Health Habits

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Archive for July, 2009

Summer Sufferin' Succotash (with Grilled Chicken)

July 18th, 2009

Suferrin’ Succotash! Remember that saying from Sylvester the Cat in the Looney Tunes cartoon? That was pretty much the only time I had heard the word succotash and as a kid I had no idea what it was or meant. Come to find out succotash is food (no wonder why I liked the saying!) The Missus had me believing this dish originated in the South, which would make sense why I had never heard of it, apart from the cartoon. But during my research on what the name means I found out it all began in the Rhode Island area, if you can believe that. The name is taken from the Naragansett Indian word msickquatash, “boiled whole kernels of corn,” from the Narragansett language once spoken on Narragansett Bay, which is present-day Rhode Island.

How ’bout that for research!

Succotash is a dish consisting primarily of corn and Lima beans, though now it’s been adapted all over the states. In the South any mixture of vegetables prepared with Lima beans and mixed with butter is considered a succotash. In Indiana, according to our Hoosier buddies (Indiana people), succotash is made with green beans and corn instead of Lima beans. Bet you didn’t know succotash was so interesting did you?

I happen to really like this succotash idea because I’m a big fan of all the components that are in the dish. Lima beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber and have good significant amounts of folate and magnesium, all of which are beneficial for your digestive system and your heart. Corn is chock-a-block full of nutrients including fiber & vitamin C. Speaking of C, the peppers are loaded with it and the red pepper is also a great source of vitamin A. Basically you’re nourishing your body naturally, with a brilliant dinner to boot.

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Nutrition Deathmatch #1

July 17th, 2009

Paleo pyramid

Fruits & Vegetables v.s. Grains

Anyone who has spent some time poking around Health Habits knows that I am a big fan of Paleo style diets for weight loss and general health.

So, it should come as no surprise that when I when I start working with a new personal training client, one of the first things I do is change their diet over to my version of Paleo eating.

And one of the first things that they do is complain about the absence of bread, pasta, rice, croissants, bagels, toast with jam, brioche, sandwiches, Egg McMuffins, Big Macs, pizza, deep fried Snickers bars, etc….

In desperation, some of them trot out the argument that they NEED whole grains in order to be healthy.

Their doctor said so, and so did their nutritionist and so says the government in their healthy food pyramids.

Everyone says that whole grains are a necessary part of a healthy diet.

The problem is, everybody is wrong.

And I aim to prove it with this special Nutrition version of Celebrity Deathmatch.

Let the deathmatch begin.

About 10,000 years ago, our ancestors made a huge cavewoman breakthrough. They learned that inedible raw grains (wheat, corn, oats, etc…) could be made edible by cooking them.

This was huge.

Grains were much more stable than fruits & vegetables and could be stored to help them survive the winter months.
Grains are dense in calories. This produced two benefits.

It was now easier to transport food as they followed migrating herds of animals,

and it suddenly became much easier to eat the required amount of calories.

Since raw grain is a seed, hunter-gatherer communities could choose to stay put and become farmers.

In fact, it has been argued that the domestication of grain is one of the major factors in the evolution of human civilization.

Seasonal starvation eliminated
Permanent communities established
Animals domesticated for meat & dairy
Instead of families doing everything for themselves, people can now specialize at specific trades (farmer, toolmaker, doctor, personal trainer, blogger)
and so on….

So, at this point in our evolution, grains seem to be pretty darn awesome.

Fast forward to today.

The evolution of human society no longer needs grains to keep the wheels turning. (at least in the “developed” world)
Your fridge keeps the meat & veggies from spoiling
Seasons are next to irrelevant with modern food production
And we certainly don’t have a deficit of available calories…too many calories is our problem.

But wait, what about the fiber?

Without my whole wheat bagel, how will I get my fiber?
And if I don’t get my fiber, won’t I get all blocked up and maybe even get colon cancer?

Note – this is a real argument that I get from real people

Okay, fiber is important.

But, surprise, surprise, grains aren’t the only foods high in fiber.

In fact, if you look at this link, you will see that except for wheat & corn bran, the top 300 (I stopped looking at 300) sources of dietary fiber are all fruits and vegetables.

You don’t need whole grains to get your fiber.

But, what about the vitamins and minerals?

Whole grains are loaded with vitamins and minerals like thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, iron, magnesium and selenium.

Hmmmm…why don’t we take a look at the nutrition info again and see if that’s true.

Thiamin … And the winner is fruits, vegetables and once again…bran.
Riboflavin … veggies win again
Niacin … and again
Folate … and again
Iron … and again
Magnesium … and again
Selenium …and last but not least, it’s a tie between veggies and grains!!!

So, except for the fine showing in the selenium category…

Fruits & vegetables are the best source of vitamins and minerals.

This Nutritional Deathmatch is looking pretty lopsided.

And here comes the knockout punch:

Like most of my clients, there are a lot of people out there who need to lose a few pounds.

And the last thing an obese person needs to eat is food that is dense in calories and low in nutrients.

And when it comes to raw ingredients (fruit, vegetables, animal protein, grains, dairy, fat & oils, seeds & nuts, legumes), grains are the worst.

Grains provide too many calories and not enough nutrition.

And there’s your knockout

Fruits & Vegetables are the Greatest!!!

And if you still don’t believe me, free free to perouse the links below.

Nutrition Info – Fruit, Vegetables & Grains

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Toronto Stinks…literally

July 16th, 2009

City workers on strike

Garbage piling up

Canada Day celebrations cancelled

Pools closed
Construction permits frozen
Daycare centres closed
Weddings cancelled
Taxes still collected
Parking tickets still issued
Fees for cancelled programs still collected

And finally…

Citizens protest

image: National Post

And through it all, the politicians…

Give themselves a pay raise,
Ignore their constituents (An email a day since June 22 and no response)

And do sweet F*CK ALL to end the strike

I'm Toronto mayor David Miller, and I am serious about doing nothing to anger the unions that got me elected in the first place.

So, in conclusion:

Striking Toronto city workers SUCK
Do-nothing Toronto politicians SUCK

and the city STINKS

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Posted in politics, toronto

Tags: christie pits cupe david miller garbage garbage strike mayor toronto toronto civic strike toronto strike

A Reader's Experience with HIIT

July 16th, 2009

Taz love HIIT

Obviously, I love HIIT.

And as it turns out, I am not alone.

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Matt explaining how his fitness had gone through the roof after becoming a HIIT guy.

Here’s Matt’s story… in his own words:

My experience with HIIT

When I first heard of HIIT I thought it was just simply interval training, a time tested way to raise your endurance. However I started looking into this more and its very different then just interval training, you alternate periods of very high/extreme effort with periods of low effort. My first real HIIT session was 2-30s, 2-20s, and 1-10s intervals after a 5min warm-up. Only 5 minutes of actual HIIT, but it left me shaky and a little light headed, but shortly after that I also had a great sense of well being. I have since grown to really enjoy my HIIT sessions.

Results? I started easy on HIIT and although my diet has not been as great as I have wanted I still have managed to lose 8lbs in the past 8 weeks. That may not sound like much, but I had been on a plateau prior to this for a month or so, and it should also be noted that I have lost 2.5in on my chest, 2in off my stomach, and 1in off my waist as well. Lately I think I may be re-compositioning because in the last 2 weeks alone I have lost a ½in on both my chest and my waist with no net weight change.

The most noticeable results for me come from my martial arts sessions, particularly sparring where it can be very explosive start/stop type of a workout, I simply don’t get winded anymore and even when I start to breathe hard it’s only a matter of seconds before I can recover. HIIT has totally supercharged my cardiovascular system, in the past my wind always went long before my muscles, now it is tending to be the other way around which lets me train harder.

The scariest part initially was seeing the HR ranges I was staying in; however everything I have read states that perceived effort (how you feel) is more important than reading the numbers. Our max HR are all different just like how our bodies will respond to HIIT is different, as long as you are not light headed, gasping for air, your arms are not tingling, or your chest not hurting your probably fine. But at the same regard I would not jump full bore into HIIT without some moderate prior cardio work of some sort just to gauge your current status.

Otherwise I highly recommend HIIT to anyone healthy enough to perform it that wants improve their cardiovascular system or drop some fat.

Thanks Doug for helping me along with my questions on HIIT!

Matt

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How Fat is Your Country?

July 15th, 2009

The OECD just released their Health Data report for 2009.

Included in this giant book o’ stats was an analysis of the expanding number of overweight and obese people on the planet.

And, boy o boy was there a lot of data about global obesity.

Too much in fact.

So, I created these home made charts to hopefully make it a little clearer.

Chart # 1

Obesity statistics broken down by nation

Countries 1 through 15

pdf

Chart # 2

Obesity statistics broken down by nation

Countries 16 through 30

pdf

Chart # 3

Combined Overweight & Obesity statistics broken down by nation

Countries 1 through 15

pdf

Chart # 4

Combined Overweight & Obesity statistics broken down by nation

Countries 16 through 30

pdf

This is where I would normally add some comments/analysis.

But after looking at these graphs, I have nothing to say.

Say hello to your future self.

p.s.

If you take a look at the comments, you will see that Jess makes an excellent point on the main limitation of BMI…namely that it considers weight, not fat as the health risk. It doesn’t distinguish between muscle & fat.

However, as I mentioned to Jess, we can also look at the historical increase in BMI to show the trend towards increased weight. So, even though BMI is a flawed system of measurement, at least it’s consistent. If you gain 10 lbs of weight (fat or muscle), your BMI will increase.

So, the question we need to ask is this – Is the systemic increase in national BMIs due to an increase in muscle mass or fat mass?

I would argue that it’s fat mass.

pdf

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A Cure for Tennis Elbow?

July 14th, 2009

Tennis elbow is a condition where the outer part of the elbow becomes sore and tender. It is commonly associated with playing tennis and other racquet sports, though the injury is not unique to racquet sports.

The condition is more formally known as lateral epicondylitis (“inflammation to the outside elbow bone”⁾, lateral epicondylosis, or simply lateral elbow pain.

And with the pain comes weakness and decreased function of the affected arm. When it’s bad, you can forget about holding a suitcase or playing tennis or even shaking hands.

In a nutshell, it’s a real pain in the….lateral epicondyle.

Current treatments include:

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin
Heat or ice
A counter-force brace or “tennis elbow strap” to reduce strain at the elbow epicondyle, to limit pain provocation and to protect against further damage.
Rest
Acupuncture
Blood injection (possibly augmented by plateletpheresis)
Botulinum toxin
Extra-corporeal shock wave therapy (lithotriptor)
Heat therapy
Immobilization of the forearm and elbow using a splint for two to three weeks
Local injection of cortisone and a numbing medicine
Low level laser therapy
Occupational therapy, primarily for stretching and strengthening of the wrist extensor musculature.
Physical therapy
Platelet-rich plasma^[9]
Pulsed ultrasound to break up scar tissue, promote healing, and increase blood flow in the area
Sclerotherapy
Trigger point therapy
Electrical stimulation combined with acupuncture
Soft-tissue physical therapy
Massage
Cortisone injections
And a variety of resistance exercises and stretches

And sadly, up until this point, there has been little evidence to support the value of any of these interventions for prevention, treatment, or avoidance of recurrence of lateral epicondylosis^.

That is, up until researchers (Timothy Tyler, Stephen Nicholas, Gregory Thomas & Malachy McHugh) from the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma/Pro Sports Physical Therapy created a brand spanking new wrist extensor exercise that they hoped would provide an effective and inexpensive treatment for chronic lateral epicondylitis.

The new exercise is a low cost/high creativity variation on a $50,000 isokinetic exercise machine found in high end physical therapy clinics.

And to test their new isolated eccentric wrist-extensor strengthening exercise, they designed this study.

They separated 21 patients with tennis elbow, into two groups.

Both groups received wrist-extensor muscle stretching, ultrasound, massage, heat and ice for treatment.

Group 1 performed the isolated eccentric wrist-extensor strengthening exercise using a rubber FlexBar from Thera-Band.

Group 2 did standard isotonic strengthening exercises.

The FlexBar group had significantly better results.

76% improvement compared to 12% improvement.

In fact, given the disparity in results, the researchers terminated the randomization of the study and put everyone onto their new isolated eccentric strength training exercise.

So, for all of those people out there suffering from tennis elbow, here’s what you need to do:

But first, we need to come up with a new name.

Isolated eccentric strength training exercise for the treatment of Tennis Elbow isn’t going to work. We need something snappy.

How about The Tyler Twist™?

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Healthcare: Canada v.s the U.S.A.

July 13th, 2009

According to the USA Today, President Obama has begun his health care push.

And you know what that means.

Like it or not, President Obama wants to give you a great big taste of Canadian style healthcare.

So, I thought that I would take a few minutes to let you know a little bit about my experience with the Canadian health care system.

It is a massive (government) bureaucracy that eats up a lot of money and can frustrate the people who rely upon it.
It’s full of hardworking doctors/nurses/technicians/etc who work long hours trying to keep sick people from dying
It’s seems to work fairly effectively – according to the CIA, Canadian life expectancy is 81.23 yrs. (#8 in the world)

So, let’s compare that to the current American health care system.

It is a massive (medical insurance) bureaucracy that eats up a lot of money and can frustrate the people who rely upon it.
It’s full of hardworking doctors/nurses/technicians/etc who work long hours trying to keep sick people from dying
It’s seems to work fairly effectively – according to the CIA, American life expectancy is 78.11 yrs. (#50 in the world)

Hmmm, seems pretty similar to me.

Except of course, the Canadian system is a public health care system. And everyone knows that a public system is essentially socialist, which is another word for communist, and dammit, no way is America going to have a communist health care system.

wow

I got a little excited there…sorry about that.

But seriously, other than this political/ideological argument, what are the differences between our two systems of health care?

1. Quantity of Life (longevity): We all want to live a long life. And without nitpicking, it looks like both countries are doing pretty good at increasing longevity.

Let’s call quantity of life a tie.

2. Quality of Life: This one is a little trickier. Is there a difference between the general health & vitality of Canadians and Americans? According to all of the latest studies, both nations are growing more fat and less fit year after year. And as far as I can see, both of our health care systems are based on treating illness instead of preventing illness.

So, once again, let’s call this a tie…both countries stink.

3. Cost: In 2006, per-capita spending for health care in the U.S. was US$6,714; in Canada, US$3,678. (dollar amounts adjusted for purchasing power parity)

Winner: Canada

And now for a personal story.

My wife blew out her back a few months ago…by sneezing.

I’m not kidding. Excrutiating pain, incapacitation, inability to work, sleep, sit, etc….

So, how did we deal with it?

Because of our personal experience with acute injuries such as my wife’s bad back, we knew that treatment needed to begin as soon as possible.We did not want this acute injury to become a chronic injury.

And that is the biggest problem with Canada’s public health care system. SPEED of SERVICE. Acute injuries become chronic injuries.

So, instead of going through the normal channels (go see the family doc, get an x-ray, wait for a consult, start public-pay physio, etc…), we began a series of physical therapy treatment – chiro, massage, acupuncture, laser and finally osteopathic. All on our dime. Yes, this is possible in socialist Canada.

We also made an appointment (the next day) with our publicly funded sports medicine doctor. Great guy, lots of experience working with professional athletes. And while my wife isn’t exactly an athlete, we like the fact that they focus on optimum health not just pain management.

At the sports medicine doc, my wife was assessed and given an x-ray at the first appointment.(public pay)

The x-ray showed nothing wrong…Yippee!!!

The next step was a requisition for an MRI. Here’s where it get’s interesting.

If we had followed the “normal” procedure, my wife would be getting her MRI in late November.

However, because my wife is in a lot of pain and is a pro-active kind of gal, she made a few phone calls, day after day and less than 2 weeks later, she had her MRI. (public pay)

Supposedly, this is impossible in the Canadian health care system. When I tell people that we got an MRI in 2 weeks, they don’t believe it. They have bought into the mind virus that Canadians are supposed to wait in line like a good little socialist patients and wait their turn. Like sheep.

So, what’s the moral of the story?

The Canadian health care system isn’t perfect. But neither is the American system.

Wait times in Canada can be longer than in the U.S.
Medical expenses are the #1 cause of bankruptcies in the U.S. (Pre-Recession stats) That doesn’t happen in Canada.
Both systems ignore disease prevention
Both systems spend huge amounts of money trying to save very old, very sick patients

In a large part, the Canadian system is run by our government
In comparison, the American system is run by insurance companies

Pick your poison…I mean medicine.

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Southwestern Salmon Salad

July 11th, 2009

A little while ago I had asked if anyone had any requests for recipes. Our buddy, Robb, wanted to know how to cook fish on the grill the healthy way (i.e. sans the fish & butter foil packet idea, the one he knew well). Our favorite little person, Grace, had a request for a healthy summer-inspired lunch idea, other than the obvious choice of leftovers. Robyn wanted to know why she has paprika in her spice rack. All excellent requests so thanks guys! I hope I killed ~~two~~ three birds with one stone with this idea!

Now, let’s get down to brass tacks:

Believe it or not, there are several types of paprika ranging from mild and sweet to hot and spicy. OK, I hear you, Robyn–What exactly IS paprika? Paprika is made from ground peppers (think bell peppers or tomato peppers). “Paprika” is actually the name of the spice and any kind of fresh pepper in Hungarian and along with Eastern European foods, paprika is a staple in both their cuisines.
In American cooking it’s usually considered a garnish (think the infamous deviled egg).

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Posted in Diet/Nutrition, Recipe, health, nutrition, obesity

Tags: barbecue brain food dha edgy chef epa Gavan Murphy grill healthy cooking healthy food healthy recipe Irish chef los angeles low-fat nutritious omega 3 omega 6 protein salad salmon summer The healthy Irishman

Age is just a number, right?

July 10th, 2009

Yesterday, at the U.S. National Swimming Championships, a 42 year old mom with:

an arthritic and surgically repaired left knee,
a surgically repaired right shoulder,
and a surgically repaired left thumb…

won the U.S. national 50 meter freestyle championship.

42 years old

Fastest female swimmer in the U.S.

Mom

Dara Torres

Here’s a link to a video of the race.

Not too shabby for a 42 year old

So,what’s your excuse Mr. & Mrs. Couch Potato?

Too old just doesn’t cut it anymore.

You’re only as old, fat, tired and broken down as you choose to be.

Age is just a number.

Decide today if you want to be 42 like Dara Torres:

or 42 like this guy:

just kidding, Wilford was 43 when this pic was snapped

Once again…Dara Torres’ brand of 42

Typical American brand of 42

Your choice.

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Is Convenience Food Convenient?

July 9th, 2009

NYT columnist Mark Bittman alerted me to this post @ Grist about:

Kitchen illiteracy
Processed convenience foods saving little or no time
And how convenient fresh food might be a real game-changer.

And like Mark, I couldn’t agree more.

But, I would take the argument even a little further.

I would argue that convenience food is a perfect example of our collective short term thinking.

What is the true cost of eating pre-packaged food?

Even if you do save a buck and a 10 minutes, what are you losing in terms of your health, appearance, longevity, vitality, etc?

How convenient is convenience food when it results in:

Chronic lack of energy due to nutrient deficiencies
America’s Obesity Epidemic and all of it’s related physical, emotional & social repercussions.
Hypertension due to the high salt content
Constipation, diarrhea, leaky gut and an increased chance of colon cancer
Neurological disruption due to additives (MSG, NutraSweet, etc…)
Bad skin, bad hair, bad breath…
A significantly larger environmental footprint
The death of mom & pop restaurants and America’s family farms
The further dumbing down of our society – say goodbye to the Greatest Generation and say hello to these idiots

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Health Habits

Archive for July, 2009

Summer Sufferin' Succotash (with Grilled Chicken)

.

Related Posts

Nutrition Deathmatch #1

Fruits & Vegetables v.s. Grains

Related Posts

Toronto Stinks…literally

A Reader's Experience with HIIT

.

Related Posts

How Fat is Your Country?

Chart # 1

Chart # 2

Chart # 3

Chart # 4

p.s.

Related Posts

A Cure for Tennis Elbow?

Related Posts

Healthcare: Canada v.s the U.S.A.

Related Posts

Southwestern Salmon Salad

Age is just a number, right?

Related Posts

Is Convenience Food Convenient?

Related Posts