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At my job, it is difficult at times to find healthy choices for lunch. I’m surrounded by fast food restaurants and chains that carry high fat, high cholesterol foods. When I don’t pack a lunch, I find myself choosing between the lesser of tall of the evils.

McDonald’s is trying to be a bit more healthy with it’s menu. Ordering food at McDonald’s however is still going to be highly unhealthy. If you’re near a Burger King, you can order a veggie burger. Ask for it without the mayo! You can also order your fries at Burger King without salt. Yes, they’re still fried, but without the salt you know they’re fresh and you can cut down on the amount of sodium. You can also substitute apple sticks for fries.

Of course, going to a place like Subway would be the ultimate healthy option. Yes, the lunch meat is processed, but it’s definitely better for you than a burger and fries.

If you’re trying to be healthy around a bunch of fast food chains, you can ask for substitutions and other exceptions in your meal. You should definitely remember, for the sake of healthy living, to only eat this type of food once in awhile. Don’t make it a daily thing!

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To be healthy means maintaining a modicum of self-control in what and how much you eat.  Read more…

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Yesterday, the internet was all abuzz with the news that Paula Deen, celebrity chef of the food network, revealed that she has Type II Diabetes. Deen, who has begun more than a few inernet meme’s regarding her love of butter, is definitely not known for her healthy eating and cooking habits. Many have said that her disease in indisputably caused by her food. A quick search of Deen’s websites brings up recipes like “deep fried butter balls” and “cheeseburger meatloaf” not to mention “deep fried pie.” She is now also in the business of selling medication to treat diabetes.

She has also gone on to say that news of her disease will not lead to eating better. She won’t be giving up butter and has been very vocal about her absolute love for anything fried. (Again, please see previous mention of deep fried butter balls.)

Her refusal to change her ways has garnered some flak from fellow chefs like Anthony Bourdain. Their feud played out on twitter for the world to see. But it seems Deen’s feuds are far from over.

World traveler and adventurer Joshua Gates went on a twitter rampage last night with, in my humble opinion, some fantastic points. As a man who travels the world for a living, he knows how important it is to try and eat healthy.

Following is the message Gates sent to Deen supporters and Mrs. Southern Cooking herself:

I’ve been getting a lot of flak for my comments on Paula Deen. Healthy eating is an important topic to me, so I thought I’d clear up my perspective in more than 140 characters.

To answer a few of the questions I was asked on Twitter: No, I have nothing against Southern cooking. Nor do I have an issue with the occasionally indulgent meal (I think of Joe’s Pizza on Bleecker in NY as a temple to all that is good in this world). But when your signature dish is a hamburger and bacon inside a god-damned donut, you’re out of control.

I was troubled by the number of people who wrote to me and told me that diabetes is “just genetic,” and that “I need to get educated.” While genetics play an undisputed role in type-2 diabetes, diet is such an overwhelming contributing factor that it’s utterly irresponsible to ignore. The facts are clear: 80-90% of people with type-2 diabetes are overweight.

Here’s another fact: More than a third of Americans are also overweight, including 17% of children. There is a tidal wave of obesity drowning this country and I believe that people like Deen are part of the problem. Through her Food Network show, her books, and her website, she reaches millions of families and could be a powerful educational force for nutrition (Kudos, Jamie Oliver). Instead, Deen has gone on record saying that she couldn’t live without a deep fryer and has openly stated that healthy food is too expensive for most Americans.

Instead of preaching prevention, Paula Deen held back the announcement of her diagnosis for three years while continuing to endorse ultra high-fat recipes to the public. Today she proclaimed that her diabetes will not change the way she cooks and has secured a deal as a paid spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, the big pharmaceutical company that manufactures her diabetes medication. A new Paula Deen website on diabetes is sponsored and run by the drug company and Deen will be appearing in a commercial campaign later this month. Fellow chef Anthony Bourdain reacted to this hypocrisy by tweeting, “Thinking of getting into the leg-breaking business, so I can profitably sell crutches later.”

Last week “statins” were in the news. It turns out that women who take these “miracle” cholesterol-lowering drugs are 50% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes. The message is clear: You can’t medicate your way around eating nothing but shit. While there are measurable benefits to these types of medications, they shouldn’t be endorsed by celebrities as a solution. Especially since none of these drugs are keeping our kids from turning into a nation of Augustus Gloops.

In interviews today, Deen is claiming that she’s always preached moderation, which is, of course, nonsense. She may use the “m” word once and a while, but unabashed, gluttonous, unhealthy eating is at the core of her brand. She’s whipped up a buttery, heavy-cream empire, peddling gastronomical abominations like a ham casserole filled with soggy potato chips, a cheeseburger meatloaf, and chocolate-cheese fudge. She is, in short, the Dr. Moreau of the culinary world; a soccer-mom Frankenstein with more than a passing resemblance to Ursula from The Little Mermaid. Last week I watched her deep fry stuffing on a stick and half expected her to strap an electrode to it and hit it with a bolt of lightening.

I feel sad that she’s been diagnosed with diabetes and outraged that she isn’t harnessing her bully pulpit to address a national epidemic. I make no apologies for the bad taste she leaves in my mouth.

It’s probably from something she cooked.

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Have you ever noticed that when you eat food like greasy fast food burgers or pizza that you feel a little sluggish afterwards? You just don’t feel right, maybe bloated and gross? That’s because in the midst of curing your sodium and protein craving with that meat patty, you’ve thrown off your body’s balance.

Body balance is the balance between what your body wants and needs vs. how you feel. When you give your body the nutrients that it needs and in healthy ways, your body balance is good. You’ll feel better and you’ll feel that somehow moving, activity, and concentrating on a task is easier than before.

When you crave something and eat the wrong thing, this balance is thrown off and you become sluggish, slow, and even hungry again. This will cause you to eat more of the wrong things and that is no good for healthy living or wellness.

I’m attaching a great photograph of a chart full of “what you want vs. what you need” but I’ll go over some of the more prevalent ones.

For example, craving chocolate means that you actually need magnesium. You can find great amounts of magnesium in raw seed s and nuts, fruits, and legumes. Eat these and you’ll feel better than if you reached for that Snickers bar.

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What I am about to say may upset a lot of people. Are you ready? I need to gain 10 lbs. There, I said it. Yes, a lot of people are probably muttering “well, I’ll give you ten of mine. Take some from my hips/butt/thighs/stomach, etc…” And honestly, if there was a medical practice that could do this, I would oblige you. However, for the time being, it’s not possible so I’ve got to resort to other methods of gaining weight.

The problem is, when you have a health issue, like a thyroid condition, that goes against what the whole world is experiencing, it can be difficult to garner any kind of sympathy or help. But to be healthy, sometimes you need to gain weight, not just lose it.

In my case, eating better was a good remedy. I had been eating like a teenage boy my whole life. Whole pizzas, dozens of cookies. I once ate a whole pie in one sitting and my mother still tells the story of how one Thanksgiving she had to peel a whole extra 5 pounds of potatoes just for me.

The fact is, for your health, you should be eating better regardless of gaining or losing weight. Those foods I was eating, were actually making my body sicker not better.

So, if you’re like me, don’t be afraid to stand up and say you want to be healthier by adding a few pounds. It’s okay, there are others out there like you. Just try not to eat bad foods to make you gain that weight. Eat protein and get good weight on your bones!

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Everybody takes Thanksgiving as an excuse to go all out and nibble (okay, more like devour) endless refills of food and beverage. Unfortunately all that overindulgence comes with a side effect of shame and bloating. You can still have your share of gooey marshmallow topped sweet potatoes, turkey with gravy, and pecan pie as long as you balance out your meal at least a little bit. Eating healthy is more about control in portions and less about what you eat.

Start the day of like usual. Do not “starve” yourself before the big dinner. you may think, “Oh, well not eating leaves more room for later.” In actuality what will end up happening is you get an inaccurate reading of your hunger and you’ll overeat to compensate. Eat as you normally would, or at least eat a decently sized meal.

Stick to normal, or even slightly undersized portions. If you finish a small plate and get another small serving when you’re finished you are still probably eating less than when you overfill the plate so that everything is falling off the side. When you do make yourself a plate, fill up half with veggies, a quarter with potatoes, and the remainder with the meat or meat substitute. drink water to help fill you up faster and after you digest go for a walk or stand around and chat with family to start burning some calories.

There will be more than enough lerftovers, trust me. By the following week you’ll regret that your family even bought such a huge turkey.

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As is the case with many animals, humans have ritualistic over-eating tendencies once summer ends. It is during this time that we gain the most weight and have difficulty putting it off.

We are full swing into mid-September, which means we don’t have very long to go until an endless gorging of food. The local stores are already putting out bags full of candy bars and sugary treats for Halloween and it’s not even October. But it’s not just the kind of food we are eating that causes the weight gain, it is the lack of exercise and the increase in stress that keeps it on.

September means back-to-school. This puts pressure on parents and children that could result in unhealthy eating or snacking habits. We eat when we are stressed and the stress sometimes causes us to have trouble losing pounds. October is time for sweets like pie, candy, apple cider, and other sugar messes. If you’re going to eat some  junk, try and cut back by eating healthy alternatives in-between. Yogurt, fruit, and granola all have health benefits and are sweet in taste. And if you must pick a Halloween treat to hand out, chocolate is healthier than fructose hard candies. Also try organic candies (but don’t expect trick ‘r’ treaters to come knocking at your door).

As for November and Thanksgiving, cut back on the portions and the amount of servings. Spend more time conversing with friends and family because it will slow down your eating. Your body can take up to 20 minutes to signal your brain that you feel full. slower eating means eating less. Same goes for December. The calories don’t stop with hot cocoa, do they?

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Health conscious folks everywhere know that the key to getting healthy is exercise and  a balanced low salt, low cholesterol, low calorie diet. Idiots like myself sometimes stray wildly off this path.

McDonalds an establishment which I spent years trying to shake and finally took my last trip into in May is now offering their McGriddles breakfast sandwich at an unconscionable two for $3 deal. These sick little sandwiches upon first bite will explode in your mouth in a drug-like rush to the head, you almost feel joyful for a moment. (You know what else makes you feel momentarily joyful? Crack.) As you finish the sandwich you will immediately start to reel from your bad decision.

Of course you knew all along. Nothing good ever came in the form of syrup infused pancake buns with egg, sausage and cheese shoved in it and the suffering will immediately settle in. This trouble will not reside solely in the pit of your stomach. You will feel an unease in your entire blood stream, something between a sugar rush and a blood transfusion  where fresh plasma has been replaced with excess grease from a fry vat in a McDonalds’ test facility.

So there you have it the complete experience of eating McGriddles without having to put yourself through the pain yourself. Just some quick additionally health information these bad boys are a whopping 420 calories a piece so if you’re copping that two for $3 deal you better be prepared to eat celery for the rest of the day.

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Vegetable juice is a great way to get your daily dose of vegetables. Tomato juice, V8 and other juices you see people drink on airplanes are perfect for you if you find it difficult to eat more greens than a requisite salad a day. Even if you already eat two or more servings of green veggies daily, the more the better. You’re supposed to have five of fruits and vegetables, but a Mediterranean diet that consists of these foods and nuts and breads means that you can get away with a little extra dessert. At least that’s what the French do, and they seem pretty happy with their petit dejuneurs.

You will also have more energy when you eat light meals that aren’t heavy on the salt and fat and red meat. The phrase food coma is often in response to eating too much, but take a look at what makes you eat too much–chances are it’s a cheeseburger or a steak or pork and sides of carbs and corn. And while that’s okay once in a while, you will find that it’s much harder to fall into a food coma when you’re eating fish and salad, no matter how much you eat.

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Vitamin D is an essential when it comes to bone health, fighting depression, and curing colds but honestly, with the sun’s UV rays blasting us full power during the summer we sometimes get a little overcooked.

Going out in the sun is great. We feel happier getting sunlight because of the Vitamin D. A beautiful sunny day is definitely a way to get yourself up and motivated. Just take it in small doses and don’t work on your skin cancer. Up to 20 or 25 minutes is enough for a healthy dose.

Food is a great source as well. Things like fatty fish- salmon and/or tuna- will do just fine. If you’re not big on seafood you can look for other food. Mushrooms, for example, especially portobello, are a great source too. Ifyou love breakfast you should make yourself some eggs. Eggs contain a good dose for your early morning wake up.

As for cool beverages, go with a tall refreshing glass of milk for your daily dose of vitamin D. An 8-ounce glass will do wonders for bone health. Orange juice is an alternative and focuses more on your immunity but it’s equally as refreshing.

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