Mmmmmn, nutrition

Note: This post is a work in progress. I'll come back and edit/add as I have time. Meanwhile, please forgive erratic content, incomplete thoughts and misspellings.

Wanted to take a few minutes to talk about nutrition. Actually I want to talk about food. I really love to eat and learning to eat well has been the key to my weight loss. I have a few goals that I keep in mind as I shop, plan meals and cook.

Minimizing fat intake and avoiding saturated fat.
Avoiding heavily processed and refined foods.
Include fresh fruits and vegetables.
Choose a variety of foods.
Include whole grain items and legumes.

My goals will not necessarily be consistent with anyone else's certainly, but mine are driven by my medical history.

• What foods to choose.

Start at the beginning and learn to shop for the right foods at the grocery store. Avoid shopping on an empty stomach so you don't buy crap on impulse. Try to go with a rough meal plan and perhaps a list developed from a recipe or two (see resources). On successive trips, try to add the occasional new item. This keeps your repertoire of food prep choices ever expanding and (if you eat the new items) helps avoid boredom at mealtime.

As you gain confidence choosing and using healthier foods in a grocery store, you'll start being able to make better choices in restaurants. Actually, I think you just become more aware of what is used in different dishes and you should find yourself asking questions and asking for substitutions where needed. Things like, "hey, can I get the tzaziki sauce on the side?", or "could you go easy on the cooking spray when you make my omelete?", or "hmmm, those aren't sauteed in butter are they?"

Some specific food items that have become pretty standard for me are;
Whole grain breads, pasta and cereal.
Dried beans including pintos, black, lentils and Anasazi.
Egg whites.
Fat free yogurt and skim milk.
Soy-based cheese.
Romaine hearts and mixed greens.
Peppers and more peppers. Bell, serrano, cubanelles and jalapenos.
Smart Balance butter spray
Fruit, all kinds
Seasonal fresh vegetables
Sweet Potatoes.

Spices! This is where bold taste begins and ends.
Curries
Cumin
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Powdered Chipotle
Smoked sweet paprika
Emeril's southwest seasoning

• How to prepare meals to avoid boredom.

Learn to cook! Find some style(s) of cooking that you like and immerse yourself. Variety and big taste will keep your palette entertained. You don't need to resort to fast food and packaged snacks for food enjoyment.

• Portion sizes and other bad habits to avoid.

Learn to measure. Buy a food scale, keep it close to your food prep area and use it. Learn how big/small a 2 ounce portion of pasta is. Don't graze, when you're hungry, prepare your planned meal and eat right. Learn how much non-stick spray to use, know what condiments you can use with impunity and which need to be used with restraint.

One of the principles Dean Ornish discusses in his books is choosing foods with low caloric density. Eating these foods allows you to get filled up before you've taken in so many calories that you accumulate a calorie surplus, i.e., gain weight. Dieting sucks because you feel like you're starving yourself. Eating foods with high fiber content combats this directly.

• Meat or no meat?

I don't eat red meat because it's loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol. For the same reason I don't eat egg yolks. Some nutritionists like to point out that no connection has ever been proven between eating eggs and heart disease. Here's my view. High cholesterol (LDL) levels have been proven beyond argument to lead to CVD. 1 egg yolk contains 250 mg of cholesterol. That's 10 times what I shoot for in a day. There is no question that good quality meats are loaded with nutrients. I choose to avoid them for their negative qualities and get the good stuff from other sources. I do eat lean chicken, turkey, fish and egg whites, the first 3 sparingly. Animal proteins tend to be calorie dense, so portion size becomes a bigger issue. Just to reiterate, please review Dr. Dean Ornish' materials on this subject for more information.

• Resources.

Food for Fitness by Chris Carmichael is a great starting point for the athlete (or anyone) that wants to make better nutrition choices. Full of great recipes too!

Foodnetwork.com
Recipes, food prep information of all types. Also check out the food network on cable TV.