ABOVE, THE BREADLESS SANDWICH AKA A SALADLET'S FACE IT, AT HER YOUTHFUL AGE, KATE'S SISTER PIPPA would still look fabulous even without the Pilates---which undoubtedly tone her body---and even without her disciplined diet.
Still, it's terrific she's starting these habits early, in her twenties. That's because if she continues the low-to-no carbs shtick, which essentially eliminates the deathly gluten as well as too much insulin in the body, and if she stays off sugar, by the time she gets to middle age, she'll still have her great figure, strong bones, good looks and wonderful vitality, just like her mother.
The real test of any sustained lifestyle habit is years later when you're the same weight you were at 21, have all your teeth and healthy bones with the energy of a 18-year old. Conversely, bad lifestyle habits---regular sugar consumption in myriad forms, gluten and carbs and lack of vigorous, regular exercise and sleep deprivation--not to mentions cigarettes and too much booze--start to age and decay us from the inside out and weigh on body and soul, not to mention our looks, sooner rather than later.
I didn't wise up about diet and nutrition in earnest until my early thirties. I learned over time to gauge my energy and looks by what I'd done and eaten the day before. I don't eat any of the stuff Pippa shuns---except very, very occasionally---and when I do, I feel it the next day and vow Never Again!
There are many universal myths floating around the world, but none more potentially life-threatening than myths about diet and disease. Since I'm about to run out the door for a while, let me tell you the biggest food myths of all time:
Myth 1. Simple carbs may be bad, but complex carbs are vital for energy and we should eat them every day.
Utter hogwash! Simple as well as complex carbs mess up your blood sugar, set up food cravings, and rob our energy. They also cloud our minds and depress our emotions. That's why when I have a rare helping of brown rice, which has virtually no gluten, I have it at an evening meal. It always guarantees I get sleepy earlier. But who wants to feel tired and sleepy all day?
Myth 2. We need carbs for energy, especially when we exercise a lot.
Oh yeah? Not on your life. I've found after years of high and low-altitude hiking that sustained energy never comes from eating carbs or sugar. Carbo-loading is a myth. Instead I get my energy from dried unsulphured fruits----figs and plums, proteins, non-starchy veggies with lots of olive oil and water. Sure a few nuts and seeds thrown in are fine, but carbs from grains are deadly and are not the answer to energy. Fats, proteins, non-starchy veggies and sugars found in dried fruits, along with water, are where it's at.
Myth 3. A Low fat diet prevents heart disease and obesity.
Hogwash cubed! Truly the biggest myth of all is the low-fat myth which has spawned a global obsession with low-fat food products with no nutritional value and plenty of toxins and salt. Eating natural fats like olive oil, (not awful stuff like margerine) meats and even butter are so much better for us and give us vital energy that lasts all day. It's the gluten and insulin from carbs and sugar that clog our veins, cloud our minds, set us up for Alzheimers, cancer, multiple sclerosis, depression and many other diseases too numerous to mention.
AND, our obsession with low fat synthetic foods for weight control are laughable. If you don't believe me, try it for a few weeks and see for yourself.
Besides eating fruits, all kinds of proteins and lots of non-starchy vegetables---kale, brocolli, fennell, zuchinni, squash, cucumber, avocado etc----I drink lots of room temperature water and a glass of red wine several times a week. I have a dry, dry martini about once a year, and have grown to dislike most all other alcohol except a dry red. White wines including champagne leave me feeling bad-to-wretched the next day. Red wine leaves me energized, ready to climb a mountain in the morning. Moderation is the key. I also drink black coffee in the morning.
I almost never eat sweets or desserts in any form, unless I make something like an apple crisp or pumpkin pie occassionally. It's the surest way I know to feel miserable for a day or two. If I'm going to sin on sugars, make it fermented sugar in the form of red wine. And leave the ice cream and cake to the de-energized dead and dying.
Like I say, Pippa looks fabulous, as does her sister, Kate. But the real test of their radiant looks and health will be how they feel decade after decade.
Webutante, you are absolutely right. If you want to feel energetic and alert, the focus needs to be on lean, easily digestible protein, lots of fruits and vegetables, a moderate amount of fat, and plenty of water. If you are going to eat starchy foods or sweets, do it at night. And stay away from processed, packaged everything. In my late 40s, I find that rice, pasta and, especially, bread (even whole grain), make me feel bloated and sluggish. Potatoes are good. Nuts are good. A little wine, beer or cider is good. I love your comment that how I look is directly related to what I ate in the last 24 hours -- that is so true.
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding your wisdom, Di. Agree with everything you say, except I can't eat starchy potatoes or beer anymore---both give me mild migraines which is a great feedback malady and keeps me on the straight and narrow.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up and you'll feel fab when you get my age (39!)!
BTW, you're right about processed lunch meats etc. Terrible for us; haven't eaten them in years.
ReplyDeleteHave also learned it's not just what we eat that's important, but the time of day we eat it and what we combine it with that also matters greatly.....
Great advice! My son developed gluten intolerance in his mid-20's and now is totally symptom-free after eliminating all gluten from his diet. Now he is eating grains only 2 or 3 times a week.
ReplyDeleteI've read that the wheat grown today is much higher in proteins that cause nutrient absorption problems due to the body's attempt to reject the foreign substance.
On the topic of diets, my daughter told of a coworker who is trying a new one - HCG drops (the pregnancy hormone) and 500 calories a day. As PT Barnum said, there's a sucker born every minute!
Glad your son knows the root of his erstwhile health problems and is thriving, fraydna! Good point about the quality of proteins in today's grain harvests.
ReplyDeleteHave thought of you often!
The sharing, of how nutrition affects one's body and one's energy, are inspirational. When I eat healthy, it is b/c I am in touch with the various positive and negative effects of various substances upon my body and upon my energy.
ReplyDeleteI was not trained to be aware of how my body feels. I was not trained to be aware of feelings and get the job done. Rather, I was trained to ignore feelings and get the job done. I learned the lessons well.
Retraining myself stimulates internal emotional issues about what it means to be a man. I am trained, from an early age, this way: a man is not concerned with a little nausea; is not concerned with fatigue; is not concerned with any but the most extreme and pressing feelings, e.g., feelings which amount to warning signs of needed hospitalization, or of potential divorce, or of losing one's child to one's own bad parenting. It is emotionally challenging to go against one's earliest training; to concentrate on and to react to internal feelings which are stimulated by pizza or ice cream. Unmanly?! A sign of weakness? Of unwelcome feminization?
Like many things in life: there are no black and white rules; one walks along an edge, and can fall either way (into too much feeling/sharing or too little feeling/sharing). Which, I guess, the challenge of walking the edge is what makes things interesting. Dang it.
I whole heartedly agree with your diet philosphy. Carbo loading is a myth but you also gets lots of carbs in the form of sugar from dried fruit.
ReplyDeleteThe body is like an engine, the perfect mix of fuel will keep it running in fine tune, and can promote both mental clarity, positive mood, energy and athletic performance.
I have also experimented with many different diet regimes and have settled on something very similar to what you suggest. My goals are different however. As the fastest over 50 sprinter in the state, my goals are to set the TN Senior Olympic records in the 100m, 200m, and 400m and to make the National Finals in the National Masters Championships. I train seriously and the only carbs I eat come from dried fruit. I am at around 9% body fat, weigh 5 lbs less than I did in highschool (137lbs), my 56.64 400 meter time is presently ranked 4th in the USA this season (men 50-54).
My point is that you do not need grains and carbs 'for strength.' However, the day of a race, I do hit the caffeine and sugar pretty hard for fuel, as well as some low residual complex carb gel. I want as little weight in my digestive tract as possible during competition. My regime as a sprinter may be different than an endurance athlete, whose need for more carbs may be greater.
I used to be vegan but I've found that eating fish serves my need for protein better. There is no natural vegetable source that offers a higher protein to carb ratio than fish.
Greg, good points, and I think we all have to go against our early training when it comes especially to food.....my mother use to cook turnip greens and/or green beans ALL DAY in ham hock. Today I cook them in much less time.
ReplyDeleteNo one taught us back when we were younger that our bodies would give us feedback everyday and that we should pay attention. And when we drug our bodies chronically it dulls the feed back and we find ourselves sicked down the road.
Same goes with relationships where things are not straightened out sooner rather than later...
Who knew till we knew?
William, I'm happy to publish your health comments and we do agree on much on diet and exercise.
ReplyDeleteFor longer distances I also drink BLACK coffee with dried unsulphured fruit....sometimes have eggs with avocados and olive oil for breakfast.
When I'm trucking on the trail, I will eat fruit with nuts and sometimes add M and Ms which I love when I really get ravenous....but never as a steady diet.
In general, food seems to become more important to the 'pleasure centers' of the brain as we age. Many 'live to eat' instead of 'eat to live' ... food is central to entertaining and lifestyle of many seniors. My dad, living part time in The Villages in FL, has found it difficult to lose weight due to the culture of food in that seniors' community.
ReplyDeleteI really think it's simply better to just eat less. Three sit down meals a day is just not necessary. Those that say eating many small meals a day are just putting forth a food centered lifestyle where you're constantly thinking about your next meal. Think outside the box. Web is right, a 'meal' could be something as simple as coffee, a hand full of nuts and dried fruit. Stay away from bread, baked goods, pasta, all gluten. That will drag you down.
Many seniors think, 'well I don't have much time left, I might as well enjoy it' and tend to eat very badly. We are 'designed' to be at a specific weight when we reach full growth, approximately age 17-20. If you are carrying any more weight than you were when you were in your late teens, it puts stress on your joints since you were not designed to carry that weight. I'd venture to guess, at least 95% of Americans over 50 are significantly heavier than when they graduated high school. That compounds the problem because overweight people are physically not ableto excercise without injuring themselves. For some, it becomes too late and a downward spiral that will shorten their life.
How many more springtimes do you want to see? The choice is yours. Live long and strong.
The culture of food---and drink, especially wine which puts on weight too---seems just as strong in middle age as in 'senior' age, especially in our affluent culture....so much is done around drinking and eating and it's hard to say no or not take advantage of food.
ReplyDeleteIt gets harder to change to 'eat to live' as we get older. But those who get out of the carbo/glutin/sugar syndrome (and give up most dairy) will be richly rewarded by staying svelt, clearer-headed and drug-free.
It's simple but not easy and requires even single men to learn some easy cooking techniques.
I just had a big bowl of steamed brocolli with olive oil and sea salt for dinner tonight and it's such a great way to end the weekend and start a new week.
We need to continue this conversation Willaim on diet and nutrition---noot politics--- cause I think you have valuable insights.