Don't Miss More Than One Day…

“Don't miss more than one day of exercise.” Yes, that’s what it said, and I was shocked. In a short blurb by Jennifer Gruenemay at Lifescript, in her daily fitness tip, she said that skipping too many days between workouts jeopardizes the health benefits I was after in the first place. Experts say that you are less likely to stay with your routine if you skip more than one day between workouts. My routine has me at the fitness center 3-4 days a week. I typically go Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. If I skip Saturday that leaves two days off. There are times when I have a cold and I stay away out of consideration for the other patrons. Other times I get overwhelmed by work and cut out my workout. When I went to New Orleans for a conference, I missed for eight days.

The second part of her blurb not only gave me hope, it changed my thinking and that’s frequently a good thing. She said, “Working out every day doesn’t necessarily mean you have to train like you’re running a marathon. Alternate hard workouts with easy workouts, like just walking for 30 minutes around the block…” I can do that. I can even sit on the stationary bicycle I walk around on the way to my desk in my home study every day, and pedal gently for a while on off days.

I tend to be a somewhat obsessive, all-or-nothing type person. I think of my workout as ten minutes of fast walking on the treadmill to get my heart rate up, two circuits on the weight machines, and twenty minutes back on the treadmill followed by a five minute cool-down at a slower pace. If what I do is not that, well, it’s not my workout. This one paragraph blurb has me reevaluating my rigid thinking. I can walk for 30 minutes, ride my stationary bicycle while watching the news, or even push a lawnmower around the yard and still be moving toward my goal of heal and fitness. Sometimes you have to hit me over the head.

Today I weighed at the fitness center and my cumulative weight loss is 35.5 pounds. I only have 5 ¾ pounds to go until I reach my first goal, to no longer be obese. I wonder how it will feel to walk around thinking to myself, “I’m just overweight”.

Here’s my recap for yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-4/12/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1348.79	64.77 g	216.22 g	1026.42 mg	27.38 g	18.27%

Seven Sample Menus for a 1400 Calorie Diet

I’ve been asked by a number of people to tell them what do eat and when. I guess they feel that they can follow directions better than coming up with their own menus. I am presenting here, not sample menus exactly, but what I ate on specific days to meet the requirements of my less than 1400 calorie, less than 20 % of calories from fat, less than 1500 mg sodium, diet.

As you can see, there is quite a lot of food here, so much that sometimes I get tired of chewing. I also believe that eating 4-7 times each day helps keep my metabolism up so I am continuously burning calories. These menus are just a starting point for you and are offered as suggestions of the types of foods you can eat on a low-fat, low-sodium, and calorie limited diet for weight reduction.

I am not a trained nutritionist, and my only criteria for selecting these foods for my own diet are those of calorie, sodium, and fat reduction. My personal goals in addition to the above-mentioned are: 78-158 g protein, 30-38 g fiber, and less than 300 mg cholesterol. Your recommended diet may be very different. I only offer these menus to share what I have eaten on given days and stayed loyal to my diet.

Monday

Breakfast

1.5 C Kashi 7 Whole Grain Puffs, 1/3 C Non-fat milk, ¼ C Dannon All Natural non-fat Plain Yogurt, ¼ C Wild Blueberries

Morning Snack

1 medium banana

Lunch

1 1/2 C Joel’s Chili 3, 1 T non fat sour cream, 1 T apple cider vinegar

Snack

18 White Cheddar Soy Crisps

Dinner

Healthy Choice Chicken Margherita dinner, Salad with 2 C fresh greens, 1/3 C grape tomatoes, 1/8 C sweet onion, and 2 T poppy seed fat free dressing, 2/3 C steamed corn, 4 C (raw) spinach steamed,

4 Asparagus spears steamed

Dessert

1/2 C Yarnell's low-fat chocolate frozen yogurt

Snack

¼ cantaloupe, 1 Ry-Krisp cracker

Calories: 1369, Protein: 65.76, Carbohydrates: 247.11 g, Fiber: 48.79 g, Fat: 20.65 g, Percent calories from fat: 13.58%, Saturated fat: 3.78 g, Cholesterol: 75.63 g, Sodium: 1370.25 mg.

Tuesday

Breakfast

Omelet with ½ C Egg Beaters, 1/8 C Sweet Onion, 3 Mushrooms (chopped), and 1 T Old El Paso Taco sauce-medium

Morning Snack

1 C Kashi 7 whole grain Honey Puffs (dry from box)

Lunch

½ Kangaroo whole wheat pita, ¼ C Extra Lean ground beef patty (96/4), 4 oz. Dannon All Natural strawberry yogurt

Snack

Health Valley Vegetarian chili 1.5 C

Dinner

Salmon taco and pita: 4 oz Wild Salmon-baked, 1 Mi Casa White corn tortilla, juice of 2 Lemon wedges, slaw cabbage, 1 T non-fats sour cream; .25 C, 1 T Old El Paso taco sauce-medium, 2/3 C corn, 4 C (raw) spinach steamed

Dessert

1 C Yarnell strawberry low-fat frozen yogurt

Snack

2 Natural Ry-Krisp crackers, .5 oz non-fat cream cheese .

Calories: 1230, Protein: 105.3, Carbohydrates: 204.44 g, Fiber: 40.97 g, Fat: 15.56 g, Percent calories from fat: 11.39%, Saturated fat: 5.02 g, Cholesterol: 142.5 g, Sodium: 1179.5 mg.

Wednesday

Breakfast

1.5 C Old Fashioned oatmeal, 1 T flax seed meal, .5 oz raisins, 1 T brown sugar

Morning Snack

None

Lunch

½ Kangaroo whole wheat pita, ¼ C Extra Lean ground beef patty (96/4), 4 oz. Dannon All Natural strawberry yogurt

Snack

None

Dinner

3 oz. pork roast, 1 C baked sweet potato, Salad with 2 C fresh greens, 1/3 C grape tomatoes, 1/8 C sweet onion, and 1 T Fat free Vidalia onion dressing, 2 mushrooms-broiled, 2 C yellow summer squash-straightneck

Dessert

none

Snack

¼ cantaloupe, 2 Natural Ry-Krisp crackers

Calories: 1165, Protein: 69.93, Carbohydrates: 192.71 g, Fiber: 41.75 g, Fat: 17.59 g, Percent calories from fat: 13.59%, Saturated fat: 4.57 g, Cholesterol: 121 g, Sodium: 911.97 mg.

Thursday

Breakfast

4 oz. Dannon All Natural Blueberry Yoghurt, Small banana

Morning Snack

Small banana

Lunch

1 C General Tso's Tofu, ½ C brown rice, Roasted vegetables with 1 medium turnip, 1 sweet onion, 1 clove garlic

Snack

None

Dinner

½ Kangaroo whole wheat pita, ¼ C Extra Lean ground beef patty (96/4), 1 tsp mustard-Griffins, Salad with 2 C fresh greens, 1/3 C grape tomatoes, 1/8 C sweet onion, and 2 T poppy seed fat free dressing, 1 ½ C Steamfresh broccoli, carrots, sugar snaps, and water chestnuts

Dessert

1 C Yarnell's Chocolate Frozen yogurt

Snack

2 Natural Ry-Krisp crackers

Calories: 1304, Protein: 60.26, Carbohydrates: 223.09 g, Fiber: 25.75 g, Fat: 13.2 g, Percent calories from fat: 9.11%, Saturated fat: 4.87 g, Cholesterol: 101.41 g, Sodium: 927.88 mg.

Friday

Breakfast

1.5 C Old Fashioned oatmeal, 1 T flax seed meal, .5 oz raisins, 1 T brown sugar

Morning Snack

2 Ry-Krisp sesame crackers

Lunch

1 C raw cauliflower, 1 Wasa Lite Cracker, 1 C Joel’s chili 3, 1 T non-fat sour cream, ½ C brown rice, 1 C Poinsettia fruit salad

Snack

1 Ry-Krisp sesame cracker

Dinner

1 Stuffed chicken breast, ¾ C Steamfresh broccoli mixture, Salad with 2 C fresh greens, 1/3 C grape tomatoes, 1/8 C sweet onion, and 1 T Newman's low-fat sesame ginger dressing

Dessert

none

Snack

Grapefruit-Ruby Red 1 Small

Calories: 1185.3, Protein: 67.18, Carbohydrates: 197.15 g, Fiber: 35.7 g, Fat: 18.78 g, Percent calories from fat: 14.24%, Saturated fat: 3.94 g, Cholesterol: 98.76 g, Sodium: 900.98 mg.

Saturday

Breakfast

1.5 C Old Fashioned oatmeal, 1 T flax seed meal, .5 oz raisins, 1 T brown sugar

Morning Snack

None

Lunch

2 oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, 1/2 Kangaroo WW Pita, 1 T secret sauce

Snack

Grape tomatoes .30 C

Dinner

3 oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, ½ C brown Rice, 2/3 C Great Value Deluxe Stir Fry vegetables, Salad with 2 C fresh greens, 1/3 C grape tomatoes, 1/8 C sweet onion, 1 C Poinsettia Fruit Salad

Dessert

1 C Yarnell strawberry low-fat frozen yogurt

Snack

2 Natural Ry-Krisp crackers

Calories: 1194.84, Protein: 59.36, Carbohydrates: 206.86 g, Fiber: 30.41 g, Fat: 17.55 g, Percent calories from fat: 13.22%, Saturated fat: 4.65 g, Cholesterol: 111.25 g, Sodium: 478.16 mg.

Sunday

Breakfast

2 RyVita Cracker, Omelet with ½ C Egg Beaters, 1/8 C sweet Onion, 3 chopped mushrooms,1/4 C snow peas in ½ Kangaroo whole wheat pita

Morning Snack

2 RyVita Crackers, 4 Flat Earth Peach Mango Crisps

Lunch

Not-so-sloppy Joes in ½ Kangaroo whole wheat pita, 1 t. Griffins mustard

Snack

2 RyVita Crackers, ½ C fresh pineapple

Dinner

5oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, 1 1/3 C Great Value Deluxe Stir Fry vegetables , secret sauce, Salad with 2 C fresh greens, 1/3 C grape tomatoes, 1/8 C sweet onions, 2 t. Ken’s raspberry-walnut vinaigrette dressing

Dessert

1 C Yarnell strawberry low-fat frozen yogurt

Snack

½ Kangaroo whole wheat pita with 1 oz. non-fat cream cheese

Calories: 1381.14, Protein: 101.3, Carbohydrates: 196.35 g, Fiber: 40.29 g, Fat: 20.81 g, Percent calories from fat: 13.56%, Saturated fat: 6.69 g, Cholesterol: 181.25 g, Sodium: 1462 mg.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-4/7/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1369.21	65.76 g	247.11 g	1370.25 mg	20.64 g	13.58%

Ten Secrets of Weight Loss-Part 3

I will continue with my list of the top ten things I have learned so far about weight loss. It seems to be working as I weighed in at the fitness center today and my cumulative weight loss since January 3, 2007 is now 33.5 pounds. I will talk about numbers 4-7 today. For reference, here is my top ten list.

The Ten Secrets of My Weight Loss

1. Knowledge is power-the knowledge to make choices
2. Non-fat sour cream is my friend
3. Non-fat cream cheese is my friend
4. Fiber is filling
5. My palate took about three days to retrain to a low sodium diet
6. My dinner plate is a riot of color compared with what it used to be
7. Almost any recipe can be remodeled to accommodate my diet
8. Exercise accelerates the weight loss and blood pressure lowering process
9. Vinegar wakes up the flavors of food
10. A playful attitude about food and a willingness to experiment have been strong allies

Four: Fiber is filling Fiber also has specific health benefits and provides filling bulk without adding calories. A high fiber cracker or two and a glass of mineral water is my way of coping with the relatively rare hunger pangs I get now. Fiber helps me to feel full and postpones my desire to eat on my reduced calorie and fat diet. High fiber foods take longer to chew and fool me into thinking that I have eaten more than I actually have.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a high-fiber diet may reduce my risk of hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulitis. Soluble fiber may also lower blood cholesterol levels and slow the absorption of sugar. It may also reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

My target, based on the Mayo clinic recommendations, is 30-38 mg of fiber. On a normal American diet, this may be difficult to achieve. I even read an article that recommended that most Americans start their day with enough Metamucil to provide half of their target fiber. On my diet, I haven’t had any trouble reaching my fiber goals. Reaching these goals happened without consciously thinking about them because foods that are low in fat and sodium also seem to be high in fiber.

I like crackers that are high in fiber and whole grain like Ry-Krisp (2 g) and Wasa (1.5 g), my morning oatmeal has 6 g, the flaxseed meal I cook with it has 2g, and the small box of raisins I also cook in my oatmeal (.5 oz.) has 1, for a total of 8 grams of fiber. One cup of my chili has nearly 11 grams, a baked sweet potato has 6.6, an orange has 3.3 grams, and a grapefruit has nearly 4 grams. My plate is always filled with fiber-rich vegetables too. So, I feel full and I have no need for Metamucil.

Five: My palate took about three days to retrain to a low sodium diet. When I first started eating foods without added salt like oatmeal and brown rice, I felt like I was eating tasteless cardboard. I also stocked up on Mrs. Dash products and salt substitutes. I still use the Mrs. Dash seasonings, but I haven’t touched the salt substitutes since the first week of my diet. When I revisited the food that previously had no taste, I found that they were rich with flavors. I was able to taste the subtle rich flavors that are naturally in all food when my palate was not jaded by salt.

Six: My dinner plate is a riot of color compared with what it used to be. My wife was the first to notice how attractive my plate has become at the evening meal. Salmon, brown rice, mixed vegetables, mushrooms, red and green bell peppers, salsa, sweet potatoes, a colorful salad, and other foods combine to create a plate that is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate. This unintended benefit adds to my satisfaction with my low calorie diet. It is also healthier to eat a variety of foods.

Once again, I left my thumb drive at school so I will have to double up on my recaps tomorrow.

Yard Work is Exercise Too

Even though the title of this blog is Diet, Cooking, and Exercise, I rarely talk about the exercise part of my health quest. I have been wearing a pedometer on my right shoe for two weeks now courtesy of the college where I work. We have organized into walking teams and report our daily mileage weekly. The whole event goes for four weeks and the winning team gets bragging rights.

I go to the fitness center four days a week and warm up and finish on the treadmill for a total of about 2 miles. In between, I complete two circuits on the weight machines. The normal workout takes about an hour and 15 minutes.

Today I spent most of the day doing yard work and somehow I wound up behind the push mower while the student I hired to help, rode on the riding mower. After several hours of yard work (wearing my pedometer all the time), I took a shower and went to the fitness center where I completed my normal routine. Tonight I glanced at my pedometer and noticed a dramatic increase. On non-workout days, I log about 2 ½ to 3 ½ miles walking from my office to class, down various halls, and pacing while I lecture. I find I pace more now that I have lost much of the weight (32.25 pounds lost as of today). On workout days, that goes up to 4 ½ to 5 ½ miles. Today I have walked 8.3 miles and the day isn’t over yet. I sure felt better doing yard work and had more energy because of the weight loss and my conditioning program.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/29/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1258.38	72.43 g	223.37 g	1198.06 mg	14.02 g	10.03%

Notable Blogs on Diet, Cooking, and Exercise

I thought I should acknowledge some of the fabulous blogs I have been reading lately. Some of these are well-established with hundred of recipes and articles while others are brand new. I hope to encourage the newcomers and acknowledge the truly great.

Periodically I will share blogs I would like to acknowledge. If you would like for your blog to be considered, please submit the URL as a comment.

In no apparent order, here they are.

Fatfree Vegan Kitchen
Susan has the most mouth-watering vegan recipes (or recipes of any persuasion for that matter) with gorgeous photos to accompany them.

Old Salt - New Tack
Old Salt is apparently an old guy like me to like to cook and eat. He also writes very well and isn’t afraid to experiment.

Eat Know How....Tips for Palate Transformation

Kimberly is a dietetic consultant and shares her considerable expertise. She has tips and even sample menus for low-fat, low-sodium, and specialized diets along with recipe-modification tips.

Experimental Vegan Daze
Dizzy is a self-proclaimed experimental vegan chef and her blog is new (just started in March 2007) but I hope she continues as her recipes are daring and eclectic. I hope to see more from her.

Cheap and healthy cooking
Boris, who is apparently from Slovenia, has put together an incipient blog with recipes using inexpensive and eclectic ingredients.

Eve's Health & Fitness
Eve is a certified group fitness instructor, and shares an amazing collection of tips on nutrition, physical training, and weight-loss.

The Healthy Cook
The Healthy Cook blog is a collection of recipes and tips from four contributors. I just wish they would post more.

Gary Moller Online
Gary writes about health, fitness, lifestyle sports coaching and conditioning, injury prevention and rehabilitation, and nutrition. He has a good section of recipes as well.

Whole Gourmet Natural Cooking Blog
Alison is a Certified Nutritional Chef, food writer, and culinary instructor who teaches cooking and nutrition classes and shares her recipes with us on her blog. I especially like her three-part series, Homestyle Cooking of the East that features food from Japan, Thailand, and India.

Vegweb
Vegweb has an amazing assortment of vegan recipes. The comments from readers are well worth reading too.

Healthy Living|Healthy Foods|Healthy Diets
The name says it all. This blog by Daria has a few nice recipes, tips for weight-loss, and nutrition.

Quick, yummy, and ohmygoodness, healthy recipes
This new (march 2007) blog has nice recipes and photos of healthy food that can be prepared quickly.

Kreative Healthy Cooking
This is another new (March 2007) blog that is off to a good start featuring a recipe for a tasty-looking Broccoli Soup with Cheddar Cheese. I want to see more from this one.

The ND Blog
Monica does a great job of weaving recipes, nutritional and fitness advice, and food facts into this blog sponsored by one of my favorite sites, Nutrition Data.

Here’s my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/28/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1135.54	56.86 g	189.08 g	1217.22 mg	17.39 g	13.78%

Top 10 Fish to Eat for Health-The Surprising New List

Top 10 Fish to Eat for Health

Rank	Species	Mercury (ppm)	Omega-2 (g)	M-O
1.	JACKSMELT	0.108	5.6	5.49
2.	PERCH (Freshwater)	0.14	3.5	3.36
3.	AMERICAN SHAD	0.065	2.65	2.59
4.	ATLANTIC MACKEREL (N. Atlantic)	0.05	2.6	2.55
5.	COD	0.095	2.5	2.41
6.	MACKEREL CHUB (Pacific)	0.088	2.2	2.11
7.	SARDINE	0.016	1.58	1.56
8.	HERRING	0.044	1.6	1.56
9.	TUNA (CANNED, LIGHT)	0.118	1.6	1.48
10.	WHITEFISH	0.069	1.5	1.43

The Next 10

Rank	Species	Mercury (ppm)	Omega-3 (g)	M-O
11.	ANCHOVIES	0.043	1.4	1.35
12.	MACKEREL SPANISH (S. Atlantic)	0.182	1.48	1.29
13.	SALMON (FRESH/FROZEN)	0.014	1.26	1.24
14.	SALMON (CANNED)	0	1.176	1.17
15.	BUTTERFISH	0.058	0.7	0.64
16.	MULLET	0.046	0.6	0.55
17.	TROUT (FRESHWATER)	0.072	0.6	0.53
18.	CARP	0.14	0.6	0.46
19.	POLLOCK	0.041	0.5	0.46
20.	CATFISH	0.049	0.5	0.45

About Fish and Health

We know that the American Heart Association and the United States Department of Agriculture recommend that we limit our consumption of fat to less than 20-35% of our total calories. And, most of our dietary fats should come from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. We may also know that the recommended ratio of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids to omega-3 should be six to one and that the typical American diet contains a ratio of twenty to one.

Sources of Good Fats

Sources of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are liquid vegetable oils, such as soybean oil, corn oil, and safflower oil. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids come from both plant sources, and from fish and shellfish. Plants contain omega-3 in the α-linolenic acid form (ALA) and soybean oil, canola oil, walnuts, and flaxseed, are among the better sources. Fish and shellfish contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Fish that naturally have more fat, like salmon, trout, and herring, have more EPA and DHA than less fatty fish like cod, haddock, and catfish. There are suggestions in the literature that consuming omega-3 fatty acids from a fish source can improve heart health and reduce the chance of mortality from heart disease.

Caveats

The problem with eating large amounts of fish is that these fish live in water that has been polluted by mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs, dioxins, and other environmental contaminants. These substances, many of which are potent carcinogens, can cause nerve damage and are implicated in a number of diseases. These toxins are found in the flesh and fat of fish to varying degrees, generally higher in larger, older, fish at the top of the food chain.

The worst offenders are:

• Tilefish (golden bass or golden snapper) 1.45 ppm
• Shark with 0.99 parts per million (ppm) of mercury
• Swordfish 0.97 ppm
• And, King mackerel at 0.73 ppm
  

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that nursing or pregnant women, women who are about to become pregnant, and small children should not eat any of these fish. For everyone else, the guidelines allow for up to 7 oz. per week. Why anyone would eat these fish when there are better alternatives is beyond me.

Also according to the FDA, people in this group should limit their consumption of fish that carry about .5 ppm to 12 ounces per week, and all others to 14 oz. per week. Clearly we should be eating more fish, but it’s hard to know what is safe.

Methodology

I prepared a spreadsheet putting the fish on the FDA mercury monitoring list in the first column, the sampled mercury levels in the second column, and the combined omega-w (EPA+DHA) in the third column. I filtered the list for high and moderate levels of mercury and then subtracted the omega-3 levels from the mercury levels. What remains are low mercury fish with high levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/26/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1160.34	76.84 g	165.52 g	1380.69 mg	17.49 g	13.57%

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This recipe is for a remodeled Chicken Cordon Bleu and preserves the taste while reducing the sodium, fat, and calories. It is also simple to prepare as it does not require pounding. Serves 6

Ingredients

1 ½ lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 slices Canadian bacon sliced in half
3 slices thin Swiss cheese (12 slices/8 oz.)
2 egg whites or Eggbeaters equivalent
½ C bread crumbs or corn flour (fish fry)-unsalted

Preheat oven to 400º. Cut a slit along the thin edge of each chicken breast almost through to the other side. Lay the cut breasts flat and place sliced Canadian bacon and Swiss cheese in the pocket. Close the pocket and press the edges together to seal.

Dip the breasts in beaten egg whites or Eggbeaters and then in the breadcrumbs or corn flour. Brown one side of the chicken in a skillet coated with olive oil spray. Place each breast browned side up on a cookie sheet coated with olive oil spray and cook in the oven for 25 minutes or until the chicken is done. This recipe is good as it is, but it is also good with my secret sauce on the side.

Each 4 oz serving has 256 calories, 39 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 7.17 g fat, and 340 mg sodium.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/25/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1194	59.36 g	206.86 g	478.16 mg	17.55 g	13.22%

Top Ten Highest and Bottom Ten Lowest Glycemic Index Foods

I am going to be writing later about the glycemic index of foods and how they may affect the choices we make. But for now, this will just be an introduction to the glycemic index of foods. The glycemic index is based on the impact different foods have on insulin production in our bodies. Stressing the pancreas by constantly prodding it to produce insulin may lead to diseases such as diabetes (hyperglycemia) and low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). My approach to dieting is not necessarily to avoid sugars as I have no indication of blood sugar problems or any family history of diabetes, but I have noticed that high glycemic foods can affect how hungry I am and indirectly affect my diet. High glycemic foods are quickly converted to sugars and therefore require an insulin response from the pancreas. The sugar creates a high and the insulin creates a low that can lead to overeating.

I have compiled a list of high and low glycemic index foods for comparison. Glucose has an index of 100, and foods with an index less than 55 are considered low, between 55 and 70 intermediate, and above 70, high.

Top Ten High Glycemic Index Foods

1. Dates, 103
2. Parsnips, 97
3. Baguette, 95
4. Brown rice pasta, 92
5. Baked Potato, 85
6. Instant potato, 83
7. Cornflakes, 83
8. Microwaved Potato, 82
9. Rice Krispies, 82
10. Pretzels, 81
    

Bottom Ten High Glycemic Index Foods

1. Yogurt low-fat (sweetened), 14
2. The following foods all tie for second place.
1. Peanuts, 15
2. Artichoke, 15
3. Asparagus, 15
4. Broccoli, 15
5. Cauliflower, 15
6. Celery, 15
7. Cucumber, 15
8. Eggplant, 15
9. Green beans, 15
10. Lettuce, all varieties, 15
11. Low-fat yogurt, artificially sweetened, 15
12. Peppers, all varieties, 15
13. Snow peas, 15
14. Spinach, 15
15. Young summer squash, 15
16. Tomatoes 15,
17. Zucchini, 15
3. Soya beans, boiled, 16
4. Tied for fourth place.
1. Cherries, 22
2. Peas, dried 22
5. Chocolate milk, 24
6. Tied for sixth place
1. Pearl barley, 25
2. Grapefruit, 25
7. Tied for seventh place
1. Whole milk, 27
2. Spaghetti, protein enriched, 27
8. Tied for eighth place.
1. Boiled kidney beans, 29
2. Boiled green lentils, 29
9. Soya milk, 30
10. Apricots (dried), 31

Here is my recap for yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/24/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1381.14	101.3 g	196.35 g	1462 mg	20.81 g	13.56%

Not-So-Sloppy Joes and Healthy Secret Sauce

For lunch today I found another use for my current favorite bread-like food, whole wheat pita pockets. I also made a variation of my favorite low-fat, low-sodium secret sauce that is so creamy and rich with flavor that I felt very indulgent using it.

Not-So-Sloppy Joes

Ingredients
½ Kangaroo WW Pita
.25 lb. Extra lean ground beef (96/4)
1 T Onion
.5 t. Chili powder
Splash red wine vinegar

In a skillet sprayed with pan spray, brown the ground beef and the onions together. Add chili powder and a generous splash of red wine vinegar (about 2 t.). Warm pita half in the oven and when the ground beef mixture has reduced to where there is no longer any liquid, put it into the pita. Serve with slices of tomato and secret sauce on the side. (214 calories, 27.11 g protein, 16.93 g carbohydrates, 4.01 g fat, 230 mg sodium) not including the sauce.

Secret Sauce

Ingredients
1 T Sour cream, non-fat
1 tsp Prepared Mustard (I use Griffins, it is lower sodium)
Freshly ground black pepper

Simply combine the sour cream and mustard then grind the pepper into it. Mix well and prepare a few minutes before you plan to serve it. It has a decadent richness and plenty of flavor. Tonight I used it on the side with boiled boneless skinless chicken breasts. (10 calories, 1 g protein, 1.5 g carbohydrates, 0 fat, 65 mg sodium)

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/23/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1207.5	62.75 g	216.41 g	999.5 mg	15.76 g	11.75%

Changing the Way I Think About Food

A number of years ago when my parents were still alive, I was talking with my brother after his return from a trip home when he said, “You ever notice how funny people back home are about food?” Where was he going with this? “Whatdya mean”, I asked. He said, “Well, when they are eating breakfast, they are talking about what they are going to have for lunch, at lunch they talk about what’s for dinner, and at dinner they are either talking about breakfast, or about grocery shopping. And, all the people back home do it.” This conversation was starting to take a perverse turn. I suspected my brother had spent too much time living in California. “Well, yeah, don’t you”, I said.

Part of this attitude was cultural, all Hoosiers delighted in talking about food, didn’t they? Part of it was the difference between how I thought about food and the way my brother did. I like thinking about food. I like preparing food. I like eating food.

Part of the reason I warmed up to the idea of putting myself on a low-fat, low-sodium diet was the challenge of remodeling recipes. I’ve gone through various ethnic phases of cooking, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, American country, California cuisine, and now I was preparing to remodel my recipes the way that Michel Guérard did with his classic cookbook, Cuisine Minceur (literally the cooking of thinness). Only this time, if I used his cookbook, I wouldn’t add back in all the high fat and calorie ingredients he had so skillfully removed.

Sure, I am still obsessed with food, but this time, I am obsessed with health and fitness and with cooking healthy. And, this time, I have learned to appreciate the food without the fat, sodium, and added calories. I think the psychologists would call this sublimation, the diversion of the expression of an unhealthy desire to an expression of that desire that is healthy and more acceptable. Not quite transubstantiation, but I find it fulfilling nonetheless.

I have no recap from yesterday as I left my flash drive at school and my diet spreadsheet lives on it. When I got home, I found the leash around my neck was empty. So, tonight it’s pencil and paper. I’ll post two tomorrow.