Food Politics

Quantity is the most neglected aspect of weight loss discussion. Olive oil, for instance, while touted as a health food, can only be consumed in very small quantities for weight control. Even fruit calories (and their sugar) can add up quickly! It can be hard to find small apples (or small anything these days). I even measure my kale salad just to maintain the 1/2 cup habit. Eating out requires the “eat 1/2″ rule, even at a decent restaurant.

Just look at how small those “100 calorie” serving packages are! It makes one realize just how much we overeat. Of course, the whole idea of “snacking” was thought up by the ad industry and enabled by television viewing. As a child, I remember not being allowed to eat between meals–doing so was seen almost as a sin!

Food also equals pleasure though. I’d say measuring your kale is a little neurotic, no? We should eat for health, pleasure, and try our hardest not to let food to control us ( cause us stress)… In my opinion, as long as added fats are limited and the rest of the plate consists of whole foods (mostly veggies) no measurements are needed! I relax knowing I will feel good both before and after eating my food.

P.S. Snacking is another issue! Buuuut, as long as the snack is wholesome (i.e. an apple, no matter how big or small) I don’t think snacking is a sin.

Kale! Kale is so healthy~! Definitely should be considered a free food to enjoy.

One way to get in kale (or other great greens like chard or collards) is to make Super-hero green smoothies!

No exact recipe for this but I add a:
couple leaves of kale, just leaves (save the stem for cooking into another dish)
Water, add a small amount for desired consistency
A banana: frozen or not
sometimes a bit of ground flaxseed
add more banana for sweetness or if needed a touch of agave. yum. so tasty…and btw it’s healthy!

I disagree that content is not important. The processed foods of the Western diet make us sick and fat. Just look at the recent entry on salt: 80% from processed food. Look at the research on the effects of eating simple carbs: obesity and illness. To ignore content is simply not getting it.

Jenna – No, I don’t think measuring my food is “neurotic” as you put it (meaning obsessive or crazy?).

I was diagnosed with diabetes, lost 45 lbs, and now have normal blood sugar and almost normal blood pressure and no longer need statin meds. I have maintained this weight loss for nearly three years and it only works if I do not exceed a specific caloric intake. Also, measuring portions teaches the eye what a proper serving is.

Of course I don’t always measure every scrap of food, but I’m now in the habit of measuring most stuff most of the time, just to be sure I don’t overdo the portions. I am 60 years old and, while active, can not run as much as I used to, so I have to eat less. It is very easy to put on a pound here and there–after a few years, this is 40 lbs and then the diseases of obesity set in for many.

I DO enjoy my food, enourmously. I love to cook and am a “foodie”, I just have to watch portions and save dessert for very special occasions.

Yes, an apple is a healthy snack, but the size of the apple matters when you are on a fixed number of calories. A large apple has twice as many calories as a small apple, so if the apple is large, I cut it in half. If a person exceeds maintenance calories by 100 a day, the weight will creep back. A brisk three-mile walk only burns 150-200 calories, so the size of the apple matters.

I used the example of kale to make the point that weight management for some, depends on paying careful attention to portions. It wasn’t meant entirely literally, but I literally did measure everything the first few months of my weight loss regimen. I still enjoy food, just less of it. I’m glad I’ve been able to achieve better health–and I like what I see in the mirror a lot more too. If that’s “neurotic”, so be it.

To ignore the fact that content triggers quantity requires shoving your head in the sand.

When I eat above a certain level of carbohydrates, it triggers ravenous hunger and blood sugar swings and overeating in me. When I don’t, I can easily control my eating.

I don’t think that’s the whole story about the effect of different levels of macronutrients on different people, but it sure as hell is a big part of it.

Content & quantity in a diet are both important. Calorie counting does not necessarily equal healthful living. One can maintain a low caloric intake while consuming junk food,which we are so quick to call treats !

On a lighter note to show our strange reaction to additives, this cartoon captured some of the absurdity http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1714