20120103: On so-called bad foods #fitness #nutrition #health 2

Feeling: Today, I thought I might talk a bit about some of my feelings about categorizing foods into good and bad. I try to categorize food in better ways, as it’s a much more complex issue than that, and it’s generalization to group foods wholesale into moral standing. For instance, I’d rather eat foods that make me feel good than ones that don’t. I’d like to eat foods that make me satiated and energetic. I think that very often we label food bad because of the stereotype of that food, rather than the food itself. I think that the worst foods in moral standing can easily be the ones that help you stay fit. My key rule is that it’s very hard to make whole food bad.

In no case should anyone be eating any food to excess. Let’s take pizza. I’m not promoting eating a whole 16 inch pizza to anyone. I’m saying that if you have a slice or two, it need not be rubbery, overindulging, mass-produced slop, but something to savor, to luxuriate in, to benefit from.

Eating: If all you ever ate was Pizza Hut pizza, I could understand it being referred to as a bad food. They are often thick, bready, messy takes on what can be a delicious and wholesome delight. If all you ever had ever eaten was thin crust Jersey pizza shop pizza, you’d be better off, but still I could see it as being called bad food. These pies are often more about grease and cheese and meat than the crust or tomatoes, though the crust is sometimes spectacular. My favorite pies are ones I make at home with pre-packaged naan bread (about 500 calories), topped with thinly sliced Roma tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil (50 calories for all of it), topped with 3 ciliegine mozzarella balls (60 calories).  It’s whole food, it’s soft inside with a crisp crust, and it has depth of flavor. You can customize it to your every whim, and you can control exactly how it tastes, with little effort. It is in no way bad food.

Let’s look at fries. Skip the McDonald’s large, and julienne a single medium potato into a hot lightly oiled pan, flip until tender, add salt, and you will have a very nice treat with about 300 calories.

Moving: I’m not back up to 10,000 steps a day yet, but I got about 6,000 in yesterday.

Learning: I’m taking new approaches to project management today.

Insights:

• My FitBit profile: This is where I track my daily activity, sleep, and workouts.
• My Fitness Pal food diary: This is where you can find out exactly what I ate today.

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