What I ate: 2 lattes, 1 banana, Hawthorne Valley yogurt + blueberries + strawberries + ground flaxseed, blueberries, donut peach, 4 slices When Pigs Fly multigrain bread with pumpkin seeds, 2 with Jason's Hazelnut spread, 1 avocado, 1 heirloom tomato, 1 handful Herbert's spelt sticks, Cambodian sauteed tofu + broccoli, brown rice, cherries, 16 oz milk, water

Exercise: exercised the puppy - jogged 1.5 miles, walked 4 miles

 

Superfood: Quinoa and its Nutritional Benefits

Cooked and dried quinoa

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet ~James Oppenheim

I distinctly remember the first time I encountered quinoa - it was at the end of a long day hiking the Incan trail up to Macchu Pichu. Melded into a corn soup, it was chewy and delicious, easily the best meal I'd had in days. All the meals were good, but it's the only one that I can actually remember. Since then it's consistently made the "superfoods" list (who makes this list anyway - the same people that maintain the best-dressed list?) because of its high nutrition content.

Famed in ancient Incan times and now the modern, quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) was identified by NASA scientists as one of the most nutritious foods in the plant and animal kingdoms. The Incans considered it sacred and called it the "Mother of All Grains." The first seeds of the season were sown by the Incan Emperor using golden implements. It was so integral to the culture that the Spanish conquistadors forbade its cultivation and scorned it as "food for Indians." Quinoa is often identified as a grain, but it is actually the seeds of a goosefoot (chenopod), so it is closely related to spinach, beets and tumbleweeds. 

So what makes it so nutritious? Quinoa is very high in quality protein. Like eggs, it is a very high-quality protein since it has all nine essential amino acids for adults (the aminos that your body can't produce). One serving (1/2 cup) contains 12% of your daily iron requirements, and it's high in magnesium, riboflavin, fiber and phospohorus. Quinoa is easy to digest and gluten-free for those with gluten issues. It was given to Incan warriors and nursing mothers. NASA is considering it as a crop for long duration manned space flights.

Quinoa comes in two colors -  a traditional beige or red. Nutritionally they are considered equivalent, though you may want to vary the colors according to your dish. A 1/4 cup dry (1/2 cup cooked) serving contains:

• 163-172 calories
• 2.8-3 grams of fat (no saturated fats, trans fats or cholesterol)
• 1-5 mg sodium
• 29-31 grams carbohydrates
• 3-5 grams sugar
• 6 grams proteins

In its natural state quinoa is covered with a sticky coat of saponin, which is difficult to remove. Most commercially sold quinoa has had this layer removed. However, you may still want to soak them (as recommended by Sally Fallon) for 12+ hours in water with 2T of kefir, yogurt, vinegar or lemon juice to remove antinutritive properties.

Quinoa can be used as a substitute for any grain. You can swap it out for rice in a stir-fry or barley in a soup. Get creative. It cooks quickly (15 min), and absorbs 2 cups of water to 1 cup of quinoa.

As quinoa becomes a more popular export crop, The New York Times reported that producers are earning more income, but fewer local people can afford it resulting in greater malnutrition in quinoa-growing areas. Globalization also means that there is also an increasing preference for processed foods such as noodles in South America. Less access to nutritious, locally grown food but higher income for farmers. It's a tough situation, but MindfulEats is on the side of increasing local income.

Want to learn more?

• Comprehensive quinoa overview from World's Healthiest Foods
• New York Times article on impact of global quinoa demand on Bolivia (March 20, 2011)

What I ate: macadamia nuts, City Bakery dark hot chocolate, 2 tangerines, 1 blood orange, Indian Food buffet: spinach paneer, lentils, chick peas, vegetable korma, vegetable tandoori, tikka masala, rice pudding, naan, masala tea, white tea, 24 oz coconut water, 45 oz water 

Exercise: jogged 5.5 miles, 50 min yoga

 

Food Portions and Serving Sizes

 Peppers at a Green Bay Farmer's Market ©Michelle Correa Photography

Your body is the baggage you must carry through life. The more excess the baggage, the shorter the trip. ~Arnold H. Glasgow

I have a colleague that's frustrated with her diet. She started eating healthier, but she still wants to lose 10 pounds. Sometimes that happens. Getting rid of processed foods is a fabulous start for losing weight, but you still need to be mindful of how much food you're eating. Learning serving sizes will also help you keep a better food log, which is key to weight loss.

American portions keep getting supersized. You can blow a whole day's worth of calories on a restaurant meal. If you want to lose weight, you need to know what a proper serving looks like, so check out the MindfulEats Food Portion Chart below (based on this SparkPeople article). It's shocking how much smaller a portion should be than what we're used to.

Just so you know - a serving is the amount that food experts recommend you eat, and a portion is what you actually eat. For example, experts recommend that you eat 6-11 servings of grains per day. So if you don't snack on grains, you may want to eat two servings per meal.

MindfulEats Food Portion Chart

 
 

American PLATES are also getting bigger, which sneaks in more calories. Use a smaller luncheon size plate (9"-10") for your dinner, and fill it with 1/2 veggies, 1/4 whole grains and 1/4 protein. If you need a visual reminder, you can buy a portion-control plate here, or one of the more stylish plates featured on the Today Show.

What to do - Lose Weight through Proper Portions

1. Memorize serving sizes. Or print out the above chart, cut it out, and put it in your wallet for easy referral.
2. Pack away your dinner plates and only use luncheon plates (9"-10"). Make sure your plate is filled with 50% veggie/fruit, 25% whole grains, and 25% protein.
3. Stick to recommended serving sizes. It's great you're eating healthier, but that doesn't mean you can eat massive amounts!
4. Throw away extra food, or wrap it up for later. We're giving you permission not to clean your plates. You didn't ask for that huge portion, did you? Eat a healthy portion and leave the rest, or have it wrapped. You're also probably getting a lot of cookies, chocolates and sweets for the holidays. We give you permission to eat one and throw the rest away (don't worry, they'll never know).
5. Look at what 300-450 calorie meals look like.
6. Check out the Cool Resources page for more ideas.

Want to learn more?

• SparkPeople article on Portion Sizes and Serving Sizes
• Web MD's Portion Tool and Simple Secrets to Portion Control and Healthy Eating
• How to Lose Weight

What I ate: (horrible day of holiday parties) 1/2 c. couscous, 1 small potato pancake, lox, smoked trout, food, mixed nuts, 1 slice ham, shrimp cocktail, lots of cheese and crackers, 1 small crab cake, carrots + hummus, whole wheat spaghetti + egg + spinach, 1 hot chocolate, water

Exercise: 15 min stationary bike, weights

What is Processed Food?

 I made this bread from scratch - is it a processed food? 

Truth never damages a cause that is just. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

So what is processed food anyway? Processed food is any food that has been altered from its natural state. As soon as it is altered (processed) in any way (no longer fresh and raw), it starts to lose nutrients. The more processed, the less nutrients it has. This doesn't mean that you should eat only raw food (that takes a lot of effort and dedication), but it does mean you should focus on eating raw or simply cooked whole foods. 

The chart below describes the spectrum of foods. It goes from the least processed from the top box most processed (and worst) in the red box. You want most of your food to be from the green boxes.

 
The best food is still in its natural, recognizable form. Raw or steamed spinach is good (raw is better since cooking destroys some nutrients). Creamed spinach - not so good. Though cooking does destroy nutrients, it doesn't mean all cooking is bad. Certain things, like tomatoes, actually increase in lycopene (important nutrient for your eyes) when cooked. So don't obsess over cooking.

Wheat does not grow naturally in bread or pasta form. That is always processed, even if it is whole wheat! My cousin questioned whether homemade bread was processed. The answer is yes. Flour is milled, ground up wheat.

What about frozen or canned vegetables? Not bad - just make sure it doesn't have sweeteners, additives or chemicals, it is a fine way to get your vegetables. Back in the day, it was the only way to get any fruit and vegetables during the winter.

Of course, you can't avoid all processed foods. Just try to consistently eat the majority of your food from the green bars and try to avoid the red. Does it seem overwhelming? It's not! You can do it. Start with 50%, then when you are comfortable there, bring it up to 60%. Keep going - you might hit 90-95%.

What to do - Eat Less Processed Food

1. Understand what processed food is. Read the chart above.
2. Eat more whole foods. Stick to the green and yellow boxes.
3. Always read your food labels so you know how processed that food is. 
4. Cook more of your own food. It's healthier, easy, and cheaper.

For more articles on real unprocessed food, go to Food Renegade's Fightback Friday.

What I ate: plain kefir, Barbara's Bakery Shredded Oats + skim milk, 2 squares dark chocolate, walnuts, spinach + mesclun salad + roasted beets + green beans + baked tofu + felafel + Asian noodles + red rice + barley + cucumbers, 1 potato chip, 12 oz. cafe au lait, 12 oz. coffee, 1 madeleine, 3 dried apricots, 1 medium apple, carrots + hummus, whole wheat spaghetti + spinach + Rao's Siciliana sauce + parmesan cheese, 1/4 roasted sweet potato, hot chocolate, white tea, 1 T. Udo's Oil, 1 multivitamin, 60 oz. water

Exercise: 15 min stationary bike, weights

Sustainable Seafood - the Controversy

Panama City Beach, FL

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. ~Mother Teresa

My family hails from an island of fisherman, so I grew up eating seafood. I didn't really think about it, it was just a staple. I ate anything as a kid (except for cilantro and onions, yuck), but at some point, stymied by animal farming practices, I stopped eating meat and relied on seafood and plant sources for protein. At that time, the oceans were teeming, and it was the sustainable choice.

Now that it's become fairly easy to find small production, humanely grown animals, I started eating meat again and cut way back on my seafood consumption. Things have flipped, and its now seafood that has become a thorny, complicated issue. 

Demand for seafood has soared as more people choose it for health benefits and the global population increases. But all this seafood love is unsustainable - our oceans are being killed through overfishing and environmental damage. Mark Bittman wrote a great article on the issues confronting seafood.

Why is seafood so controversial? Catching and eating seafood causes several issues:

1. Catching seafood damages the environment. Most seafood is trawled for or dragged. This means huge nets are weighted down (often to the sea floor), and dragged. This is bad for two reasons: 
   • It hurts the seabed and crushes a living habitat that takes years to regenerate
   • Lots of animals are captured and killed as bycatch - according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 25% of the sea animals accidentally caught are discarded. This includes sea turtles, dolphins, seals and whales. 
2. We are overfishing several popular species of fish, causing fisheries to collapse. This means that we are catching fish faster than they can reproduce. Not good. Populations are getting smaller, and we start catching the fish even younger, which doesn't give them a chance to recover. Once the populations are gone, it's forever. Cod, bluefin tuna, Chilean seabass are examples of overfished populations. Check out our resources page for lists of sustainable seafood.
3. Farmed seafood can be unhealthy and unenvironmental. Just as industrial animal farming produces chemically produced meat, aquaculture often produces weaker, chemical-ridden seafood. Many fish (like salmon) eat other fish, and when they're farmed, thousands are penned into small spaces so they don't get the chance to grow strong as they would in the wild. Antibiotics are used to keep disease down (large numbers breed disease), and tons of fecal matter harms the environment. Sometimes these substandard fish escape and breed with wild fish, lowering the quality of wildlife. When you buy these fish, their meat is usually paler in color so they are injected with dye to make them look more appetizing. Yuck. Shrimp farming is also an ecological disaster. Mangrove forests are cut down to make way for shrimp, and when the area stops being productive, the farm moves to cut down another forest. HOWEVER, some seafood that can be environmentally farmed like mussels, clams, oysters and vegetarian fish like tilapia. 

Our oceans are under direct threat, but you can have a positive impact on our oceans by being mindful about seafood.

What to do: Choose Seafood Mindfully

1. Cut down on your seafood consumption. There are lots of artisan farmers now, so if you have a hankering for flesh, you can choose humanely and happily grown meat.
2. Be mindful and choose sustainable seafood. Our resources page has lists of sustainable seafood. When you find a seafood that is sustainable, ask how it was caught. Trawling or dragging are bad, longlining, hook and line fishing, and trap fishing are better. Buy the fish that is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (Whole Foods now has some MSC-certified fish).
3. Ask questions at your seafood restaurant. Check that the seafood is sustainable and ask about it. Is it wild or farmed?  How was it caught?
4. Replace seafood with easily farmed fish like tilapia or mussels.
5. Are you looking for Omega-3's? Eat walnuts, flaxseeds, eggs, etc.
6. Enjoy the ocean and learn more about it. Go to the beach and catch some waves. Learn to sail or scuba dive. Snorkel. There's a whole world in there, and your kids will love it!

Want to learn more? Check out these articles:

• Mark Bittman, Loving Fish, this Time with the Fish in Mind 
• The Slow Cook on seafood
• Monterey Bay Aquarium on Ocean Issues

What I ate: 14 oz. coconut water, 14 oz. vegetable juice, 1 handful Mindful Mix, Whole Foods plain yogurt + flaxseeds + strawberries + blueberries, 2 handfuls blueberries, 2 handfuls cherries, 1 large latte, cantalope, 2 hardboiled eggs, Thai dinner: Pad See-Ew, fried tilapia, sticky rice

Exercise: ran 6 miles

Omnivorous: Eating Meat Again

Ecofarms pork from Gramercy Tavern 

I'm an omnivore. I started eating meat a couple months ago after 20 years as a pescetarian (a diet that excludes red meat or poultry - though I did cheat with chicken soup when I was sick)

People have all kind of rationale for their personal diets. I stopped eating meat after a trip to Tibet for two reasons:

1. After wandering the markets, I couldn't help but notice the connection the Tibetans had with their food. Meat was recognizably from animals, and all parts were used. Animals weren't industrially raised - they lived in normal environments where they ate grass and wandered. There was a respect for animals that was missing from the way I got meat at home, and since I didn't know any farmers, it seemed easier to abstain.

2. Industrial animal raising takes a toll on the environment (and the animals). Land is devastated from having thousands of animals crammed onto it, and they are fed unnatural diets of corn, soy, and ground meat. As a teenager, I didn't know that much about buying my own meat so I just opted out. The seas weren't as overfished then, so I thought I'd get most of protein from seafood.

As a pescetarian, at one time or other I fell into two bad habits that can trap lazy vegetarians. 1) I ended up on a processed junk food diet (pizza, potato chips and Cheetos) since it's easy and "vegetarian", and 2) I would forget to eat protein and become exhausted. Good vegetarians don't fall into these habits, but if you're lazy, that's what happens! (I like to think I've come a little further since then).

During the years that I stopped eating meat, new trends emerged:

• Seafood became very popular - to the point where it is now unsustainably overfished. Many seafood populations are near collapse, and large mighty fish like swordfish and cod are significantly smaller then they were since they are being caught younger. The sustainability issue is so confusing that I'm now avoiding most seafood. When eating it, I now refer to sustainable seafood resources.
• Traditional, locally grown meat has become more widely available. There are now several meat growers at my farmer's market who raise their animals without chemicals in stress-free environments. This happy trend seems to be fairly widespread, and is becoming even more so.
• I've become more physically active. I ran my first marathon last year, and noticed that training made me more tired than other people. It could be because I'm a wimp, but I prefer my hypothesis is that I wasn't eating enough protein.

So after several months of thinking, I took the plunge and started eating meat. For those of you that are thinking about it, my best advice is to start with small quantities to acclimate your system. The immediate effects for me were a stomach ache for a few days and (squeamish people don't read the rest of this sentence) mild diarrea. These didn't last more than a couple weeks.

As I try to be mindful about incorporating meat into my diet, I have these guiding principles:

• Only clean meat from conscientious farmers. I want my meat to be from ethical farms, where the animals eat their natural foods and roam outside at will. Eating animals that are flooded with stress hormones and chemicals does not appeal to me. Clean meat is more expensive, but I'm worth it (and so are the animals). It also means that I can continue to quiz the waiters at restaurants.
• Reasonable portions. Meat was traditionally used as a side or a flavoring. We don't need as much meat as is available - 4 oz. is enough - and I plan on following a "Mediterranean" type diet. I don't eat meat every day, but I will make an effort for daily protein.
• Locally sourced food. One of the great things about being an omnivore is that I can source more of my diet locally and support the family farmers and restaurants in the area. My diet is more local but wide open, which is exciting. I've found several restaurants that support local, artisan farmers. haven't started cooking meat yet, but I look forward to establishing more of a relationship with local farmers.

Does adding meat provide more energy? I'll report back after a few months of training.

What I ate: 12 oz. vegetable juice, Oikos yogurt + strawberries + blueberries, 1 cafe au lait, 3 oz. sauteed salmon + spinach + bok choy + shitaake mushrooms, 1 hardboiled egg, 1 plum, 1 coffee, Mindful Mix, 1 ear of corn, red lettuce + goat cheese + Schoolhouse Kitchen Balsamico Vinaigrette, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, 12 oz. pomegranate goatmilk kefir, Gruyere cheese, 66 oz. water

Exercise: 3 miles easy warm up/cool down, 3x1600 m intervals + 400m recovery