Replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fats—not carbs—reduces coronary heart disease risk

http://www.theheart.org/article/1061755.do

effect of exercise

An Hour of Daily Exercise Helps Ward Off Weight Gain in Middle-Aged Women (with BMI less than 25 - in heavier women there was no relation - controlling calories is the key there)
From JAMA

Roughly 34,000 women (mean age at enrollment, 54) in the Women's Health Study answered questionnaires about their weight and exercise habits at baseline and periodically over 13 years' follow-up.

After adjusting for reported diet at baseline, researchers found that over any 3-year period, women who exercised <150 minutes weekly or 150 to <420 minutes weekly were, respectively, 11% and 7% more likely to gain 2.3 kg (5 lb.), compared with women who exercised ≥420 minutes a week.

The authors point out that the association was observed only among women with a body-mass index less than 25, noting that "among heavier women, there was no relation, emphasizing the importance of controlling caloric intake for weight maintenance in this group."

Happy 1st birthday: Mother keeps McDonald's Happy Meal for a whole year... and it still hasn't gone off

Click blog title (http://fitpals.blogspot.com) to view article if URL doesn't work in your e-mail.

Congratulations, Diana!

Congratulations, Diana, on completing your first half marathon in 2 hours, 54 minutes, and 29 seconds! MY VT pals never cease to inspire me!

The 'toxic fat' that can strangle your organs and how to shed it (Daily Mail UK)

Click on title at http://fitpals.blogspot.com to view article.

More Diet Myths (Daily Mail UK)

Why chocolate is better for you than blueberries and low-fat food won't help you slim: The diet myths that could be ruining your health.

Click on blog post title to view article since link in e-mail might not work.

http://fitpals.blogspot.com

View Blog to Read Article w/ Broken Links

Inexplicably, the links that are sent to you in the blog post notifications appear to have something wrong with them, including today's post about the 1918 cookbook.

To view articles, you'll have to click on http://fitpals.blogspot.com and click on the blog post title in order to view the respective articles. Apologies for any inconvenience.

WWI Tips for Eating Less Meat, Wheat, Fat, and Sugar

I made a spinach nut loaf today and a family member asked me about the origin of the dish. I reckoned it came about during the 1970s vegetarian movement. I was off by several decades. Turns out, spinach loaf and nut loaf were recipes dating to the first world war.


I came across this e-book on the internet, published in 1918, advising the home economist how to cut down on consumption of meat, wheat, fat, and sugar in order to save food for the Allied soldiers fighting in Europe during World War I. Given the 1918 publication date, I reckon they were a bit late with their message. This e-book a fascinating look at how our grandparents ate compared to us - particularly during times of strife (I also own five cookbooks from the Depression - same idea).

That said, the recommendations to cut down on meat, fat, and sugar are as relevant today but for different reasons. I was astonished to read here that the recommended calorie intake for a 'sedentary' woman in 1918 is 2400 calories per day. I'm sure sedentary by 1918 homemaker standards was busy by today's truly sedentary standards for those of us who toil by pushing buttons from a chair all day, with the bulk of movement confined to breathing.

It's also intriguing to read here how a physician of the day said that meat would eventually become just a condiment in future American cooking and not a key part of the diet. He didn't anticipate the McDonald brothers and their Henry Ford approach to creating take out food.

Click on the blog post title to view the e-book. I found some interesting cookie/cake recipes using reduced fat and sugar. Not sure what they'll taste look but it's worth a shot. 

FOODS THAT WILL WIN THE WAR

AND

HOW TO COOK THEM

BY C. HOUSTON GOUDISS

Food Expert and Publisher of
THE FORECAST MAGAZINE

and

ALBERTA M. GOUDISS

Director of The School of Modern Cookery

The authors can be reached by addressing the WORLD SYNDICATE COMPANY NEW YORK [pg 2] Copyright 1918 by THE FORECAST PUBLISHING CO.

Some E-Mail Links Not Working

I've noticed that some URLs embedded in your e-mail blog notifications seem to be broken - in other words, you click on the web address and you can't get to the article.

In those cases, you'll have to click on the blog post titles within the blog itself (http://fitpals.blogspot.com) to view the articles until I can figure out what is wrong. Alternatively, you can cut and paste the URL into your internet browser address bar to view the article. Apologies for any inconvenience. It's happened twice now.

Calories on Menus - Do They Work? (Times UK)

Click on title to view article.

Doh!

When I hadn't heard from any of you about whether or not I should continue the blog, I reckoned it was time to take it down. Then I had the brainchild idea the other day of checking my Gmail account for the first time in months - yes, the very e-mail account attached to this blog - and there I find all of your e-mails. So for those of you thinking I wasn't being responsive, it's because I forgot that blog-related e-mails are sent to my Gmail rather than my Yahoo account. So I promise to reply this week.

Diana, I have finally started entering my fitness info on SparkPeople but am still trying to learn how to navigate the site - but I've finally started! Mai, it sounds like you and I are in the same boat. I, too, was very thin and fit all of my life until the past 7 years. I still think of myself as that thin woman and then am shocked at the heavy woman looking back at me in the mirror. I just can't believe I'm still facing the same weight battle I did before I even started the program.

Sue & Lorrie, I hope you don't mind that I removed your posts where you had your photos attached - after opening up access to anyone, I wanted to protect your privacy and removed posts with photos. Please continue to contribute your wonderful posts since you've both inspired us so much. I just wanted to give you an opportunity to remove your photos from your account profile, if you feel so inclined.

So my new approach is this: I am eating mostly a plant-based diet now and trying to walk daily. If the food is processed, I'm trying to avoid it. I read the other day how the National Health Service in the UK recommends that women consume 1500 calories per day and men consume 2000 calories per day. Contrast that with here, where we always hear that women should eat 2000 calories per day and men 2500 calories per day. Well, that may be fine for some people. However, when you're middle-aged and have a job like me where I sit in a chair all day, the reality is that 2000 calories per day is simply too much food. Allison was right (as usual) that for some of us, an extra 200-300 calories per day can mean the difference between losing weight and not losing a pound. I'm that person.

Since switching to a minimum of 5 servings of fresh (usually raw) fruits and veggies a day, the change in my energy level, skin, hair, mood, etc. has been remarkable. The other upshot is that I'm enjoying them for the first time, too.

Now, if I could just get my calorie intake down to 1200 per day - I've never been able to do it yet. When I feel like I'm on a diet, it triggers an urge to binge and eat bad food and is counter-productive. Now I'm going to try to simply change what I eat rather than focus on dieting anymore. That said, I'm happy to say that I have stuck with some of the behavior changes we learned in the program.

Food Rules, by Michael Pollan

After viewing Food, Inc., I then read this fabulous little book by Michael Pollan that ties in nicely with the theme of processed food. You can read this entire gem in little more than an hour. The messages may be plain common sense but also made me realize how many of us often throw common sense right out the window when it comes to our relationship with food. Why do I say that? Because after reading his "rules" for healthy eating, it occurred to me that I wouldn't have a weight problem at all if I simply developed some common sense when it comes to food. Sample rules: "If it's called the same name in every language, it isn't food". "If it's passed through your car window, it isn't food." If you click on the title, you can read more about it on Amazon.com. I may just purchase a copy for a quick common sense boost from time to time.

I tell you, after watching Food, Inc., then reading this book, I walked through the grocery store today looking at the sea of items in an altogether different light.

Must-See DVD

I watched Food, Inc. last night and had to agree with its tagline "You'll never look at dinner the same way again". This is a must-see DVD, even if you're already familiar with some of the key issues.