Foodology

So, let's take a walk down memory lane for just a minute...

Who remembers the low-fat craze of the 90s?  How about the low-carb craze of the 2000s?  If you lived through those times or followed those times, then you may remember the love of humongous bagels (fat-free) or Snackwell's cookies (fat-free...but full of sugar) or double bacon cheeseburgers, no bun (carb-free) or candy made with sugar alcohols so it had "no net carbs," but may or may not have left you running for the toilet if you had a few too many. 

Anyone?  Anyone?

If we can learn anything from our history it's that fads come and go and extreme eating will never last.  Even with what is popular now...the "uber healthy" extreme eating.  Yes, you may lose weight, but is it maintainable?  Can you always live without bread? It can be tempting to jump on the next diet or fad when you see someone who has lost weight by doing something extreme (HCG anyone?), but the reality is, it's not always the most healthy for your body. 

Diets don't work, they never have and they never will. 

They put your mindset in a "lightswitch" mentality...you're either "on" or your "off."  There is no in between.  If you messed up and ate a cookie, then you might as well have 5 more because you'll just start again on Monday, or at the beginning of the next month, or at the new year.  Sound familiar?    

This can lead to a lifestyle of yo-yo dieting that isn't good for your body or your mental health. 

So, how do we combat this mentality?  Stay away from labels...not food labels...but labeling food or food groups, i.e. "Carbs are bad."  Are they? All of them?  If that label sticks in your head and you know you shouldn't be eating them because they are "bad," then what do you always want to eat?  Carbs. What are you always thinking about?  Carbs.  Human nature is that we want the things most we can't have.  The same line of thinking works for any rigid rule you give yourself. 

Through participating in this challenge, I want you to form healthy habits...habits you can sustain for a lifetime.  Sure, you may need accountability (don't we all?), but I want you to finish this challenge drinking more water, eating more produce, eating more frequently, and not eating late at night, because you feel better when you do and you can sustain the changes your body has made by doing so.

Back to the challenge...

Whole grains are good for you.*  Processed crap is not.  A bowl of oatmeal for breakfast will not make you fat.  Eating a trough of pasta from the Olive Garden at 9pm might.  When it comes to carbs (starch/grains), portion and timing matter.  They are not all bad.  This is why I cannot join the Paleo/Whole30 "Uber Healthy" bandwagon that is so popular today. 

The Paleo/Whole30 diet in a nutshell is no grains, no sugar, and no dairy with a focus on fruit, veggies, lean protein, and healthy fats from whole foods.  There are parts of Paleo that I love, and you can probably guess what those are.  The "no dairy" is neither here nor there and not a dealbreaker for me, although I do love me some Greek yogurt, but it's the "no grains" that is the kicker. 

No oats, no whole wheat, no brown rice, no quinoa, no beans.  That's a "no-can-do" for me and a "don't-think-you-should-do" either.  Getting rid of all the processed garbage, the white-refined flours, added sugars and sweeteners, and anything made with them...I'm all for that plan...which...funny enough...is this week's plan.  :)

The plan above is the plan you should be following on a regular basis....'cause Harvard says so.  It's very similar to "Choose My Plate." As for how much of those good whole grain carbs?...just a quarter of your plate.  Maybe 1/2 -1 cup per meal for ladies and 1-1.5 cups for some of you big guys.  Aim for about a fist-sized serving. 

 The reality is, most of your meal should come from fruits, veggies, and lean protein a la Paleo. But don't count out the amazing, disease-fighting, constipation-preventing, energy-boosting, cholesterol-lowering, cancer-preventing power of good whole grains.

So, what does a whole grain mean?  It means that the first ingredient is "whole wheat" or "whole oat" or "whole grain."  If there is "wheat flour" or "enriched wheat flour" somewhere on that list...that's not going to work for this week.  The reality is white flour IS wheat flour, right?  Flour comes from wheat.  "Enriched wheat flour" is the wheat kernel that they strip to smitherines and take out all nutrition; therefore, they need to "enrich" it by adding some vitamins back in.  Definitely doesn't replace the nutrition from the whole bran kernel. 

So, what's allowed?

Oatmeal (unflavored, preferably slow-cook or steel-cut)

Beans

100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain breads

100% whole wheat or whole grain cereals

Brown rice
Bulger
Buckwheat
Amaranth

Whole wheat or whole grain crackers (Ak-mak or Triscuits are some faves)

Popcorn (preferably without a bunch of added garbage)

Whole wheat tortillas or corn tortillas

100% whole wheat pasta

Quinoa

Farro

Here's a good guide for when you are looking at the ingredient list:

If all your grains/starches this week are whole, then you can earn 5 points/day. 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to miki@axum.co and I will be happy to answer. 

*There are those (about 5-10%) of the population that suffer from gluten insensitivies and/or celiac disease where anything made with gluten (wheat) is, in fact, not healthy for them.  It causes the microvilli in their intestinal track to become flat which prevents any nutrition from being absorbed, not to mention horrible digestive side effects. For anyone who suffers from this condition, it is best to avoid gluten...which leaves rice, beans, quinoa, corn, and really expensive oatmeal.