Whole Health Source Blog

Just wanted to share what I think is some great information related to diet and health.  Stephan Guyenet of the Whole Health Source blog posted an interview in which he answered a lot of great questions about diet and health.  I really think he did a tremendous job of packing lots of information into a small space.  He brings up some interesting points in discussing his food reward theory and how it relates to obesity.  Give it a read if you have time.  I promise you will learn something.

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2012/07/interview-with-aitor-calero-of-directo.html

I'd love to get some discussion going here, so if you read it, come back here and leave a comment.
Thanks Stephan!

Recipe of the Day: Oats in a Bowl

People always ask about quick breakfast ideas.  I've seen several people blogging about oats in a bowl, so I tried it last week.  I really liked it and the fact that it comes out cold was nice when the temps last week were in the upper 90's.  It's real easy so I thought I'd pass it along:

First, get a glass jar (doesn't matter what kind -old pickle jar, peanut butter jar, etc.)

Next, fill the jar with foods you like.  Mine usually looks something like this:

1/3-1/2c of milk or unsweetened almond milk
1/3-1/2c of plain oats (only ingredients should be rolled oats)
1/3-1/2c of plain Greek yogurt
2T of raisins
1/4-1/2c of other fruit (cut up banana, berries, natural applesauce, etc.)
1-2T of natural peanut butter (only ingredient should be nuts and salt)
1/2-1T of flax seed

Mix all the ingredients in the jar the night before you plan to eat it.  The oats will soak up the liquid and the next morning will be ready.  The above example is just a starting place.  Add what you like and try different things.  Use ingredients that you like.  Have fun with it.

How Many Hot Dogs Can You Eat?

Just read about the guy who ate 68 hot dogs yesterday to win Nathan's annual hot dog-eating contest. Then I was lucky enough to stumble across an article about a local whose hobby is making really large hamburgers.  You can read about his hamburger building passion here:

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/07/building_giant_burgers_a_holid.html

I particularly enjoyed this sentence:

"This year Maley will attempt to build a cheeseburger that weighs 25 to 30 pounds. One day he hopes to fulfill a dream of whipping up a 50-pounder stacked 10 patties high."

How does a guy end up with such a hobby? Maybe stamp collecting just wasn't enough?
He mentions that a burger like this takes 3 hours to make and costs close to $40.  Not to mention, the word "dream" is used to describe his desire to eventually create a 50 pound burger.  Wow!  I guess we all should have a dream.

This article along with the annual hot dog eating contest got me to thinking about our culture and how we think about food. Not sure I have anything important to say, but I just find it interesting. These stories remind me that in the United States we have easy access to tons of food.  Our need for cheap and easy food options may be what is killing us. 

I've noticed lots of arguing on the internet lately in regards to just how important calories are in terms of weight loss.  Many want to rebuke the idea that weight loss is all about calories in and calories out.  I see the importance of different hormones being mentioned.  I know there are lots of things that influence weight gain and weight loss, but I have to wonder if we just have too much access to lots and lots of food.

Jut my random thoughts for the day.  Now it’s back to eating hot dogs.  I have to start practicing now if I’m going to win that $10,000 dollars next July.

Rich Roll -Finding Ultra

A year ago I ran a fairly quick 1/2 marathon, at least it was faster for me. Then I chose to take a year off from longer distance (marathons, 1/2 marathons) to work on shorter distance stuff. I had decided that there was really no added health benefit to running 12 miles or 26 miles or whatever miles.  So why not just focus on trying to get faster at shorter distances? 

It sounded like a sound plan.  The only problem with that is I forget how much I enjoy running longer distances.  I enjoy the long runs early in the morning when it’s still dark outside.  I enjoy the peace and quiet of running alone.  I prefer training for ½ marathons and full marathons more than 5 and 10k’s.  I just flat out enjoy running for longer amounts of time and that is what I plan to do.

So, what if running longer distances isn’t good for you or good for your health?  I’m still going to do it, because I love it.  I meet people in my office every day that force themselves to go to the local gym every day.  They hop on the elliptical.  They use the weight machines.  They do all those things, and absolutely hate it.  One of goals it to always encourage people to find activities they love.  Do something you enjoy and you will probably keep doing it.  I tell people this on a daily basis, but somehow I forgot to follow my own rule.  But now I’m ready to come correct and get back to what I love.

A few weeks ago I started increasing my running miles, and around the time I stumbled upon an awesome book that fueled my running desire even more.  The book was written by Rich Roll and it’s called Finding Ultra.  The book outlines Rich’s journey from a middle aged overweight attorney to the life of a health promoting ultra-distance athlete.  At the age of 40, Rich not only competed in, but finished the Ultraman competition in Hawaii as the top American.  Just so you know, the Ultraman is like the Ironman competition, but longer and harder.  Imagine swimming 6.2 miles in the ocean, biking for 261.4 miles, and then finishing with a 52.4 mile run.  That’s Ultraman. 

For me, it was truly inspiring to read about a 40 year old dude who was able to compete at such a high level after spending so many years as an overweight couch potato.  The book also takes us through Rich’s battle with alcoholism as well as his shift to a vegan diet.  Very cool read, and if you need some extra motivation, pick it up.