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As most 60 in 3 readers know, I’m a vegetarian.  However, I want to make one thing clear, being vegetarian does NOT automatically make you healthy.

But All The Studies Show…

Yes, there are many studies that show people who eat a vegetarian diet are in better health.  However, I would argue that this is because they are more aware of what they eat and select healthy food as opposed to the simple fact of eating no meat.  Let me give you an example.  I can survive for the next 30 days on a diet of nothing but twinkies and coke.  Technically I would be eating a vegetarian diet.  In fact, I think this would be a vegan diet although I’m not 100% sure of that.  However, would it be a healthy diet?  Not even close.

Can Meat Be Healthy?

The answer is absolutely.  In fact, it’s not that meat CAN be healthy.  Meat IS healthy.  Meat contains a lot of nutrients that are difficult to find elsewhere.  Not impossible, but difficult.  Meat can also be a great source of healthy fat and protein.

So What The Heck Is The Problem?

The problem is that we eat too much meat and too much of the wrong kinds of meat.  Industrially processed meat is NOT good for.  Eating large quantities of it three times a day is even worse.  Eating small portions of healthy meat like wild caught fish, free range turkey and chicken or even grass fed beef is healthy.

So Why Are Vegetarians Healthier On Average?

My theory are that people who limit themselves to a vegetarian diet are, for the most part, the kind of people who pay more attention to what they eat than the average person.  They are consiously choosing to be aware of what they put into their bodies and this leads them to select healthier foods.  If you have the same kind of attitude but are NOT a vegetarian, I think you’ll be just fine.

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Healthy eating is not about overly restricting yourself to one type of food or another.  It’s about being aware of what you eat and making a consious decision to eat better.

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There’s a new study that came out recently that compared low fat, low carb and the med diets. The end results seem to indicate that the low carb and Med diets are better than low fat, which is now causing quite a few heated arguments in various health publications. Everyone is coming out in favor of their favorite diet. People are claiming the study is revolutionary while others are claiming it’s flawed. Some authors are saying the study once and for all proves that low carb is the right choice, other experts are saying it’s meaningless. What are we to make of all of this?

Does It Matter?

To me, this kind of study is meaningless.  Not just because the study itself seems flawed but also because I don’t really care.  All of these heavily structured diets that tell you exactly what to eat and how much of it to eat are way to restrictive to be effective.  I don’t want to spend my life checking nutritional info on every thing I eat.  I don’t want to spend every meal time calculating if I’ve had too little or too many carbs, too many fats or enough fresh olive oil.

What Makes A Diet Good?

First, the basic idea behind it has to be healthy.  I think low carb and low fat both fail in this aspect.  Our basic diets include both carbs and fat and a diet that says avoid one or the other is automatically suspect.  Maybe if the low carb diet was called the “avoid junk carbs like bread and pasta diet” I would like it more.  However, it’s not.  It’s the “low carb diet”, and people use it to avoid eating vegetable and eat way too much processed meat.  Hey folks, you can read as many studies as you want but it still won’t make eating tons of bacon and no tomatoes healthy.

Second, a diet shouldn’t be too restrictive.  Fad diets like the cabbage soup diet and such usually fail this one, but low carb, low fat and med diets all fail this one too.  Low fat is especially bad here since fat is in almost everything we eat and trying to restrict its intake is nearly impossible.

Third, a diet should be sustainable.  That means you should be able to keep it up for the rest of your life.  Remember, a healthy diet is not a temporary thing, it’s the eating plan for the rest of your life.  Personally, I don’t feel like restricting my food for the rest of my life to just Mediterranean cuisine.  So again, all three diets fail on this one.

A Good Diet

A good diet is simple and unrestrictive.  It’s something you can easily follow and not feel like you’re giving up on the good things in life.  Otherwise, you’re not going to follow it.

The best quote about this study came from the Chicago Tribune.  It said:

Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, was not in involved in the study.

It has not changed her basic approach: “Eat less, move more,” she said.

That’s it right there folks.  You want good, healthy eating?  Focus on that.  Eat less, move more, and my own little addition, eat healthier.  Stop counting carbs and fat calories and stop worrying about whether or not your food came from an Asian cuisine, an American cuisine or a Med one.  Just apply some basic rules to what you eat, eat in moderation and be physically active.  The weight will come off and you’ll feel much better.

If you want to read more about this study, check out Discover Magazine, The Chicago Tribune or the Wall Street Journal.

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Eating doesn’t have to be a complicated science and it shouldn’t feel like a battle, it should be simple and enjoyable.  Stop focusing on specialized diets and start focusing on being healthy.

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i’ve talked about Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma before, but since I recently reread it, I thought I would officially review it here on 60 in 3.

What Is This Book All About?

The Omnivore’s Dilemma is a book about food.  It’s not a diet book, it’s not a nutrition book and it’s not a healthy eating book.  It is simply a book about food, where it comes from and how it gets to our table.  The book seeks to make you aware of what you’re eating and why it’s on your plate.

What Is The Omnivore’s Dilemma

First off, what the heck is the title supposed to mean?  The omnivore’s dilemma deals with an issue faced by all creatures who can eat a variety of foods.  Simply put, faced with many choices, we’re left wondering which is the best one.  That’s not a problem faced by creatures with a simpler diet.  For example, the Koala, which can only eat Eucalyptus leaves, rarely wakes up in the morning thinking “what should I eat today?”  Carnivores, who eat only meat, usually don’t have a problem picking out a proper dinner dish.  It’s us omnivores who need to make decisions each time we eat.  For humans, that’s especially bad since we’re faced with an incredible variety of foods, many of them bad for us.

What’s In The Book?

The book is divided into three sections, each of which follows a different food chain from raw materials to consumption of a meal.  The first section looks at industrialized food and how it goes from corn field to finished product.  The second section follows the “organic” food chain from farm to plate.  Finally, the third section looks at a meal completely foraged and collected by the author, with all components being personally obtained.  Each section includes a lot of information on why this food chain exists, how it came into being, what the various issues or problems with it are and what kind of impact this food chain has on the world around us.

The book is very personal by the way.  It is not scientific nor is it cut and dry.  In each section the author digs in and really gets involved with the food chain he’s examining.  Whether it is by working on a corn farm in section one, slaughtering a chicken in section two or going foraging for mushrooms in section three, Pollan gets up and close and personal with his food in every possible way.  That’s part of what makes this book so great, it takes a process which is often impersonal and alien and puts it into terms that are meaningful and easy to understand.  It makes us relate to our food, which I think is an incredibly valuable endeavor.

Section 1 - The industrial food chain

Pollan starts this section at the most logical point, the corn field.  Corn is the foundation on which the American industrial food chain is built and Pollan follows it from the field where it is grown and harvested to the place where it is most commonly served, the American fast food restaurant, McDonald’s in this case.  Pollan includes quite a bit of history on how corn came to dominate the American culinary landscape and what the impact has been on our wallets and waistlines.  Along the way, he visits a factory beef farm to show a bit about modern meat production.  It’s clear that Pollan is not really fond of this food production chain and he makes a very good case for how it hurts us in a variety of ways.  If you’re not angry at your government by the end of this section, you may want to go back and reread it

Section 2 - The “organic” food chain

Here Pollan follows organic food from field to plate.  I put organic in quotes because Pollan makes a point of saying that the term organic is a bit loose.  It can refer to a gorgeous little family farm in the middle of the woods or it can refer to a very industrial facotry that’s almost like the processed food chain he examined in section 1.  Again, Pollan presents a lot of background material on how this organic food chain came to exist and how various parts of it function.

Section 3 - The foraged meal

This final section was the least practical but also the most interesting.  Here, Pollan talks about a meal he foraged himself.  He grew the vegetables, he foraged the mushrooms and yes, he hunted the meat, specifically, wild California pig.  Pollan gets philosophical in some areas of this section, talking about animal rights and the morality of being a carnivore.  By the way, Pollan himself is not vegetarian, nor does he advocate it as a lifestyle, he’s just discussing the topic as yet another thing to consider when you eat.

Of all three sections, I enjoyed this one the most.  Sure, it probably didn’t have a lot of information I’m going to use in the future, but it really made me think about my food, which is the point of the book.  This is the most personal of the food chains, one in which you are the entire food chain and nothing stands between you and your food.  What you gather is what you eat.

So Why Is This Book Important?

Because we’ve forgotten what food means.  Too many of us see food and but don’t actually see everything’s that’s gone into that food.  We’ve forgotten or never knew how that food got to us.  We don’t think about all the work and effort that went into making the food and getting it to us.  We don’t think about the impact of our decisions and we fail to consider how a simple choice like what to have for dinner can have wide reaching consequences on the world around us.

Food is 50% of health (the other 50% being exercise).  Something this important shouldn’t be ignored.  We focus too much about nutrition and calories but we’re never really aware of what food is and where it came from.  We think of the differences between meat and vegetables but we don’t really think of the difference between this tomato and that one.  We worry about the amount of carbon our cars put out but we don’t think about the resources it took to put that steak on our plate.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma doesn’t try to get you to go vegetarian, it doesn’t tell you to start growing your own vegetables and it doesn’t preach about proper nutrition, it just wants you to be aware of what you’re eating.  The books seeks to make eating a conscious decision rather than a mindless activity and I think it’s a spectacular success.  After reading this book I can no longer walk into a McDonald’s without thinking about corn.  I can no longer look at a package that says organic without questioning the meaning of the word.  I don’t even think of hunters the same way I did before and, for the first time in my life, I have a real desire to learn how to cook.  In all possible ways, Michael Pollan’s book has made me more aware of what’s on my plate, which to me is the whole point.

If you’re interested in your health then you should be interested in your food, and if you’re interested in learning more about your food, then this book is a must read.

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There are very few books that have affected me as much as this one.  If you’re interested, here’s the link to Amazon.  Buy it online, check it out from the library, find it at your nearest used book store or borrow it from a friend.  Whatever you do, go and read this book.

Amazon link:

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I usually try to use my weekend roundups to link to other sites with useful articles. Sometimes though, I find something that I’m so impressed with that I just want to give it a bit more spotlight. Today is such a case.

I forget how I stumbled onto this site.  In fact, I think I did use Stumble Upon to get to it.  Quick plug - If you like any 60 in 3 articles, don’t forget to Stumble them! Anyway, I found it quite randomly but I was amazingly impressed by what I saw.  It’s such a simple idea and yet very powerful.  What the author has done is take picture of 300 calorie servings of various foods, from fruits and vegetables to meat and dairy.

Why So Impressed?

Because it’s great to talk about portion control and serving sizes but it really doesn’t sink in until you see it visually.  For example, the difference between 300 calories of apples and 300 calories of bacon is easy to understand but seeing it in pictures really drives home the difference in what you’re eating.  Even better, these pictures can take differences that are a bit less obvious and make them clearer.  For example, compare the 300 calories of grapes to 300 calories of raisins.  It’s hard for many people to see the difference between eating grapes and eating raisins, and this sort of visual aid really makes a difference.

But Wait, There’s More!

Not only did the author include all the weight measurements used for these pictures, she also included the prices.  Now some of these might not be accurate for your neighborhood, but it’s still useful information.  For example, it’s easy to see why so many people eat too much meat, it’s cheap, something you can chalk up to our government’s misguided farm policies.  300 calories of beef cost less than 300 calories of tomatoes, which is just crazy.  I should probably get off this topic before I go into a full political rant!

How To Use This Information

This isn’t meant to be a reference guide.  I don’t think you should come to this site and check out the pictures every time you’re going to eat.  Just take a good look through this link.  Spend some time and get to know your typical food serving.  Come back a few days from now and do it again.  Basically, I want you to educate yourself so that, when faced with real food, you know how much is too much and how much is just right.

Without Further Ado…

Here’s the link:

Health Assist

And a similar link only this time to 200 calories servings:

Wisegeek

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It’s Friday and the weekend is about to start.  For most people, that means a couple of days of rest and relaxation.  Unfortunately, the weekend also means many unhealthy habits for people.  People tend to eat more and be less active on the weekend.  So how about ending this week right with a few ideas for a healthy weekend.

Go Outdoors

The weather is beautiful in the San Francisco Bay Area.  If it’s this pretty where you live, how about finding a fun outdoor activity?  This could be anything from hiking and biking to playing frisbee in the park with friends.  It could even be something as simple as finding a friend or loved one and taking a long walk through your neighborhood.  Whatever it is, outdoor activities tend to be healthier than staying indoors.

Work On The Yard

If you have a yard, why not spend some time working on it?  I don’t just mean mowing the lawn, although that’s a pretty decent physical activity right there.  I mean plant a few things, especially vegetables or fruits.  Planting a garden will provide you with physical activity for months and with fresh produce at a cheap price.  It’s the best of all worlds!

Lay Off The Beef and Grains

The majority of what we eat is meat and grains.  How about changing that for a weekend?  No, you don’t have to go vegetarian for the weekend, but how about sticking to healthier meats until Monday morning?  That means fish, chicken, turkey and so on.  No beef, no pork, especially not the overly processed varieties.  Also, stay away from breads this weekend.  So no pizza, pasta or breads.  Commit yourself to doing this for just a weekend and see how easy and tasty this sort of healthy diet can be.

Go Dancing

Dancing is a wonderful workout which most people don’t consider a workout.  If you’re part of a couple, why not invite your partner to a night out at a dance club?  If you two have never danced before then find your nearest dance lesson or hall and go try it out.  There’s always beginner nights.  If you’re single, what better place to meet people than at a dance hall?  That’s especially true of you shy guys out there.  Trust me, you’ll enjoy it

Start Each Day Right

Commit to starting your Saturday and Sunday mornings right.  That means plenty of sleep the night before (you can forego the late night drinking binges for one weekend), a good breakfast and a 5 minute workout.  Do that for two mornings and see how much better you feel for the rest of the day.  Again, I’m not asking you to commit to this for the rest of your life, just two mornings.

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I hope everyone has a healthy and fun weekend.

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Every once in a while, I like to share a healthy meal idea with you.  Today, it’s breakfast time.

What You Need

• One small cucumber
• Some Cheese.  Any kind will work.  I’m partial to pepper jack.
• A handful of blueberries

Preparations

This is an ultra simple breakfast.  Just slice up the cucumbers and the cheese.  Stick one on top of the other and you’re done.  The blueberries are great either between bites of cucumber and cheese or afterwards.

Calories

What calories?  Well ok, that’s not quite true.  Depending on the amount of cheese you use, this meal could have a few hundred calories in it.  So be careful not to overdo the cheese.  The cucumber has almost nothing.  Blueberries do have some calories in them but relatively few.  Using my portions, I get about 300 calories in a breakfast like this.

Nutrition

This is an amazing meal in terms of nutrient.  Zero emptry carbs, good amount of protein and fiber, plus the blueberries are a great source of antioxidants.  It’s hard to find a better way to start your day.

Cost

Most expansive part of this breakfast is usually the blueberries.  However, if you keep that part under control, you’ll probably spend around $3 each time you eat this meal.

Time

Preparation time is about 1 minute.

Small Editorial

When I told a friend about this, he said “wait, that’s not a breakfast, that’s an appetizer.”  Folks, there’s no rule that says what you can or cannot eat on a given part of the day.  There’s nothing that says you can’t have an egg for dinner and there’s nothing that says an appetizer can’t be breakfast.

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What a great day to start the day.  I feel full, it tasted wonderful (those blueberries were amazing!) and I got a good start to a very nutritious day.  Now I’m going to go take a short walk to the post office.

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For some strange reason, people assume that vegetarian means eating a lot of salads.  It’s not true folks, there are plenty of good non meat dishes that don’t involve meat.  However, I’m quite often asked about salads as soon as I tell people that I don’t usually eat meat.  Well, ok, I give up!  Yes, I do occasionally eat salads, and when I do, I’m still pretty careful to make sure that they’re healthy.  So follow along for a quick five tips on what to do at the salad bar.

Salad = Vegetables

The first and most common sense tip is to focus on vegetables.  You wouldn’t think this would be a necessary tip until you see some of the salads people get.  Tuna salad which is mostly pasta and tune with maybe a cherry tomato.  Potato salad that’s mostly potatoes and mayo.  Chicken salad which is mostly chicken, lettuce and dressing.  Taco salad which is mostly chips, beans, salsa, sour cream and that ever present lettuce.  These things are not healthy folks, even if they do include the word salad in their name.

You want salad?  It better be 90% or more fresh vegetables!

Go For Color

An easy way to make sure you have a good load of nutrients is to pick vegetables with different colors.  Sounds silly but it works.  Go for plenty of green with things like spinach and broccoli.  Add some reds with tomatoes and peppers.  Now toss in the yellows with zucchinis or bell peppers, mix in some orange carrots and top it off with a bit of white, gray and brown mushrooms.

Easy On The Toppings

Grabbing a healthy salad and then adding half a chicken to it is not healthy.  Want to add some protein?  That’s great, but in moderation.  A little blue cheese, some hardboiled egg, maybe even a chicken strip or two.  Maybe try some kidney or garbanzo beans.

Ditch The Dressing

A good salad doesn’t need dressing.  It tastes fine just the way it is.

Fruits Are Not Vegetables

Yep, there’s no doubt that fruit are good for you.  However, they also contain many more calories than vegetables.  So feel free to munch on some apples, oranges and other fruit, but filling your whole bowl with them might be a mistake (unless of course you were about to fill your whole bowl with a Philly cheese steak, in which case fruit are definitely a healthier alternative.)

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Salad does not necessarily mean healthy.  Many fast food places will lure you in with salads that have more calories than your average big mac.

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