Additional Resources For Diet Changes

This infographic above is a reference guide of sorts to think about the types of fish we eat and how they’re caught and their environmental impact. I am still doing a little research on the topic, as I didn’t feel completely satisfied with the last blog post.

Just ran across a NYTimes article from 2009 talking about the “flash-freezing” technique where fish are caught, immediately “flash frozen” and then transported to distribution centers and then grocery stores. In recent years, I’ve been buying fresh Alaskan, wild-caught salmon which is expensive but delicious and is good for you – low mercury levels, etc. But, reading this article reminds me that the environmental cost of getting this fish to me in D.C. seemingly negates the health benefits for me.

As mentioned in The New York Times article: “Flying fillets from Alaska, British Columbia, Norway, Scotland or Chile so that 24 hours later they can be served “fresh” in New York adds an enormous climate burden, one that swamps the potential benefits of organic farming or sustainable fishing.”

“Fortunately for conscientious diners, when fish is flash-frozen at sea, its taste and quality is practically indistinguishable from fresh. More important, it can be moved thousands of miles by container ship, rail or even truck at much lower environmental impact than when air freighted. If seafood-loving Japanese consumers, who get most of their fish via air shipments, were to switch to 75 percent frozen salmon, it would have a greater ecological benefit than all of Europe and North America eating only locally farmed or caught salmon.”

Whoa! That’s great news! All of this time I was like “Eh, I don’t think that this frozen fish is going to be half as good as the fresh stuff.” Ignorance, I tell you. Other than the local rockfish I get, the other fish that comes from “sustainable” sources requires fuel and fast transportation to get to my Whole Foods. I should take a better look at the frozen (unprocessed) fish at Whole Foods from now on. I wonder if it’s cheaper too because the salmon I’ve been getting is around $8/pound on a sale day.

Anyway, I thought that I would add this piece as well since I didn’t really talk about fish in the last post. Also, instead of red meat – there’s always the option of turkey and chicken which have less of a carbon footprint as animals than cows, pigs, and sheep.

The battle with sugar leads to greater diet questions

I eat a lot of sugar. A lot. And often.

I eat a lot of refined sugars because I have a constant craving for sugar. Every day around 3 p.m. or 4 p.m., after I eat lunch, I crave candy or chocolate of sort. And usually I indulge in that craving. I figure: “I work out a lot. I’m active. I deserve to have that brownie or that piece of pie. I’ve earned it today.” The problem is I think that every day. It doesn’t help that in place of getting a raise, my boss decides to give us treats every morning in the form of chocolate croissants, sugar cookies, brownies, pies, etc. It’s kind of him to offer those things, but it doesn’t help me with my diet.

I can’t help but eat that delicious-looking chocolate croissant! Could you resist that after you just burned 400-500 calories doing Insanity in the morning? Neither could I.

I just saw this in CSPI’s (CSPInet.org) Nutrition Action newsletter the other day about sugar. There’s a study by Dr. Lustig et al that talks about getting type-2 diabetes SEPARATE from being obese. Meaning that in this instance, the type of egg you have determines what type of chicken you’ll be. Further translated to: eating refined sugar and syrups increases your chances for chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes and obesity.

WHICH ALL MEANS THAT: I don’t want to have diabetes!

I need to cut my sugar intake dramatically. Because I eat it every day, and despite my exercise, these foods still spike my insulin levels, creating a disruption in my endocrine system. My grandparents and members of my extended family had type-2 diabetes , so I don’t want to continue along their path. My mom and dad and I all have a sweet tooth (sweet teeth?). We love to have chocolate and little candies at hand in case we need a little energy boost. But I don’t want to have that anymore.

In order to shift myself away from this obsession and addiction to sugar, I started doing a little research on what was the most successful way to give up sugar. I did a little more research into Paleo diets which seem to be the best way for me to go in order to cut down my sugar consumption. However, the Paleo diet isn’t exactly the most eco-friendly, low-carbon-footprint diet nor is it the healthiest, sustainable diet (see this article). But, given other diets, it’s a good alternative.

However, I have an environmental problem with adopting this diet because of the high volume of meat consumed. The production and cultivation of beef, lamb, pork and cheese create the greenhouse gas emission methane, which is more detrimental than carbon dioxide in some cases. This interesting infographic from the Environmental Working Group helps you see how much of your consumption is contributing to emissions that hurt our atmosphere:

As you can see, meat has a very high carbon footprint. Even cheese, my favorite, is terrible for the environment. This then leads me to the idea, once again, that the vegan diet is key and that’s is the way to go. I appreciate that sentiment. I think being vegan is great for the environment and for the body. I still don’t think it’s right for me. I have given food up and have changed my palate, but I would rather participate in society by being social with food. Instead of having to decline many items at a dinner party or to ask at every restaurant whether or not their food was made with animal products, I’d rather be a conscious eater, aware of my environmental impact but still happy that I have choices and that I can indulge in ice cream when I want. I don’t have as much an issue with the treatment of animals and the PETA reason for giving up animal products. Mine is more environmentally-based.

What’s important to me is the amount of ingredients in a product and the process in which it’s created. Did you know that they press almonds to get the milk out of them? That seems to be taking something and unnaturally making it into a substitute. Instead of switching up the type of milk I have, I’ll just use less of the organic, local cow’s milk that I get. Instead of using one gallon every two weeks, I’ll just use 1/2 a gallon. For starters.

Back to the sugar problem. Instead of having to adhere to one strict diet, I think that I would better benefit from doing what’s best for me while using the Environmental Working Group’s chart to see what my choices do to the environment. And look at the studies on sugar consumption and its relation to diabetes. Being a more conscious eater is important because I am accountable to myself.

I shouldn’t think that because I worked out I deserve a sweet treat. I should think that BECAUSE I worked out, I should protect my body from sweets that turn it against itself. As for the other aspects of my diet – I love meat, but I just need to eat it responsibly. I should use these resources on the Meat Eaters Guide to make good diet and consumption choices.

Check out these sites:

Eat Low Carbon

Nutrition Action

Green Steve

Food Product Design

And this Carbon Footprint of Cheese

 

For more information: Please see LearnStuff’s website

Climate Change

Climate Change.

2013 – A New Year

Today marks the 2-year anniversary of my time in DC. Oh, how so much has changed since I came here. I was living in an attic bedroom in Friendship Heights, commuting 45 minutes one way to an unpaid internship. I was wild and crazy in my last semester of senior year.

Since then I have learned a lot. Mostly about who I am, who I am not, how I interact with people, my level of intelligence compared to the other brains in DC, and how I love and hate this city.

I love it because of what it represents and the opportunities present here to make lasting change. I hate it because of the constant rat race, bickering, and ego-boosting behavior.

But, it’s been real DC. Part of me can see myself living here for a while, but part of me wants to get away for now and go explore other cities for a time. I think I’ll come back to DC. It’s such a beautiful city full of the desire to “Do Something,” one of my favorite mantras to live by.

Some people asked me what my New Year’s Resolutions were this year, but I couldn’t really answer with anything in particular. Mostly just keep living my life. I do have some personal goals that I am reaching to achieve, but I wouldn’t say they’re resolutions because resolutions have the tendency to be flitting, and I want to actually achieve my goals.

- Running a half marathon
- Doing a Zombie Run in DC
- Surviving my job until June
- Getting into grad school in Boston
- Traveling in the summer to at least three different countries (those which I have not yet traveled to)

Mostly, I’m going to continue living my life. I just turned 24, and I feel like this is the time to get my shit together. I am toning down the partying and drinking and excessive spending (but that’s hard to do the last one in the city). I’m actively trying to save money so I can travel but cover my bills at the same time.

Being in DC for two years has also helped me grow as a person, but I don’t think it’s been all positive – though that’s typical in life – not everything is up, you have to have some downs. I’ve learned the importance of people who are willing to be there for you, even when it’s not mutually beneficial. I have also noticed how it’s much harder to make lasting, deep friendships from scratch when you’re working 40+ hours a week and you are too tired to hang out some nights.

The past two years have shown me that there’s one thing I’ve faced most definitely in DC – welcome to adulthood.

40 Days of Fitness

Day, uh…I think maybe three or four:

First of all, I’m terrified and horrified for those families in Newtown, Connecticut. A young man, MY AG 24, opened fire on his mother’s (allegedly, facts are still being straightened out) KINDERGARTEN classroom. That’s right, KINDERGARTEN. He killed at least 18 students (children preK – 4th grade) and nine adults.

I’d like to take a moment of silence for these families who have been so wretchedly wrenched from their children and loved ones.

< SILENCE >

Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do other than offer our support and prayers and hope that they are safe with God up above and that the shooter will be punished rightfully in hell. That is not my judgment to make. As many people scream “GUN CONTROL” and “CHANGE THE LAWS,” we should allow some time for those families to mourn their children. To find out if their kids made it through all this. To find anything out. The time for conversations about this will come, but for now – let’s enter a time of prayer.

—

To change the topic, regretfully, I wanna give an update on my fitness status!

This is after my lunch-time run. I was actually sweating/hot because it’s so nice out. This morning it was so cold and I was totally bundled up. I’m glad it warmed up a bit. Anyway, I went on a run up a hill to this park where I did the monkey bars – much harder as an adult – and I did some pull-ups on the monkey bars as well. Then I jogged up to Meridian Park and around and did like three push-ups because they’re so hard.

This was a nice endorphin boost after hearing the tragic news. Plus it’s nice out, so that helped lighten my mood. I found that pre-workout having some mocha coffee with a little trailmix is a great combo for energizing me on the run. I also listen to my Avicii station on Pandora which pumps me up like no other. All in all today was a great workout day. I’m going to be doing a little walking and dancing later which will be nice so I can treat myself a little with the olives, cheese and baguette my boss brought us for snacks.

Goals:
Saturday – walk/jog/run/survive 10 miles and then go dancing at night
Sunday – going to a shooting range (insensitive, but this is a Groupon we’ve had planned for a while, sorry) and then possibly Evangeline Lilly workout

Today’s weight was 146.6! Woot.

Reaching My Fitness Goals

Yesterday was a great day of exercise. I got up early in the morning, despite my not going to sleep when I wanted. I did a little stretching and ate a granola bar before I left. I also took a chug of water to moisten up my mouth and throat (gross, I hate that word).

Morning run by the U.S. Capitol

It was cold out yesterday! I wore my sweatshirt, black sweatpants, a headband and gloves. Eventually I got too warm with the gloves, so I took them off. I also am not used to working out in the morning as much, so I didn’t have as much energy as I usually do. I wanted to do a 3.12 mile circuit, but I wound up only doing 2.5 miles and stopping to walk throughout. It’s just something about those mornings that make it hard to work out.

Last night I swam my first consecutive mile in the pool. It’s around 70 lengths of the 25yd pool, or 35 laps (there and back again, a hobbit’s tale).

Marie Reed Pool

I started swimming at 7:30 p.m. and finished at 8:20 p.m. I took a few breathers here and there, but for the most part I continued with my routine. My sets were organized by: four lengths breaststroke, two lengths freestyle, two lengths with a kickboard, and two lengths doing backstroke. I did seven of these circuits. It was enough to keep my heart beating at a steady rate – helping me with my cardio goals. I actually feel like I breathe harder with the backstroke, but maybe that’s just because I am able to breathe more with my face out of the water.

I had the lane to myself for a while, which was nice. And then, this guy swam with me. He was slower than I was, which is sometimes annoying because you have to coordinate times up and down the pool so you don’t hit each other. I like it when people are going faster than me in the lane next to me because it encourages me to swim faster. The same goes with running: if someone is next to me running faster, it encourages me to run faster as well.

According to MyPlate on Livestrong.com I burned 1089 calories yesterday which combines my morning run, walking 1.7 miles to work and then back home, walking 2 miles throughout the day and to the pool, and then one mile in the pool. I consumed 1744 calories yesterday as well. This means I was in a deficit which leads to weight loss!

Already since I weighed myself two weeks ago, I have dropped four pounds. I attribute that somewhat to water weight and different weighing times, but I also think that I lost poundage as well.

My goals:

- to weigh 142 or less by the time I go to California

- to be able to run 3.12 miles without stopping

- to do 1.5 miles in the pool

- to do 10 push-ups in a row (<– this one is a hard one)

All of these I hope to do by New Year’s day. But I won’t stop there. This is only the beginning. I have to do an 8k, 10k and half-marathon next year! Those are my 2013 goals. I’d like to do Tough Mudder too, but I don’t really have any friends to do it with at the moment. Maybe in grad school I will do this.

Wish me luck!