As this semester is coming to a close and I'm only one semester away from graduating, I've been able to reflect on how my major has changed me.
My major is Exercise and Wellness, and I would recommend it to anyone! I've learned how to help people achieve a healthier lifestyle and it's allowed me to better understand how I can help my family adopt healthy habits.
This has also caused most of the arguments in our home. I'll get to that in a minute.
My major is Exercise and Wellness, and I would recommend it to anyone! I've learned how to help people achieve a healthier lifestyle and it's allowed me to better understand how I can help my family adopt healthy habits.
This has also caused most of the arguments in our home. I'll get to that in a minute.
A lot of my classes this semester are focused around the latest studies on nutrition and what types of foods decrease/increase your risk for disease etc.
For example, we repeatedly hear things like:
For example, we repeatedly hear things like:
"Protein should make up 25-35% of your daily diet, but you should not eat animal meat more than a few times a week." (not counting fish)
"Eat 5-9 fruits and vegetables daily, but blending them makes you less full then if you were to eat them whole, so try not to blend them."
"Eat 5-9 fruits and vegetables daily, but blending them makes you less full then if you were to eat them whole, so try not to blend them."
"Veggies are more important than fruits, but starchy vegetables don't count as a serving of vegetables."
"Refined grains cause inflammation and increase the damage caused by oxidation; eat whole grains."
"Food should be eaten in its purest form; avoid processed foods as much as possible."
"Don't eat the same kinds of foods everyday; your body needs variety."
"Avoid putting salt on your food; aim to drink 12 cups of water a day."
And trans fat is basically the Voldemort of our major, you just don't even go there.
All of these guidelines, all told in the context of "Do this, or you're more likely to develop a chronic disease and won't live to see ______ (insert an emotional appeal here)."
Just the other day, my professor said: "What's the #1 killer in the US.?"
People naturally said things like: obesity, heart disease, car accidents etc.
His response: "Wives and Mothers."
Why?
They feed their husbands and kids fatty foods and refined carbs, and feel bad if they don't eat it all because they think it reflects on their cooking.
In other words he's saying that wives and mothers set the trend for a households eating habits.
Feeling a little pressure?
Immediately I started being extra conscious about not only my habits, but Jon's as well.
I would get worried when we'd run out of fruits and veggies and hadn't been to the store yet because OH MY!
"We may only get 4 servings of fruits and veggies in today instead of 7!!!"
Or sometimes we'd run out of wheat pasta and white pasta was all we'd have left, and I'd think I was failing at my duty of upholding our family's health.
And then how can you not eat treats over the weekend? So I'd always end up feeling guilty about that.
Until finally I came to a striking realization:
I think my stress over eating healthy, is going to kill me faster then not eating healthy.
"Food should be eaten in its purest form; avoid processed foods as much as possible."
"Don't eat the same kinds of foods everyday; your body needs variety."
"Avoid putting salt on your food; aim to drink 12 cups of water a day."
And trans fat is basically the Voldemort of our major, you just don't even go there.
All of these guidelines, all told in the context of "Do this, or you're more likely to develop a chronic disease and won't live to see ______ (insert an emotional appeal here)."
Just the other day, my professor said: "What's the #1 killer in the US.?"
People naturally said things like: obesity, heart disease, car accidents etc.
His response: "Wives and Mothers."
Why?
They feed their husbands and kids fatty foods and refined carbs, and feel bad if they don't eat it all because they think it reflects on their cooking.
In other words he's saying that wives and mothers set the trend for a households eating habits.
Feeling a little pressure?
Immediately I started being extra conscious about not only my habits, but Jon's as well.
I would get worried when we'd run out of fruits and veggies and hadn't been to the store yet because OH MY!
"We may only get 4 servings of fruits and veggies in today instead of 7!!!"
Or sometimes we'd run out of wheat pasta and white pasta was all we'd have left, and I'd think I was failing at my duty of upholding our family's health.
And then how can you not eat treats over the weekend? So I'd always end up feeling guilty about that.
Until finally I came to a striking realization:
I think my stress over eating healthy, is going to kill me faster then not eating healthy.
Jon was quick to agree with me on this one.
"Madds, there are smokers and people that eat nothing but refined carbs and fast food everyday that live to be 90+."
Then I'd say that's not the norm and he'd point out that most of our family members have lived long, healthy lives despite not following these guidelines to a T.
Then I'd tell him "Well my professor said so and he has a PhD" and then he'd say my professor is extreme and then eventually we'd agree to disagree.
"Madds, there are smokers and people that eat nothing but refined carbs and fast food everyday that live to be 90+."
Then I'd say that's not the norm and he'd point out that most of our family members have lived long, healthy lives despite not following these guidelines to a T.
Then I'd tell him "Well my professor said so and he has a PhD" and then he'd say my professor is extreme and then eventually we'd agree to disagree.
Finally, there was a lecture in my nutrition class that changed my whole outlook.
Basically it comes down to one thing: eating competence.
Which is a fancy term for how comfortable you are with food and whether or not you are flexible in your eating habits.
Those who posses eating competence have positive attitudes toward eating, they recognize when they are hungry and they allow themselves to not only get enough food, but to actually enjoy it.
Competent eaters see food as a positive thing, and because of that they naturally eat a variety of foods.
The opposite end of the spectrum is known as the "conventional approach":
Those that take this approach see eating in a negative light, sometimes feeling anxiety about what they've eaten and are often times worried about their calorie intake. They don't always respond when their body is hungry in an effort to lose weight and they naturally worry about their portion sizes being too big.
Basically they believe that if a person is healthy they will eat only a certain way and weigh only a certain amount, without taking into account that sometimes overweight individuals can be healthier then "normal" weight individuals.
The overall conclusion:
Competent eaters live longer then incompetent eaters (or those who take the conventional approach). They also have a decreased risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol.
Part of this is because their feelings toward eating and food actually affects how the food they eat is processed.
If you see food as a negative thing and are stressed and worried while eating it, your body will process it differently and it will affect your health in a negative way.
Lastly, my favorite quote from the study:
"Eating is more than throwing wood on a fire or pumping gas in a car. Feeding is more than picking out food and getting it into a child. Eating and feeding reflect our attitude and relationships with ourselves and with others as well as our histories. Eating is about regard for ourselves, our connection with our bodies and our commitment to life itself."
Moral of the story?
Eat things in moderation, and ENJOY THEM.
In other words, eat the cake and don't regret it!
Now for some pretty pictures of food found from Pinterest (of course).
Basically it comes down to one thing: eating competence.
Which is a fancy term for how comfortable you are with food and whether or not you are flexible in your eating habits.
Those who posses eating competence have positive attitudes toward eating, they recognize when they are hungry and they allow themselves to not only get enough food, but to actually enjoy it.
Competent eaters see food as a positive thing, and because of that they naturally eat a variety of foods.
The opposite end of the spectrum is known as the "conventional approach":
Those that take this approach see eating in a negative light, sometimes feeling anxiety about what they've eaten and are often times worried about their calorie intake. They don't always respond when their body is hungry in an effort to lose weight and they naturally worry about their portion sizes being too big.
Basically they believe that if a person is healthy they will eat only a certain way and weigh only a certain amount, without taking into account that sometimes overweight individuals can be healthier then "normal" weight individuals.
The overall conclusion:
Competent eaters live longer then incompetent eaters (or those who take the conventional approach). They also have a decreased risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol.
Part of this is because their feelings toward eating and food actually affects how the food they eat is processed.
If you see food as a negative thing and are stressed and worried while eating it, your body will process it differently and it will affect your health in a negative way.
Lastly, my favorite quote from the study:
"Eating is more than throwing wood on a fire or pumping gas in a car. Feeding is more than picking out food and getting it into a child. Eating and feeding reflect our attitude and relationships with ourselves and with others as well as our histories. Eating is about regard for ourselves, our connection with our bodies and our commitment to life itself."
Moral of the story?
Eat things in moderation, and ENJOY THEM.
In other words, eat the cake and don't regret it!
Now for some pretty pictures of food found from Pinterest (of course).
(If you want more pics to drool over, follow my food board here.)
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