Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Baby Steps to Better Health

By Craig Ballantyne

I get hundreds of e-mails every day, but only a few of them upset me. And those are the ones from guys who are under 30 and feel that they'll never be in good shape again. It is frustrating that so many men, and women, think they are over the hill in their late 20s. Can you believe that?

I've worked with men and women in their 50s and 60s who are kicking butt and training hard every week. So to have a 26-year-old guy e-mail me and ask if he can ever lose his love handles is disappointing.

Bad attitude!

Now, to their credit, these guys are often new fathers, working 50 to 60 hours in the corporate world, and having to commute through heavy traffic for another hour or two each day.

Combine poor food choices with decreased physical activity, and you can feel pretty old, pretty quick.

But you can also turn things around just as fast, simply by starting today and trying to be a little bit healthier every day.

Just take baby steps.

If you had only two fruits yesterday, try to have three today.
If you didn't have any broccoli last week, try to get one serving three times this week.
If you cheated on your diet five days last week, cut the cheating down to three days this week.
A little bit better, every day, all the time. And before you know it, you'll feel better than you did last year, five years ago... and, hey, maybe someday even better than you did 10 or 20 years before.

You have a lot of life to live, so start living it with as much energy, strength, fitness, and enthusiasm as possible.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Clean, Lean, and Green

When deciding how meat will fit on your family's plate, consider these four factors:

1. Type. Fresh meat from your grocer's organic section is quite different from meat that's been commercially prepared, processed, and preserved. The meat in frozen or canned "entrees" and the slimy cold cuts stacked onto a sandwich at your local sub shop is what I'm referring to here. Avoid those mystery meats and opt for fresh, organic, "clean" meat that's free of harmful additives.

2. Amount. When I prepare meat, it is treated as a flavor-rich accompaniment, not a main dish. The meat perfectly complements the stand-out seasonal veggies and low-glycemic carbs featured on our plate du jour. I serve about three ounces of meat (about the size of a deck of cards) per person - and no one ever complains about the "small portion."

3. Preparation. Treat your meat right! Muscle meats form dangerous carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) when cooked at high temperatures (grilling or broiling). Instead, opt for slow roasting or simmering. Marinating beforehand is another good way to prevent the formation of cancer-causing HCAs.

4. Farming Methods. It's absolutely essential to choose "green" meats free of antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides. These compounds are powerful endocrine disruptors in our food supply - and even "cutting back" does not safeguard against their effects. It's also important to choose grass-fed beef, which is leaner and provides more beneficial omega-3s and more vitamin A than its grain-fattened counterparts.

By following these guidelines, you will be eating less meat and getting more of what you want - clean, lean, and green protein.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Does Your Diet Fit in Your Genes?

The day of genetic testing and nutritional prescriptions based on your, well, weak genes, has come.

According to Mark McClellan, Commissioner of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, "Nutrigenomics envisions a future in which personalized genetic profiling takes the guesswork out of deciding what you should eat. By adjusting nutrient composition in a person's diet according to genetic profiles, gene-based nutrition planning could one day play a significant role in preventing chronic disease."

If you want to find out if your diet fits in your genes, there are several services available, including one from 23andMe.com and a Solgar product called NutrigenomX. Expect to pay around $1,000.