Sinful Indulgence
Anyone here know what Lindt truffles are? I’ll give you a hint, they’re like a small package of sin, dipped in temptation and then wrapped up in a bit of hedonistic pleasure. Yes, they’re that good. A single bite into one of their milk chocolate truffles and I close my eyes in sweet surrender to the chocolate gods. There’s that moment when I bite deep into the truffle and the creamy filling spills out in all its chocolaty glory that’s like…. well, you can guess what it’s like. 
Yes, I love Lindt truffles. They are to me the epitome of candy. You may or may not agree and that’s your right. Certainly different people have different tastes. However, what you all can probably agree on is “why the heck is he talking like this about chocolate on a fitness website?” And the answer is, this is EXACTLY the way I should be talking about chocolate on a fitness website. In fact, if I didn’t talk like this about chocolate then I should be worried.
Let me explain.
Deprivation Sucks!
What comes to mind when I say healthy eating? Is it tasty vegetarian meals? Is it wonderful salads filled with zest and flavor? Nope, of course not. Most people, including myself sometimes, think of bland lettuce, horrible rice cakes, endless baby carrots, no more steaks, no more chocolate and no more ice cream FOREVER! You think I’m kidding and maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but not by much. Really, healthy eating has quite a few negative connotations in peoples’ minds and very few positive ones. People are not willing to look at healthy eating with an open mind and consider the possibility that we may enjoy it. We choose instead to focus on the bad side of healthy eating and convince ourselves that we’re going to hate it.
So first of all, let’s get rid of that myth. Healthy eating can be very tasty. There are hundreds of recipes out there for healthy breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks that you will enjoy just as much as those steaks and ice cream. In fact, once you open yourself up to the idea, I’m guessing that you’ll find a healthy diet to be far more enjoyable than your previous unhealthy one. Because, not only will you be healthy, but you’ll also gain a greater appreciation for those sinful indulgences like chocolate. You’ll start talking about Lindt truffles as a religious experience and not as a guilty mid morning snack.
A Moment To Savor
Think back to that description I gave of the chocolate eating experience. To me, that’s a little slice of heaven, a moment to savor and enjoy. Now guess what happened when I walked into the Lindt outlet in New York a few days ago? I bought a bag full of these truffles and took them back to my hotel room. I eagerly spilled them all out of their bag, sorted them by flavor (yes, I’m a little CDO which is just like OCD only the letters are in the right order!!!) and started eating.
The first truffle was chocolate nirvana. White chocolate outside with a creamy white chocolate filling. Flavor everywhere. Senses overwhelmed by the richness and sweetness of the chcolate. Taste buds overloading on sensation and brain succumbing to pure pleasure. The second truffle was almost as good. My taste buds were a little overwhelmed by the first chocolate but still aware enough to note the difference in flavors since this one was a milk chocolate truffle. My head was still buzzing and my eyes closed as I focused on the unadulterated joy of consuming chocolate.
The third truffle was a little plain. Sure it was sweet and yes it was very creamy but where was the richness? Where was the chorus of angels singing in my head as I nibbled on chocolate and drank in the dark and sensual flavor of the filling? Well, maybe it was just the dark chocolate, let’s try another white chocolate one to be sure! I bite into this fourth truffle and… well, it’s nice, but there’s nothing else. No heavenly choir, no blind lust, no emotional catharsis, nothing 
What’s my point? Well, the point is that even with things as exceptional as Lindt truffles, too much of a good thing becomes something quite ordinary. Having too many of these chocolates at once made them less tasty. Having them too often would do the same. Instead of a rare sinful indulgence, they would become common place. Their special quality would be cheapened and I would be left with nothing but empty wrappers and guilt.
The same applies to many other things by the way. Take your morning coffee as an example. How many of you feel like something a monkey flung out of a cage until you get that early morning latte? Are you really enjoying it or are you barely existing until you drink it? Is it your caffeinated nirvana which puts a smile on your face or is it a daily caffeine pill without which you are miserable? Personally, I don’t drink much caffeine. Whole weeks can pass without me touching a diet coke. Which means that when I do consume caffeine, I really feel it. Rather than reducing caffeine to a daily (or hourly!) addiction without which I am lost and grouchy, I savor the rare occasions during which I consume it and enjoy the side effects.
Again, what’s my point?
Rare Pleasure Vs. Every Day Habit
My diet is relatively healthy. I am mostly, although not completely, vegetarian. I don’t eat much candy or junk food. I don’t consume much caffeine or any liquid other than water. The foods I eat are wonderfully tasty and very filling. At the same time, I do sometimes indulge in things like Lindt truffles, a caffeinated soda or something like sushi. By eating this way I get the best of both worlds. I have a healthy diet filled with great food AND I get those amazing eating experiences that only come by once in a rare while. In other words, I get to enjoy my virtuous lifestyle and I derive far more enjoyment from the occasional sinful pleasure.
That’s the reality of a healthy lifestyle. It’s not a lifestyle of deprivation, it’s not a lifestyle of scarcity and constant hunger. It’s a lifestyle full of pleasure made even better by not being commonplace. It’s a lifestyle where every day feels good and some days feel incredible, because that’s what you get when you make an everyday occasion into a once in a while pleasure. So you can take your steak every day and your cereal every morning and your dessert with every meal. These things have become common place to you, they have gone from incredible pleasure to every day necessity. I’ll gladly trade them for the happiness of health and the pleasure of the occasional indulgence. I’d rather derive true enjoyment from these things on the rare occasions I consume them. On other days I’ll be finding pleasure in things like not being out of breath when I climb the stairs, not being unable to see my toes, not being afraid of a heart attack and other such simple pleasures that are a daily part of a healthy lifestyle.
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Thank you to Me-Ander for posting a 60 in 3 article in their latest carnival and to Weight Master blog for doing the same in their latest weight loss carnival.
Recipe - Sausage Salad
Today’s post is one of my favorite quick meals to prepare. It’s fast, tasty and very nutritious.
Needed Ingredients
- 1 tomato
- 1 cucumber
- 1/4 onion
- 1 cup of fresh spinach leaves
- 1 cup of mushrooms
- 1/4 avocado
- 1 red pepper
- 2 sausages
- a bit of olive oil
Note, the ingredients matter. If you want good flavor, you’re going to invest in fresh, organic produce and non crappy sausages. I usually buy venison or rabbit sausages at the farmers market but you can find decent stuff at the supermarket too. Just don’t go with some crappy factory produced sausage filled with god knows what. Even with the extra cost of good ingredients, this is still cheaper than eating dinner in a restaurant by the way.
Preparation
Chop up all the vegetables except the onions and mushroom into very little pieces. By little I mean no bigger than 1/4 or 1/3 of an inch (or 1cm for you metric folks). Pour them into a bowl. Now chop up the onions and mushrooms into similarly small pieces and pour into another bowl. When you’re done crying from chopping the onion (which usually takes me about 10 minutes), chop up the sausage into small piece and toss into a frying pan with a bit of olive oil. Start cooking it and, about 4 to 5 minutes it’s done, toss in the chopped onion and mushrooms. Continue cooking for a few minutes, making sure to stir everything well. When the sausage is cooked, pour everything out into your other vegetable bowl, mix well and serve.
Notes
- You do NOT need dressing for this. Believe me, the sausage, onions and other vegetables have enough flavor without you drowning them in ranch sauce.
- You do NOT need a side of french fries, mashed potatoes, rice or any other silly calorie laden dish with this meal. It’s perfect just on its own.
- Glass of wine is fine, I’m told by my local butcher than reds go well with this meat, but really, there’s nothing better to drink than water!
- You may want to adjust the quantity of meat to vegetables to suit your own tastes. This ratio works well for me since it’s one of the few meat dishes that I eat. However, 10 sausages to 1 tomato is probably not a good ratio.
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Anyone have their own favorite quick and healthy recipes?
Intermittent Fasting Results
As most of you know, I’ve been experimenting with intermittent fasting this month. I’ve been trying to spend at least one day a week with a low amount of calories, about 50% of my usual daily total, and another day a week with no calorie intake at all. Overall, my results have been positive, but I don’t think this is an experiment I will stick with, at least not in its current form.
Physical Results
I’ve lost three lbs this month, something I wasn’t really planning on. That’s good news for me since I’ve been stuck at a weight plateau for several months now. Unfortunately, I’m not expecting this change to last since I’m not going to stick to the fasting routine I was doing this month. Looks like I’ll need to find another solution to these last 15lbs.
I will say that I was surprised at how easy it was to not eat. When I first considered this experiment, I thought I would have serious difficulties with hunger during the fasts and with binge eating on the day after the fast. Neither one of these things happened and I actually found it very easy to not eat. I didn’t feel starved, either on the fast day or the on the next day.
At the same time, my workout performance has stayed the same. I was actually worried about this when I initially started this experiment. I was concerned about the effects of a very restricted calorie intake on my muscles and endurance. However, this proved to be unfounded, at least in the short term. My physical performance is just fine and I am capable of just as much running and weight lifting as I was at the beginning of this month.
Energy Levels
Here’s the odd thing. On the evening of a fast and on the morning after a fast day, I felt incredibly energetic. I was awake, I was attentive, I felt great! I thought I’d be feeling tired and weak from the lack of food, but instead I found myself feeling full of life and ready for anything that came my way. Mentally, I felt sharper and more capable plus I felt happier somehow. I don’t quite have the words to describe how I felt, but it was definitely good. This feeling would last right through the post fast day.
Social Issues
Here’s the problem, and the reason why I couldn’t keep this up. As I discovered through this experiment, food plays a huge part in my social life. No matter who I’m with or what we’re doing, eventually, people want to eat. When they eat, they don’t want me sitting there not eating. That would not be social and I suppose it would make them feel a bit weird. That means that on days where I want to fast, I cannot spend much time with other people. Unfortunately, that just won’t work for me.
I’m a very social person and I enjoy spending time with other people. There’s just no way that I’m going to give up this part of my life. Therefore, there’s no way that I can maintain this habit of intermittent fasting even though I like the health benefits. However, there is a way that I can adapt and retain some of this experiment.
Adaptation and Improvisation
As social as I am, I don’t go out every night. There are evenings when I stay home and do things like work on 60 in 3, read or do school work. This usually happens about once or twice a week. On these days, I plan on skipping dinner altogether and eating only a small lunch. That means that I’ll be doing one to two partial fast days a week, which sounds about right to me. I’m hoping that this is enough to gain the benefits of fasting without interfering too much with my life.
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What new thing are you trying out this month? For me, I’m trying out a whole new approach to the people around me, but that’s a topic for a different time and a different blog.
Kashi Post Update
On Monday I wrote a post about Kashi and similar health bars. The main point of this post was to tell readers that these “health” bars are NOT healthy. They are not a healthy snack alternative, nor are they a good way to maintain a healthy diet. I stand by that point. However, a user named Nathan made a good comment on that post which I would like to address. Actually, Nathan made two points, both of which are good.
It’s Not Just Kashi
The post title included Kashi, which is a specific company making these sorts of products. However, the truth is that this applies to all health bars, not just Kashi’s. I used the Kashi brand because it stood out in my mind due to their commercials, which I suppose is terstimony to the skill of their advertising firm. Kashi commercials are always so health oriented, featuring hiking, canoeing and beautiful nature scenes. They really try to convey a sense of natural, healthy food and as much as I enjoy the commercials, that’s simply not true. However, this applies to all companies equally, not just Kashi. So that’s the first thing I need to correct.
It’s Not Healthy but It Is HealthiER
Yes, health bars are not healthy, you’re much better off with a healthy, natural snack like an apple. However, health bars are healthier than some other things you could be eating. If you’re about to dig into a pile of pancakes for breakfast, a health bar is a better option. If you’re about to grab a candy bar as a snack, a health bar is a better option. If you’re about to down a can of soda and a bag of chips, a health bar is probably a better option. They may not be perfectly healthy, but they are far healthier than many other snack options out there. So yes, if you can’t be perfectly healthy, you can at least be a little healthier, and these bars can help with that.
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Thank You Nathan
Thanks Nathan for picking out some of the issues in my post. I don’t claim to be perfect and I appreciate the feedback. If anyone else has a problem with anything I post on 60 in 3, please don’t be afraid to post it in the comments. I welcome good feedback as it’s a way for me to learn.
Is Kashi Healthy?
Ahh, those wonderful Kashi commercials. Someone is hiking through a pristine wilderness. In the background they talk about how much they value health and fitness. Soft music is playing and then we cut over to show the wonderful manufacturers of Kashi bars dive into a waterfall, ski down a slope or whatever it is that people do in TV commercials when they want us to believe that they’re healthy.
But is this stuff really healthy? Should we be snacking on things like Kashi bars and their cousins, the various granola bars, energy bars, whole grain bars and such? Can you guess what I’m going to say?
NO!
Sorry, but most “health” bars are anything but. By the way, on a slightly related tangent, just go ahead and assume that anything a TV commercial is trying to convince you is healthy, really isn’t. Sure, you won’t always be right, but for the most part, you’re fine.
The problem with most health bars is that they’re grains, dried fruit and sugar. Now sure, I’m not some low carb fanatic who considers grains to be the devil’s work. However, I also believe that they should be enjoyed in moderation and not consumed en masse under some false belief in health just because they’re “whole”. Dried fruit are the same. They’re not bad in and off themselves, but if you take a fruit and remove the water, you’re going to be left with a really energy dense food. Which means low volume, high calories, the exact opposite of healthy. Finally, the sugar. Most of these bars have at least some sugar in them. It could be maple frosting, a few M&M’s or some chocolate. Whatever it is, you don’t need it.
Other Products
By the way, this applies to pretty much all products that TV commercials try to pass off as healthy. Cereals, pancakes, waffles or whatever they’re trying to sell you, it’s all unhealthy. Sure, it’s not as bad as deep fried bacon sausages, but that doesn’t make it healthy.
So What Is Healthy?
You want a healthy snack? Eat a piece of fruit, enjoy some vegetables, eat a small piece of cheese, grab a few almonds, snack on a handful of cashews. These are all wonderful snack options with a high amount of nutrients. Yes, some of them are a bit high in calories, but these aren’t empty calories of the types you’ll find in “health” bars.
Remember, the closer a food is to its natural state, the healthier it is. Health bars are very VERY far away from their natural state.
Five Super Foods You’re Eating Wrong!
After my little rant about Orange Juice, it occurred to me that there are quite a few other foods that can be very healthy but are being consumed in a way which makes them unhealthy. So rather than rant some more, I thought I would give you a short list of good foods that are eaten badly.
Apples - An apple a day will keep the doctor away, right? Well, not if you consume it the way most people do. First of all, you people who drink apple juice and think it’s healthy, you’re wrong. Turning an apple into juice takes away a lot of the health value and it concentrates the calorie value. In other words, you’ve turned a healthy treat into sugar water. Second, if you’re eating an apple whole but you’re peeling it before you eat, you’re also destroying a lot of the value. Many of the nutrients of an apple are in the peel. Remove that and you’re left with the high calorie, starchy interior. To get the most out of your apples, eat them as is, peel included.
Potatoes - What, you didn’t think the potato could be healthy? It absolutely can be just as long as you’re not deep frying it or covering it in sour cream. Potatoes, while a little high in calories, are actually good sources of nutrients and relatively low in calories as long as you prepare them correctly. Also, like an apple, you should be eating the skin since it includes many of the nutrients. Best way to eat a potatoe is baked (or microwaved for about 4 to 5 minutes if you’re in a hurry). Don’t drown it in sour cream and butter, you’re just adding unneeded fat. Instead, try a small bit of salt or perhaps a high water content vegetable like a tomato. By the way, this is one of my favorite snacks.
Berries - Acai Berries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, whatever your fancy, berries are an amazing source of nutrients in a relatively low calorie package. So what do we do? We add calories! We toss berries into a smoothie with cream, yogurt and sugar. We toss them into cakes. We cover them in whipped cream. We even dry them so we can too many of them. What the heck is wrong with berries that we need to mutilate them in all these fancy ways? Best way to eat berries is as is. Nothing added, no preparation. Just wash, eat and enjoy. And for you smoothie fanatics, most smoothies are a little bit of fruit with a lot of crap you don’t need. Forgo the crap and just eat the fruit!
Fish - What, didn’t think a vegetarian could have an opinion about meat? Didn’t think fish could be considered superfood? Wrong on both counts! Fish is one of the best sources of protein out there. It’s lean, it contains a good amount of nutrients and it’s usually free of the antibiotics and hormones which pollute most beef and chicken. The only problem is preparation. Once you deep fry and bread a fish, it’s no longer healthy. When you toss a fish into a pot full of rice, it’s no longer healthy. When you eat fish with loads and loads of creamy sauce, it’s no longer healthy. there are better ways. How about steaming your fish with a few spices? How about baking it with some vegetables? How about barbacuing it with a bit of lean BBQ sauce? How about frying it in a small amount of olive oil and then serve it up with a fresh salad? These are all methods of prepation that preserve the value of the fish while eliminating the unnecessary junk most people add to it. Best of all, they’re all tasty!
Eggs - Now that we know the cholesterol risk in eggs is minimal, we can go back to enjoying these wonderful packages of protein and nutrients. However, let’s go back to enjoying them the right way rather than the wrong way. Here are a few hints. If you’re eating your eggs on top of bread, you’re doing it wrong. If you’re eating your eggs smothered in rich, creamy sauces like hollandaise (eggs Benedict) or mayo (deviled eggs), you’re doing it wrong. If you’re scrambling your eggs with enough bacon and cheese to smother a small child, you’re doing it wrong. If you’re filling your omelet with enough sour cream or beans to qualify for a Mexican cookoff, you’re doing it wrong. Why not try a hard boiled egg? How about an egg over easy? How about scrambled eggs with some onions, mushrooms and fresh veggies served on the side? Eggs are just fine on their own, you don’t need to drown them in calories to make them taste good.
Summary
Notice a common thread in all of these? People have an odd tendency to take something healthy and add crap to it. Stop! This is why your ass looks like a clump of dough even though you’re eating all those super foods people keep telling you about. It doesn’t matter how super a food is, it can still be made unhealthy with enough deep frying, breading, drying and additions. For a good healthy change, try to eat food the way it was intended to be eaten, as close to its natural form as possible.
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Hey, 60 in 3 now has 400 subscribers! Thank you all for supporting me in my quest for global blogging domination!
Seriously though, thank you for listening and I hope I have been helpful to you in quest for health and fitness. I know that your comments, suggestions and questions have really helped and inspired me.
Intermittent Fasting Issues
I’ve been trying intermittent fasting for two weeks now with a partial fast on one weekday (usually a Wednesday or Thursday) and a full fast on Sundays. The partial fasts have been going well but I’m having serious issues with the full fasts from a very unexpected source, my social life.
In terms of hunger or any other physical issues, both the partial and full fasts have been much easier than I imagined. I don’t feel hungry or weak, nor do I have any issues the day after or with subsequent meals and workouts. In fact, the physical aspect of fasting has been a lot easier than I thought it would be.
The mental part of not eating has also been easy. When I initially imagined this experiment, I thought I would spend every fast day thinking about food. I imagined myself as one of those cartoon characters who’s so hungry that he sees everything as a food dish. I saw myself hungry and miserable and unable to think of nothing else other than “when is this going to be over?!?!” However, my actual experience has been completely different. I don’t think about food when I’m fasting, no more than I usually would, nor am I miserable unhappy.
Oh no, if only my issues were something like emotions or sensations, that would be easy. The problem I have is much harder, it’s my social life, my friends and family. I never realized how much of my social life revolved around food until I tried to spend 1.5 days a week without it. It’s ridiculous. Every single social plan with a friend or family member includes eating of some kind. It’s truly a lesson to me as to how big of a place food has in our lives and I’m having a hard time figuring out how to separate my social life from eating.
Lessons
I don’t see how full fasting is going to fit into my life long term. I just can’t imagine being able to completely avoid any and all social engagements on an entire weekend day. My weekends are busy with friends and family and they all want to eat. Sure, I could sit with them and not eat but that would feel weird for me and them. At the same time, I don’t want to try full fasting on a weekday when I work out. I need food for energy on those days. So once this experiment is over, I don’t believe I’m going to continue with the full fasting.
So far though, I’m really liking the partial fast days. Essentially, these are days in which I eat a normal breakfast and lunch but completely avoid dinner. In terms of calories, I probably get about 2000 out of my normal 3500, which is low, but not horribly low. These days leave me feeling energized and happy.
Still, who knows. I’ve only done 2 weeks out of this 30 day experiment. Maybe the next two weeks will change my mind. Either way, I’m already learning some valuable lessons about my relationship to food and what more or less of it does to me and that’s worth the time spent on this sort of experiment.
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