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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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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.

Health, Nutrition, Women diabetes, Healthy eating, Joshua Gates, Paula Deen

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!

Eat This, Health Tips health problems, healthy weight, weight gain