| FT Magazine - AUG-SEP 2006 |
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Nutritional Know-How
Reel in the Flavor
Fresh Fish, Savory Sauces
All materials courtesy of Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, California Raisin Marketing Board.
Want a delicious new way to enjoy fresh-caught cod, halibut or sole from the cold, clear waters of Alaska? Pair the fish with a salsa, sambal or mousseline containing the flavor of the summer sun - sweet raisins from California.
A sambal is an Indonesian take on salsa, with lemongrass, lime juice and golden raisins. And a French mousseline is paired with sautéed leeks and plumped California raisins. Add a dollop to moist, firm and slightly sweet Alaska cod; naturally lean and light halibut; or delicate, mild and tender-textured Alaska sole - all caught in the wild from sustainable fisheries.
When you reel in the flavor, you'll reel in nutritional benefits, too. Alaska seafood is a good source of high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals as well as omega-3 fatty acids, which are not found in many other foods. California raisins are fat- and cholesterol-free, high in antioxidants and an excellent source of dietary fiber.
For more recipes and information, visit www.alaskaseafood.org and www.calraisins.org.
Alaska Halibut With Grilled Pineapple, Chipotle and California Raisin Salsa
1/2 cup California raisins
1/2 cup dark rum
1 fresh pineapple, trimmed, cored
and sliced 1/2-inch thick*
vegetable oil or grapeseed oil,
as needed
2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo
sauce, rinsed, seeded and finely
diced
juice of 1 lime
zest of 1/2 orange
juice of 1/2 orange
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 green onion, sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped roasted
red pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
sea salt
4 to 6 Alaska halibut steaks or fillets
(6 to 8 ounces each)
lemon pepper seasoning, to taste
Plump raisins in rum 30 minutes; drain. Heat grill to medium-high (400°F). Brush pineapple with oil; grill until lightly caramelized on both sides. Cool slightly and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; place in mixing bowl.
In separate bowl, combine chipotles, lime juice, zest and orange juice. Whisk in olive oil vigorously. Pour over pineapple chunks, fold in green onions, red peppers, cilantro and raisins. Season with sea salt, to taste. Set aside.
Brush halibut with oil. Grill just until fish is opaque throughout, turning once during cooking. Season with lemon pepper and serve with salsa.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
*Two cans (15 ounces each) sliced and drained pineapple may be substituted.
Nutrients per serving: 575 calories, 27g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 42% calories from fat, 63mg cholesterol, 43g protein, 28g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 466mg sodium, 119mg calcium and 0.7g omega-3 fatty acids
Pan-Seared Alaska Sole With California Raisin Mousseline
1 cup California raisins
2 cups sliced leeks (about 4 whole),
white and light green parts only
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 package (about 1 ounce) hollandaise
sauce mix
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon curry powder, divided
salt and pepper
4 Alaska sole fillets (3 to 4 ounces each)
parsley sprigs, for garnish
Soak raisins in warm water 10 minutes; drain. Sauté leeks and raisins in 2 tablespoons olive oil until leeks are soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
Prepare hollandaise sauce mix according to package directions. Add heavy cream and 1/4 teaspoon curry powder; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.
Heat heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add remaining olive oil and sole fillets to pan and cook, uncovered, about 2 minutes, until browned. Gently turn fillets and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, just until fish is opaque throughout. Season fillets with salt and pepper.
To serve, place leeks on serving plate and top with fillets and sauce. Sprinkle with remaining curry powder and garnish with parsley sprigs.
Makes 4 servings
Nutrients per serving: 533 calories, 30g total fat, 13g saturated fat, 50% calories from fat, 107mg cholesterol, 25.5g protein, 44g carbohydrate, 2.5g fiber, 391mg sodium, 130mg calcium, 0.6g omega-3 fatty acids
Baked Alaska Cod With California Raisin Sambal
2 cups (about 5 medium) shallots,
sliced lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
1/3 cup very thinly sliced lemongrass
(white part only)
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/2 cup California golden raisins, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
4 Alaska cod fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 small star fruit, sliced
In nonstick pan, sauté shallots, garlic and lemongrass in peanut oil until shallots soften and begin to caramelize. Remove from heat; stir in 1/3 cup raisins and lime juice. Cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare 4 squares parchment paper, 12 inches each.
Season cod fillets with salt and pepper; brush both sides with chili sauce and place in center of parchment sheets. Divide and portion sambal onto fillets. Bring edges of parchment together to form packets and fold together to seal.
Transfer packets to baking sheet; bake 15 to 20 minutes, just until fish is opaque throughout. Serve cod topped with remaining raisins and star fruit slices.
Makes 4 servings
Nutrients per serving: 420 calories, 15g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 32% calories from fat, 73mg cholesterol, 39g protein, 34g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 158mg sodium, 62mg calcium, 0.4g omega-3 fatty acids
Family Features Editorial Syndicate.
Diabetes and Exercise
By Jeanette Hurt
Living with diabetes can be challenging, but exercise can help lessen that challenge. In fact, exercise plays a critical role in treating this chronic disease and in its prevention in people who are predisposed to developing it.
"Many people who have diabetes are obese," explained Dr. Safak Guven, endocrinologist and assistant professor of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "Patients who are obese are at risk for diabetes. We call this 'diabesity.' To tackle this problem, we target weight loss and the most important component of this is exercise."
While exercise is important for everyone, it can be even more important for people who have diabetes, whether it is the type one or type two versions of the disease. One of the major problems faced by people who have type two diabetes is insulin resistance, a condition in which the body produces too much insulin but does not use it effectively.
With type two diabetes, insulin production is reduced over time. In fact, by the time someone is diagnosed with type two diabetes, already 50 percent of their insulin production is decreased, Dr. Guven pointed out. "That is why it is significant to delay the progression of the disease and that is also why weight loss, diet and exercise still remain the major cornerstones for treatment of diabetes," said Dr. Guven, who is also clinical director of the Obesity/Metabolic Syndrome Clinic at Froedtert Hospital.
While exercise may not "cure" diabetes, it can halt its progression and sometimes improve someone's overall condition. "Exercise makes a whole lot of difference," Dr. Guven added. Even for type one diabetes, which is an endocrine disease in which the body does not produce or does not produce enough insulin, exercise can help manage and stabilize the levels of glucose in their blood. It can also prevent the development of cardiovascular disease, which is one of the most serious complications of diabetes. About 70 to 80 percent of all diabetics die from cardiovascular disease, but exercise can reduce a diabetic's risk for developing cardiovascular disease by 20 percent, Dr. Guven said. For people who do not have diabetes but are at risk for developing it, exercise that results in a 7 percent loss of body mass results in a 58 percent reduction of risk for developing diabetes.
Though exercise is critical, diabetics who haven't exercised in a while shouldn't run right out and jump on a treadmill. "If you have diabetes, it's very important to monitor your blood sugar levels while exercising," explained Clinton Helget, N.S.CA.-C.P.T., president and personal trainer at Apple Valley Fitness Together. "Whenever I have worked with diabetic clients, I make sure that they eat at least two hours before a workout and it is critical that their meal includes some kind of carbohydrates. Even people who do not have diabetes can get nauseous if they haven't eaten for several hours before their workout. Also, they need to make sure that they don't skip any meals."
It's also important for diabetics to talk with their physicians before starting any new exercise program. "Right off the bat, you need to tell your doctor that this is something that you're planning on doing," Helget emphasized. "If you start a new exercise program, all of a sudden you might be burning 400 or 500 more calories a day, and you might need to make some modifications for your diet."
Dr. Guven explained that some diabetics might need to undergo a cardio stress test before they begin an exercise program. "Their physicians will know whether or not they need such a test," Dr. Guven added. "They might also consult an exercise physiologist, upon the recommendation of their physician, to find out what their own capacity for exercise is."
Working with physicians and other healthcare professionals is part and parcel of the practice at Fitness Together. "We synergize with all of these other professionals and we get on the same page with them," Helget pointed out. "Everybody feels more comfortable when there's good communication."
Diabetics who take insulin shots might also need to inject themselves in the stomach, rather than in the arms or legs. "If they inject insulin in their arms or legs, their bodies react to insulin quickly if they are exercising," Dr. Guven added.
The highly educated trainers at Fitness Together watch all of their clients, including diabetics, to make sure that they are being challenged just enough without over doing it. "We take people out of their comfort zone, but we don't want them to feel sick or light-headed-ever," Helget said. "We ease our clients into exercise, and once they are comfortable accomplishing certain tasks, we work to build up their training. A lot of people don't know what their limits are, they don't know where or when to stop, and we can help them with that."
Knowing limits is especially important and many people who haven't exercised in a while go out and overdo it, Dr. Guven said. "Most of the time, patients don't' have a good understanding of exercise and they tend to exert themselves more than they should," Dr. Guven explained. "They also tend to incur muscular-skeletal injuries because they don't stretch, too."
Good trainers have that understanding of exercise and can prevent people from overdoing it, doing it improperly or not stretching. At Fitness Together, every client undergoes a detailed fitness assessment and then trainers develop an exercise program accordingly.
Aerobic exercise can be an important component, but resistance training is especially necessary, especially when someone loses weight. To keep weight off, a person must increase the basal metabolic rate or the rate at which their body burns calories. "It has been shown, over and over again, exercise is a key component in weight maintenance," Dr. Guven said. "To increase the basal metabolism rate, we concentrate not so much on aerobic exercise, but instead we focus on resistance exercise. Increased muscle mass has an effect on the basal metabolism rate."
Exercise alone, however, will not help a person lose weight or affect their metabolism as much as when it's combined with a healthy diet. "Once you are diagnosed with diabetes, you have to treat diabetes as if it was your friend," Dr. Guven said. "You have to work with the diabetes, understand the diabetes and follow the medical advice you've been given faithfully. If that happens, then you have a good chance at preventing any complications from diabetes. What we see in our clinics is that the patients who get in trouble are the ones who do not follow that advice."
That also happens to the clients who do not lose weight or lose weight as fast as they intended to. "You are responsible for the time that you are not with your personal trainer," Helget concluded. "If you do not work hard at doing your cardio exercise outside of your training and if you do not eat a healthy diet, you are not going to get the results you want. When people do not get the results they desire, it's usually not because of their trainer - it's because the negative things they're doing outside of their training outweighs the good things they're doing with their trainer."
Supplement Solutions
Think You Need Calcium?
By Noel McArthur
Nobody wants osteoporosis-we are often reminded of this. We recognize the importance of calcium in the prevention of this debilitating disease affecting nearly 10 million Americans. As a result, there is an excess of calcium products produced by numerous pharmaceuticals and vitamin manufacturers on the market. Selecting the calcium supplement that's right for you can get confusing, so let's address our options by reviewing what it is that calcium does, the differences in calcium supplements that are available and their pro's and con's, appropriate doses, precautions, foods rich in natural calcium and a few tips to maximize your body's absorption of the calcium that you do consume.
The vast majority of the calcium found in our bodies is in our bones and teeth-about 99 percent. The remaining one percent resides in the blood and soft tissues and is vital to normal physiological functioning. Calcium combines with phosphorous to form teeth and bones, plays a roll in blood clotting when we suffer an injury, aids in the regulation of blood pressure, is vital in the conduction of nerve impulses from the brain and may help prevent colon cancer according to some researchers. During physical activity inadequate blood calcium affects muscle contraction causing spasms and painful cramps.
The concentration of calcium in the blood, the one percent, must be maintained within a very small range at all times. Ideally, we retain this concentration through the foods that we eat and the calcium that we absorb through their digestion. However, if one's diet remains deficient in calcium-rich foods for too long the body will release calcium from the bones into the blood stream to boost it's calcium level-the body will cannibalize itself in order to ensure calcium levels in the blood stream remain within range.
Through proper nutrition this "borrowed" calcium is later replaced and deposited back into the bone. This process is not detrimental to our bone density over short periods but over longer periods of calcium deficiency where appropriate blood levels can't be maintained by diet, our bones are robbed of their calcium stores, lose their density and become weak. If the bones continue to be leached of their calcium at a faster rate than it is replaced over time we will be left with porous bones. A condition most of us recognize by name as osteoporosis.
How much calcium should we be getting? How much is enough? 1,000 milligrams for those of us who are between the ages of 19 and 50 and 1,200 milligrams for those over the age of 50. A balanced diet including calcium rich foods such as dark leafy greens, low-fat dairy products and legumes should approach the recommended dosages. A surprising number of us do not meet these requirements in our regular diet, so calcium supplements become a vital asset to our daily routine.
There are several different sources of elemental calcium found in the calcium supplement products currently available. Two of the more common are Calcium Citrate and Calcium Carbonate. Also available are Calcium Lactate, Calcium Gluconate, and Calcium Citrate Malate based supplements, although these are not as popular as the aforementioned two due to their cost and availability.
Calcium Carbonate is absorbed best in the presence of acid so it is more effective if taken shortly after eating a meal whereas Calcium Citrate is most effective when taken on an empty stomach. Sometimes stomach acid can be lower in older adults-especially in post-menopausal women-so Calcium Citrate is probably the better of these two options to ensure proper absorption. Also, diets high in overcooked and over-processed foods often leads to a decrease in hydrochloric acid in the stomach making calcium citrate a more effective option.
Consuming the recommended daily dose of calcium, through supplements or proper nutrition, may not correct a shortage of this essential nutrient. Several factors beyond consumption may contribute to a deficiency.
Things that hinder absorption:
A diet that is high in sodium reduces the absorption rate because the salt increases the amount of calcium that is excreted.
Whole grain is detrimental to calcium absorption. Bran is high in phytic acid that combine with calcium forming what are called phytates. These phytates are basically salts that won't dissolve and ultimately get excreted.
Diets that are high in sugars are detrimental to the balance of calcium and phosphorous.
Soda, which is high in sugar, is also extremely high in phosphoric acid that disrupts the calcium balance.
Coffee can cause a reduction in the blood level of inosital, which has a strong influence on the transport and metabolism of calcium in the body.
Although researchers are not certain yet as to whether or not there is a direct effect on calcium, smoking tobacco has a negative effect on the mineralization of our bones.
Calcium absorption can be severely affected by compromised intestinal health such as irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and crohn's disease.
Things that aid in calcium absorption:
Vitamin K plays a role in the body's regulation of calcium.
Vitamin D is also essential to the process of calcium absorption.
A deficiency in magnesium can lead to a decrease in calcium absorption.
Manganese, zinc, boron and copper all aid your body in the proper absorption of calcium.
Other key items to consider when supplementing:
Roughly 500 milligrams per dose is the most calcium that can only be effectively absorbed by the body. Any more than this becomes waste.
Taking a small dose more frequently is more effective than taking a large dose less frequently.
Taking a calcium supplement with fruit juice can increase the absorption because of the vitamin C and high acidity. Many juices are enriched with calcium.
Regular bouts of exercise such as resistance training and running causes the body to produce more calcitonin which causes an elevated rate of calcium being deposited into the bones. In addition to the benefit of an increased rate of calcium absorption, weight-bearing exercise also helps to decrease the rate at which our bones lose their density after the age of thirty.
In addition to supplementing with calcium, you should try to incorporate several foods that are high in calcium to your regular diet. In addition to high content you want selections with a high bioavailability of calcium; a higher rate of absorption with less waste. Foods like rhubarb and spinach are relatively high in calcium but with such a low bioavailability only about 5 percent of what you take in can actually be utilized by the body. Sweet potatoes, pinto beans, sesame seeds, and almonds all have about 20 percent bioavailability. Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt are commonly considered the best choices for calcium because of their high content-to-calorie ratio. Although dairy is a suitable choice, only about 30 percent is actually absorbed by the body. Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, bok choy, watercress, mustard greens, and turnip greens are all excellent choices with a bioavailability of 50 percent or greater.
Ultimately, most calcium supplements are comparable. When making the choice of supplement best suited for you, look for one that includes the other vitamins and minerals that we mentioned earlier: vitamin K, vitamin D, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc, Boron, and Copper. Also, look for a lower dose, less than 500 milligrams, and take them twice daily along with a sensible diet and regular weight-bearing exercise.
Real People - Real Results
Starr Frolich
By Jeanette Hurt
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Photo by Lee Wickersheimer |
Like many people, Starr Frohlich gained weight in her 20s. Leaving college behind and starting her career became her top priorities. A stressful job in mutual funds that combined long hours with heavy travel left her with little time for exercise, let alone time for herself.
But a year ago, this 34-year-old Whitefish Bay resident had just about had enough. She was tired of being overweight, tired of not having enough energy to do the things she wanted to do, and tired because the extra weight she was carrying around caused her to develop insomnia.
That was almost 70 pounds ago. Today, Frohlich has learned how to balance her job with taking care of herself. As this month's success story, she and her two trainers at Fitness Together, Joe Bruno and Holly Tamm, talked about what made the difference in her life.
Why did you decide to come to Fitness Together?
Frohlich: "I had just gone to a doctor's appointment, to see him about a problem, and the doctor's answer was 'You've put on a lot of weight, and that's what's contributing to your problem.' I had just had it. But I had a friend who worked out, and he told me about Fitness Together. So, that was a Thursday, I called Fitness Together and we made an appointment for the very next day. I had been very frustrated, at several points along the way of gaining weight, so it's hard to say what was different this time, but I knew I needed to start doing something. My weight had gotten over 200 pounds. I really just felt bad about myself, I wasn't sleeping well, and in general, I just felt awful."
Did you try other health clubs or fitness programs before coming here?
Frohlich: "I probably signed up at five or six different health clubs throughout my 20s. I'd sign up for a long period of time, thinking that would make me go. But I didn't have to be there, and things always come up if you don't make it a priority."
What made exercising at Fitness Together a priority?
Frohlich: "My problem is I work a lot. I work a ton of hours, and something I've struggled with is taking time for myself. But because you schedule your appointments at Fitness Together, you can't decide you're too tired. It made me go. Before I started coming here, I talked with my supervisors at work, explained to them how important it was for me to go to my appointments. That meant that instead of working evenings, I had to leave right at five o'clock. I learned that the work still got done, and I still did as good of a job as I did before. It's made a huge difference in my life. I sleep better now. I've lost almost 70 pounds, and I now deal with the stress better."
Besides working out, did you have to change your eating habits?
Frohlich: "Where I think I was unsuccessful in my past attempts to lose weight, I would try to do everything at once-eat better, work out and sleep better. All of those things were part of the problem, but I just started with one-working out. I committed to working out six days a week-four days with my trainers here and two days on my own-and I've missed only two days in the year that I've been coming here. Then, three months after I stared working out, I started watching what I was eating. By that time, it wasn't as big of a deal because I was already working out."
Bruno: "That's the best recipe for success. Take your bigger goals and break them down into smaller goals. By meeting your smaller goals, you build your confidence, and that sets you up for more success. Starr is a perfect example of the way you want people to go about the process of losing weight."
What did you do to change your eating habits?
Frohlich: "I did join Weight Watchers online, and I've learned to keep track of my food and my portions. I really watch what I eat during the workweek, and on weekends, I'm more relaxed. Watching what I eat seven days a week would be too hard for me. But during the week, eating well is a habit, and that's something I can do."
Do you think you could have committed to six hours of exercise a week on your own?
Frohlich: "Like many people, I don't push myself as hard as I can when I'm exercising, but if they say I can do the extra ten reps or the extra two minutes, then I do it. When you have someone cheering you on, you do find that you can do those extra reps or extra minutes. When I first started here, I really could barely run a 15 minute mile. Now, just today, I ran five miles this morning in 45 minutes."
Tamm: "The fact that she can now run a nine minute mile shows how strong her legs have gotten. We're just so proud of her, as are other trainers and clients who've seen what she's done. She's really done a great job."
What are some of the things you've learned by coming to Fitness Together?
Frohlich: "In general, this has forced me to pay more attention to myself. I have learned to give myself non-food rewards. I go to a spa once a month to treat myself. In the past, I would have rewarded myself with food."
Tamm: "When Starr came here, she pretty much knew what she had to do, and she did it. What's really stood out about Starr is she knew what she wanted right from the start. She was committed to the process and was in it for the long haul. I knew she would meet all of her goals because of that commitment. Starr knew it was not going to be a quick fix."
Frohlich: "That's the funny thing. People who have known me for a long time have seen that I've lost a lot of weight, and they've asked me, how did I do it. That's the number one question I get: 'How did you do it?' They're genuinely surprised when I answer: 'I work out, and I eat better.' When they ask me to be more specific, I tell them I work out six days a week-just six hours in a week. It's do-able. And everything is better when you're healthier. Six hours sounds so simple so it makes you wonder why it was so hard in the first place. But it doesn't have to be that hard. It's just like eating-exercise has to be made a part of your life."
Bruno: "Many people are looking for that quick fix-they're looking to take a pill or something. But it takes time and a lot of hard work, and Starr's done that."
Tamm: "If an hour workout seems too intimidating for people starting out, just try a half hour. The important thing is to commit to something. You'll still feel better if you do something."
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Get Going
How Confident Are You?
By Michael Krueger NSCA-CSCS
Confidence can be easily shaken in most people. Studies have shown and personal experiences have confirmed this to be true. Why should it be that the slightest negative feedback may send a person's self-image plummeting-and what can a person do to overcome a lack of confidence in themselves.
When you are confident you are willing to work towards a goal, despite problems, and attract people who feel and act the same way. This helps each individual feed on the positive energy that everyone is sending out. By doing this, the sum total created is much greater than what any individual operating alone could produce. This is known as synergy, or when one plus one doesn't simply equal two, but because of this cooperative energy equals three or four or who knows how much. Unfortunately the opposite is also true. If even one person in a group has low confidence, this can drag down an entire enterprise.
What types of things can you do to increase your sense of confidence? Some are simple and others require extra effort. The first and probably simplest is to notice what message your posture is sending-stand up straight, shoulders back, head high. This will make you appear more confident and makes you feel that way, too. It also helps to open up the chest so that you can breathe more deeply and increased oxygen will help you to think more clearly and, hopefully, act more decisively.
Exercise in general generates feelings of control that help you to feel more confident. Seeing your level of fitness increase over time-and noticing how your health has improved-demonstrates you can accomplish difficult goals. It is hard to feel sorry for yourself when you are in the midst of a hard run or trying to finish out that fourth set of squats or bench presses. When performing to the best of your abilities, you can't help but feel strong and full of confidence.
Another tool is self-talk. Self-talk, either positive or negative, can make or break your self-image. Most people criticize themselves with words they would never accept from someone else. When you don't allow problems or bad moods to affect the way you project yourself, you literally change the way that you see yourself. This is a learned skill. It's not something you either have or you don't.
If you practice positive self-talk on a regular basis, you will become a much more confident and self-assured person. If you can visualize yourself in stressful situations doing well and performing at the top of your game, you have a much higher likelihood of performing that way. You must practice and be prepared and you will have the confidence that you are ready for anything.
Steer clear of negative people who see nothing but clouds on the horizon. Avoid the complainers, especially at work. These are the people who feel as if they have no control. and enjoy complaining about everything and everyone. They have found that it is easier to complain and finger point than it is to actually do something to improve the situation, and they never have anything constructive to say. Unfortunately, they are often witty and perhaps even charming people. They feel that it is "fun" to drag others through the mud because it makes them feel better. And they don't want to make the effort to raise themselves up, so they try to pull others down to their level.
Confident people on the other hand, have the sense that they do make a difference, that they do have control. These are the people who make things happen. They understand that not only is nothing going to get done in this negative environment, but that it is toxic to their mental and emotional well being, and they don't stick around.
The next important trait to foster is resiliency, the ability to bounce back after a setback. Don't deny or ignore setbacks or pain. Just accept them as part of life and move on. Sometimes people will panic after a major setback and spring into action before thinking through a situation. This behavior usually ends badly-it manifests itself in angry emails, or lashing out at those who you feel wronged you. If you feel that you need help in recovering, don't hesitate to seek help. This isn't a weakness, but rather it shows that you are aware when you are in too deep to see clearly and you have the good sense to consult with those who may be able to help you.
Next, is to give recognition and praise, but not only to others, to yourself as well. Be specific with your praise. Say "I really like it when you..." Don't forget to recognize the positive attributes that you have as well. Reward yourself for a job well done. Acknowledging a good performance goes a long way in building confidence and a positive self-image. When praise is given freely, a person is much more likely to listen to constructive suggestions on how they might improve their performance. Empty praise means nothing. The insincere compliment is often seen as the veiled insult it really is. Be honest and straightforward with your praise and everyone involved will reap the rewards.
And lastly, remember that everything can look like it is going to fail while you are still mired in the work of it. It is a rare project, or lifetime, that goes along smoothly from start to finish. Expect difficulties, but when you see these difficulties visualize yourself overcoming them. When you play a game it is rare that you lead from start to finish. If you quit as soon as the other team scores you are certain to fail. Stay in the game all the way to the end, that way, win or lose, you played with confidence and you will know that you did your best.
Label Me Crazy
The Search for Truth in Labeling
By Phil Kaplan
We want to eat better and try to eat healthfully. Unfortunately, most of us fail to eat healthfully for any significant period of time. Based on an explosion of misinformation, many people are confused as to what eating right really means. We consume far too much sugar, which drives insulin production haywire and leads to cravings for sugar. The calorie deprivation of starvation dieting causes the body to send out chemicals that interact with the chemicals in your brain to drive your hunger to that nutrient that we can actually survive off of the longest-fat. Even with a full understanding what it means to eat right, controlling your sugar intake and even with adequate calorie ingestion, challenges remain-deciphering food labels.
There are many common and misleading tactics food companies use to sell products. Some of these may shock you. The FDA is responsible for the truth in labeling guidelines food companies must adhere. However, the food and drug companies are an important source of funding for the FDA, and consequently, there are loopholes in the labeling laws allowing the food companies comply with FDA labeling guidelines and possibly mislead unsuspecting consumers. Here are a few examples.
Fat-Free
It would be really nice if we could be foods labeled fat-free are actually free of fat. Unfortunately, some fat-free labeled foods may be 50 percent, 60 percent or in some cases, 100 percent fat and their labels say fat-free. Examine a can of fat-free cooking spray, more often than not it says on the front of the container, "for calorie free and fat-free cooking." If you turn the can around and examine the FDA regulated nutrition label, you'll find that there are zero calories per serving, zero calories from fat. That's when you look at that tiny print on the ingredients panel. You'll find that the only significant ingredient in that can is vegetable oil, corn oil, or canola oil-foods that get 100 percent of their calories from fat! Yes, your fat-free cooking spray is 100 percent fat.
The labeling law requires if there's less than one half a gram (.5 g) of fat in a serving, a food can be labeled fat-free. However, what the food companies determine as a serving size is not regulated. If you go back to the tiny print on that spray can, you'll find that a serving is equal to two-tenths (2/10) of a gram. Is there less than half a gram of fat in a serving? Of course. This loophole allows cooking sprays, made from pure fat, to be labeled fat-free. The same is true of the fat-free butter spreads, the fat-free butter substitutes and fat-free liquid butter for popcorn.
2 Percent Fat or 98 Percent Fat-Free
There are many labels that boast of low-fat percentages on their front panels. It's common to see meats and dairy products labeled 98 percent fat-free or only 2 percent fat. Let's use milk as an example. If 2 percent milk gets 2 percent of its calories from fat, that would suggest that 98 percent of the calories are from other nutrients. Pick up any container of 2 percent milk and turn it around. The nutrient amounts may astound you. You'll find that 35 percent of the calories actually come from fat.
The food companies are allowed to report nutrient percentages based on total volume. In other words, if you see a package that says 98 percent fat-free, that means that 2 percent of the entirety of a serving would be fat, but that doesn't translate to percentage of calories. Because milk is predominantly water, and water doesn't have any calories, they are telling you that 2 percent of the contents including the primary ingredient, water, are fat. If you look at calories per serving, and calories from fat, you'll be able to do some quick division and discover how misleading the reported percentages can be.
Low-Calorie
If a food has less than 40 calories in a serving, it can be classified as low-calorie. Serving sizes are not regulated and can be manipulated so they contain fewer than 40 calories.
Reduced-Calorie
Foods with 25 percent fewer calories than comparable products can be labeled reduced calorie. Compare a fatty-food to a super fatty-food and you can call it reduced-calorie, even if the caloric content is excessively high.
Reduced-Fat
Foods with 25 percent or fewer grams of fat than comparable products can be labeled reduced-fat. Check out the reduced-fat peanut butters. While they have fewer fat grams than the regular peanut butters, they are still a high-fat food labeled reduced-fat.
Reduced Sugar
Foods with 25 percent or fewer grams of sugar than comparable products can be called reduced-sugar.
Calorie-Free
Foods with 5 calories or less per serving can be labeled calorie-free. You can see how some marketing creativity can get around the guidelines in place to inform consumers and provide truth in labeling. A small enough serving size would allow a pure-fat butter substitute to boast calorie-free on the label.
Sugar-Free
Some foods are labeled sugar-free although they have as much sugar as a chocolate chip cookie. Some labels fail to include the actual word sugar on the ingredient list but instead refer to the specific sugars, glucose, fructose, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, dextrose, etc. These ingredients all indicate the presence of sugar, even if a food is labeled sugar-free. There's a popular cookie being sold that says right on the front label, "Sugar-free, Sweetened with fructose." That means sugar-free sweetened with sugar. Sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, malitol and glycerol do not have to be listed as sugars on the nutrient panel. A snack bar might say sugar-free and list glycerol (or glycerine) on its ingredient panel. Sugar alcohols do affect blood sugar and can spike insulin levels limiting fat release and leading to greater accumulation of body fat. They do have fewer calories than regular sugars, but they are not as sweet, so in order to sweeten a food with a sugar alcohol, you have to use more than you would sugar. The FDA hasn't categorized sugar alcohols as sugar, which is why a label panel might say 26 grams of carbohydrates, only 4 grams of sugar. You have to wonder where the other 22 grams of carbohydrates came from? If you find sugar alcohols in the ingredients, you have your answer.
No Cholesterol
Strolling down the supermarket isles you'll find pastas, vegetable oils, and rice labeled no cholesterol. That sounds good and creates a perception that these products are somehow healthier than the brands sitting next to them. Here's the interesting part. Pastas, vegetable oils, and rice never contain cholesterol. Cholesterol is found in animal products!
No Added Hormones
Milk cartons will sometimes have the words no added hormones on the front panel. This implies that other cartons of milk have added hormones and the hormone-free variety would be a better choice. Milk never has added hormones. Dairy producers don't add hormones to the milk, but it has become common practice to inject bovine growth hormone into the cows that produce the milk. A hormone treated cow can produce milk that shows up on your supermarket shelf saying no added hormones.
There are other misleading words and phrases on packaging attempting to lure unsuspecting consumers-no MSG, organically grown, lean-but you get the picture.
Here are a few final food facts that might prove surprising: Aunt Jemima's Frozen Blueberry waffles don't contain any blueberries at all. The bluish things are dried apple parts treated with food dye. Quaker Instant Oatmeal Fruit and Cream Variety comes in strawberry and blueberry flavors. The strawberry version doesn't contain any strawberries; the blueberry version doesn't contain any blueberries. Betty Crocker Stir & Bake carrot cake doesn't contain even a shred of carrot.
With a basic understanding of the labeling guidelines and the common practices of food marketers, you should find yourself empowered to make better choices. You're better off Staying on the perimeter of the supermarket for most of your shopping or buying your meats and produce in a natural market. Become a label detective and you'll find it far simpler to make healthful choices and stick to a healthy eating plan.
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