The Life Ledger

Fitness is a way of life.

photo credit: SqueakyMarmot

When is eating healthy not … healthy? Apparently when you have a condition known as orthorexia, described as “an unhealthy obsession (as in obsessive-compulsive disorder) with what the sufferer considers to be healthy eating.” Weight of the Evidence points to a Chicago Tribune article on orthorexia, which treats the topic with more than a little tongue-in-cheek humor:

People suffering from the addiction—usually those righteous raw foodists, vegetarians and vegans—obsessively check labels, avoid junk food, plan menus and often eat a healthy diet so they can feel “pure.” Some even make fun of McDonald’s customers.

Orthorexics, for example, “tend to dwell on upcoming menus,” [Dr. Steven Bratman, who is credited with coining the term in the 1990s,] wrote. “If you get a thrill of pleasure from contemplating a healthy menu the day after tomorrow, something is wrong with your focus.”

Actually, planning meals is one of the skills a person needs to maintain a healthy body weight. The alternative—eating at restaurants—is a sure way to gain weight because “every time we eat out the calories are far higher than we intuitively imagine,” said Yoni Freedhoff, medical director of the Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa.

The article concludes that “Orthorexia, more often than not, is a non-medical term popularized by people who feel guilty that they aren’t eating better and need a name to call people who try harder.” However, the first commenter on the article suggests otherwise:

You clearly haven’t meet a person so devoted to their food it is killing them. I have met a person who has Orthorexia. This person was so depleted of nutrients that hospitalization was the only option. This person struggles to put any food in their body fearing it contains an unhealthy substance. Is that carrot organic enough? Was it next to a carrot that isn’t organic?

Personally, I think we already have a condition that explains that behavior - obsessive compulsive. Do we really need to cast a shadow over healthy eating by drawing an (in my opinion) unfair comparison to anorexia?

According to an article on WebMD, people may suffer from orthorexia and not even know it:

So what constitutes orthorexia?

• Are you spending more than three hours a day thinking about healthy food?
• Are you planning tomorrow’s menu today?
• Is the virtue you feel about what you eat more important than the pleasure you receive from eating it?
• Has the quality of your life decreased as the quality of your diet increased?
• Have you become stricter with yourself?
• Does your self-esteem get a boost from eating healthy? Do you look down on others who don’t eat this way?
• Do you skip foods you once enjoyed in order to eat the “right” foods?
• Does your diet make it difficult for you to eat anywhere but at home, distancing you from friends and family.
• Do you feel guilt or self-loathing when you stray from your diet?
• When you eat the way you’re supposed to, do you feel in total control?

If you answered yes to two or three of these questions, you may have a mild case of orthorexia. Four or more means that you need to relax more when it comes to food. If all these items apply to you, you have become obsessed with food.

Frankly, I’d say many people pay an annual fee for commercial diets that afford them the privilege to suffer at least 5 of the above symptoms.

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photo credit: chiodachic

Trans fats take one more step to earning the infamy associated with drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. A study recently conducted on Wistar rats shows pregnant or nursing mothers fed a diet enriched with hydrogenated vegetable fat causes symptoms associated with obesity, even when the offspring never consumes that same diet. Scientists split the rats into four groups, and the results were striking:

Pregnant and lactating Wistar rats were fed with either a control diet (C group) or one enriched with hydrogenated vegetable fat (T group). Upon weaning, the male pups were sorted in four groups: CC a mothers were receiving C, and pups were kept on C; CT - mothers were receiving C, and pups were fed with T; TT a mothers were receiving T, and pups were kept on T; TC a mothers were receiving T, and pups were fed with C.

… Offspring of TT and TC rats had increased white adipose tissue PAI-1 gene expression. Insulin receptor was higher in TT than other groups. Ingestion of hydrogenated vegetable fat by the mother during gestation and lactation could promote deleterious consequences, even after the withdrawal of the causal factor.

That result bears repeating: offspring that never ate the high-trans-fat diet still exhibited symptoms of obesity, including insulin resistance, which leads to diabetes. Science Daily’s article includes this explanation of the study’s results:

“We know that foetal growth is influenced by the mother’s nutritional status,” explained Brazilian nutritionist Luciana Pisani. “Fats play a fundamental role in foetal development and changes in dietary fatty acids has important implications for foetal and postnatal development. Heavy ingestion of very hydrogenated fats rich in trans fatty acids increases risk of cardiovascular diseases and reduces insulin sensitivity and so leads to type 2 diabetes. We need to investigate this further as this has important implications for people’s own diets, especially pregnant women.”

Interestingly enough, Science Daily’s article also linked to a similar study on junk foodconducted in 2007:

Mothers who eat junk food during pregnancy and breastfeeding may be putting their children at risk of overeating and developing obesity, according to a study funded by the Wellcome Trust and carried out at the Royal Veterinary College, London. The research suggests that pregnant and breastfeeding women should not indulge in fatty, sugary and salty foods under the misguided assumption that they are “eating for two”.

The study*, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, found that rats fed a diet of processed junk food such as doughnuts, muffins, biscuits, crisps and sweets during pregnancy and lactation gave birth to offspring which overate and had a preference for junk foods rich in fat, sugar and salt when compared to the offspring of rats given regular feed. The research team behind the study believe the findings have implications for humans.

The more we study HFCS and hydrogenated fat, the more obvious it becomes we are killing ourselves by replacing food with man-made substances. I’m betting Michael Pollan’s non-scientific claims may eventually be backed with scientific studies - the more natural food and less man-made “food” in our diets, the healthier overall we’ll be.

The takeaway? Stop eating fried peeps. Yes, in case you were wondering, the picture above is someone’s fried peeps. Gross.

photo credit: loveberry

It’s not often I get to report on health news happening in my own back yard. Our local newspaper, Asheville Citizen-Times, conducted a non-scientific taste test on 6 different diet bars with a four-person panel. Here’s a summary of the bars tested and the panel’s responses:

Special K protein bar, chocolate peanut butter bar
“It kind of tasted like air, chocolate air. It’s not very filling.”

South Beach Diet meal replacement bar, chocolate crisp
“It wasn’t really chocolatey. It’s brown, but not chocolate … this is why people don’t diet.”

Atkins Advantage, chocolate peanut butter meal replacement bar
“You definitely need water with this … It has the texture of dirt.”

Kashi GoLean, high protein and fiber bar, cookies n’ cream
“Play-Doh. Edible Play-Doh; that’s what it tastes like!”

Zone Perfect, all-natural nutrition bars, strawberry yogurt
“Comparatively, I like it better. You can definitely taste the fruit, but it’s not fresh.”

Met-Rx Big 100 meal replacement bar, chocolate chip cookie dough
“It tastes like a dog biscuit.”

Read the entire article for all the panel reviews and some recipe ideas.

What about you - was one of your favorite diet bars slandered here? Do you favor one not mentioned? Let us know in the comments!

photo credit: ptufts

I recently learned and wrote about a study connecting high glycemic index diets to cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and gall stones. Since then, I read an article at CalorieLab about the glycemic index and how high or low glycemic diets can affect your health. Particularly interesting is the physiological explanation for why selecting low glycemic index foods is important:

Carbohydrate with a high GI is digested quickly, resulting in a rapid elevation of blood sugar and a swift rise in insulin. Most sweets, but also potatoes, white rice and refined cereals and breads fall into this category.

Foods with a low GI are digested and absorbed more slowly, causing a more gradual rise in blood sugar and preventing rapid spikes in insulin levels. These foods include whole-grain breads, pasta, beans and most fruits and vegetables.

Also of note were studies that revealed overweight/obese or insulin-resistant subjects lost more weight on low glycemic index diets than low fat diets. However, one shouldn’t focus solely on the glycemic index when selecting foods, as many healthy foods (like some whole grains) fall fairly high on the index. As the article says,

A review of how carbohydrate choice and amount affect weight control notes that eating more whole grains is usually linked to healthier weights, whereas eating more refined grains is not. This is significant because whole grain choices, including grains like oatmeal, bulgur and brown rice, are not necessarily low-GI.

In theory, keeping in mind the GI of foods to lower risk of diabetes, overweight, and perhaps even heart disease and cancer makes sense. However, focusing on an exclusively low-GI diet could lead some people to adopt a less healthful eating pattern. This is particularly concerning if people exclude some higher GI, yet healthful foods and include excessive amounts of high-calorie, fatty foods or alcohol just because they are low-GI.

The moral of the story? While the GI may not be the “magic bullet” to weight loss, it should play an important role in selecting the foods you eat. You can find more information about the GI at the official website of the Glycemic Index.

So part of the reason I’ve been silent recently is the fact I’ve been feeling a bit uninspired. Not for weight loss or living healthy, but putting things down in written form. But that doesn’t really help you, our readers. And then I had an idea. With my Google-Fu I searched high and hunted low. A number here, and a call there. Lo and behold I was able reach Luis Bruno and he was willing to take a few minutes to answer some questions for us.

The Life Ledger (Dave) : Mr Bruno, I would first like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions for us. For those that haven’t read the Runner’s Worldarticle featuring your lifestyle changes, can you describe where you were in your life before your weight loss and what prompted the change?

Luis Bruno : My life was out of control and I couldn’t get a grip on it!!! I was sitting at 400 lbs. I was requiring 6 shots of insulin a day to control my diabetes. My weight also caused loss of feeling in my right foot, a damaged liver and sleep apnea. I also had the stress of running a restaurant and a new baby in my life.

Let me tell you, at that time the only thing in front of it all was my restaurant. I put it before my child, family or my health. I just did not care!

TLL : The article also said you were placed on an emergency diet of 800 calories a day. Can you describe what that consisted of? And what was it like eating that knowing what you could whip up in the kitchen?

LB : It was a liquid diet, and so I wished it had been a beer diet. Not!!! I had packs of powder meals to which you add 8oz of water to and BAM!!! You have a meal. It’s the truth!! It was bad… My choices for meals consisted of: chocolate, vanilla or strawberry shakes, chicken or tomato soup, and a vanilla or chocolate pudding for dessert. I came to enjoy them because of the chef that I am I was able to make some adjustments.

So of the things I ate, excuse me drank (HA-HA), for 5+ months were chicken soup and vanilla pudding. The soup I added more water to in order to stretch it out, as well as adding dried herbs, vegetables and spices. So it was very yummy. For the puddings I made them into a shake by adding extracts, fruit and non sugar syrups. I would do the diet again with no problem.

TLL : One of the things we like to look at here at TheLifeLedger are numbers. What metrics or methodologies did you use to keep track of your progress?

LB : I keep a log/journal on my workouts, food intake and feelings. I initially felt having a journal was a girly thing to do but I’ve come to discover that it works, and helps me a great deal!!! After I overcame the journal thing, I kept up recording in it since August of 2005. Some times I look back over past entries, because reading them makes me feel good about what I’ve been accomplishing.

TLL : Now that I’m so near my own goal, I’ll admit it’s hard to be motivated to lose those last few pounds to reach my target. How have your motivations and goals changed as you approached your goal weight?

LB : I give myself a 10 lb. window. I’m currently 205 and let myself go down to 200 and up to 210 to stay in that window frame of weight. And for exercise I set 6 month goals, so I’ll change my workout routine and not get bored and have that goal to reach for.

TLL : Have you reached your personal goals yet?

LB : Every day has a goal for me, with the challenge being not relapsing into old habits in a bad way. Let’s face it, Food is a drug for some. We need to have it every day to function but someone like me and others need more and can’t seem to stop! Now that I eat only 3 meals and 3 snacks a day I’m a happy camper.

TLL : What is your regular maintenance routine to keep the weight off?

LB : My routine for working out is 3 days of lifting weights and swimming, with the other 3 days of running. On my running days I might do some bricking (which means biking and some running one after the other). Then there is Tennis if I can get it in on the weekend as well as doing sports with my daughter. She’s into baseball, basketball, soccer & karate.

TLL : People usually have preconceived notions of what “good food” and stereotypical diet food consists of. Has the change in your lifestyle been an obstacle to you or more of an opportunity for bringing balance between “healthy” and “unhealthy” foods?

LB : My lifestyle has changed a whole lot, for the best of course, but there’s no obstacles in my diet. I just pay attention to what I put in my body. I guess I can say my life is finally in balance and it doesn’t get any better.

TLL : Any final advice and motivation you can provide our readers for healthy weight loss and exercise?

LB : Listen guys - Pay attention to your body, it does talk to you. Your body will let you know when its not feeling well or sad, in pain or just uncomfortable. Take the signs all in and realize when its telling you something.

If you are over-weight or have some health issues, you need to respect yourself and be strong. For you, family and friends. So take control of it, and do it right!! Get healthy, eat right, exercise…

Let me tell you it has taken me 36 years to face these issues and I’m winning this battle. I’m not going back to that uncontrollable lifestyle again!!!! Trust me, If you have a strong heart and mind you can do anything.