Poached Eggs Your Way

Poached Eggs Your Way

For reasons of nutrition and sustainability (and the horrific lives led by battery hens), I’m not a fan of industrial eggs, but I do enjoy preparing organic and/or pastured eggs in a variety of ways.  One of my favorites is to poach them.  As you can see in these pictures, you don’t have to serve poached eggs on toast–any flattish surface will do.  In these cases, I used some leftovers to create an elegant and unusual base:  croquettes (sauteéd patties) made of cooked and mashed celeriac, onion, and millet; and black-bean patties I’d served alongside salad the night before.  (They also contained cooked and mashed carrots, sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, and za’atar spices.)  In both cases, the egg gave the veggies and grains a rich creaminess.

Poaching an egg is a simple three-minute task, but one that requires constant vigilance–in this case, the proverbial pot is a literal one, and it will boil over if you’re not careful.

To poach an egg:

• Prepare your base and have it standing ready to receive the egg.
• Crack an egg into a medium-sized pot of boiling water.
• Immediately turn the heat down a few notches (so that the bubbles are happily swirling instead of furiously roiling) and set a timer for 3 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, nudge the egg to make sure it isn’t sticking to the pot.
• Keep an eye on the foam–as the egg cooks, the white will turn the water frothy and foamy.  If this foam spills over onto the stovetop, it will be rather sticky and messy to clean.  The best way to avoid excessive foamage is to continually catch the floating bits with the spoon and use the upside-down lid to catch them and toss them into the sink.
• When the timer goes off, immediately remove the pot from the burner.  Use the slotted spoon to fish out the egg, place it on the base, and stick the still-full pot of water in the sink with a squirt or two of soap in it.  (This will make cleaning the pot later on much easier.)
• Serve the poached egg intact or cut-open.
• Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Lisa Howard, Chef and Food Coach of The Cultured Cook, consultant to Reconnect with Food at Inner Door Center.

St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Expands Weight Management Program

Pontiac, Mich.—St. Joseph Mercy Oakland (SJMO) has expanded its weight management program by enhancing its offerings and naming a new medical director. The newly named Metabolic Nutrition and Weight Management program offers an educational and intensive medical program for those looking to control their metabolic issues related to insulin resistance and obesity through dedication to nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle change.

 Comprehensive medical and nutritional histories will be obtained, and there will be frequent physician follow-ups to monitor patients’ progress with their individualized medical nutrition therapy and physical activity.  Resources for behavioral psychology and physical activity will be made available to patients.  If appropriate, referrals will be made for bariatric procedures.

 The program is headed by Dr. Tom Rifai, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and chief medical advisor to the Pritikin Longevity Center in Aventura, Fla. 

 Dr. Rifai is board certified by the American Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists, which recently named him to a three-year, at-large position on its board of directors, and the American Board of Internal Medicine.  His specialties are nutrition, prevention of chronic disease, weight management, nutritional and medical management of insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia and obesity.

 Dr. Rifai will conduct informational seminars for prospective patients interested in diabetes prevention or treatment, state-of-the-art lipid/cholesterol management and weight management.  The first seminar will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 28, 2009, in the Franco Auditorium at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, 44405 Woodward Ave., Pontiac.

 In addition to his duties at SJMO, Dr. Rifai is serving as a consultant to Andiamo Restaurants, helping them design a longevity-driven, healthy gourmet menu called Andiamo Lean.  Dr. Rifai also is a nutritional consultant for Warren (Mich.) Consolidated Schools, for which he is developing a healthy school lunch program.

 Beginning in August, Dr. Rifai will see patients in the SJMO Medical Office Building, 44555 Woodward Ave., Suite 305, Pontiac.

 For an appointment, call St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Metabolic Nutrition and Weight Management, 248-858-2475. 

Nutrition: Shedding Heavy Foods for the Summer

Summer is a great time to think about eating lighter meals. A growing amount of individuals are interested in experimenting with a vegetarian diet or eating more vegetarian meals during their week. Just like any food plan, the key to a healthy vegetarian diet is simple—eat a variety of foods, which are nutrient dense, and limit junk foods. If you base your diet around junk food, whether you are a carnivore or a vegetarian, you will be missing out on many key nutrients.

What should individuals be concerned about regarding proper nutrition if contemplating a vegetarian diet? Iron deficiency anemia is still a widespread problem. However, studies show that anemia is no more prevalent in vegetarians than in carnivores. Although the iron in meat products is more readily absorbed, good non-meat sources of iron include beans, green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals and dried fruit.

On the other hand, a vegetarian diet may be useful in treating heart disease and diabetes. Over 50% of individuals with diabetes develop heart disease at some point in their lives, which can be prevented or abated by prudent food choices. Dr. Dean Ornish has done groundbreaking research in the area of lifestyle and heart disease prevention. He has demonstrated that the blockage of arteries can actually be reversed without surgery or drugs using a low-fat, vegetarian diet in conjunction with exercise and stress management. Since even small improvements in arterial blockages can significantly improve blood flow to the heart, this is a wonderful option for anyone who has considered surgery to be the only choice.

In addition to heart disease, meat is a contributing factor in the development of kidney failure due to it’s high protein content, along with stroke, and increased vulnerability to infectious diseases. Too much fat is also a problem in the diet of women. Dietary fat, mainly of animal origin, influences levels of various hormones in the body, thereby increasing one’s risk of cancer.

Calcium is another concern in terms of osteoporosis prevention. In the first few years of menopause, women can lose up to 30% of their bone mass. However, osteoporosis is not a disease of calcium deficiency—but a disease of calcium loss. Many women are routinely on diets or are on the go, guzzling down caffeine and/or diet pop, both which cause calcium loss from bone. Caffeinated soft drinks enhance this bone loss. The issue may not be that women are not taking in enough dairy products, but consuming products that are leaching their calcium stores.

Americans, vegetarians included, eat four times as much protein than they actually need. High protein diets promote calcium loss from the bones. Although dairy products contain large amounts of calcium, they also contain a large amount of protein, which causes calcium to be excreted from the body. Non-animal sources of calcium, which would be lower in protein and therefore better retained by the body include green leafy vegetables, beans, tofu and other soy products.

For anyone contemplating a vegetarian diet, you don’t have to embark on the “all or nothing” approach. Finding what works for YOU is the key to any successful diet and lifestyle change. Any change is a step in the direction to feeling healthy.

Here are some steps you can take:

• Eat less red meat and switch to chicken or fish.

• Reduce poultry and fish consumption to three times per week or less, while having at least two to three meatless meals per week emphasizing legumes, soy products, whole grains, and vegetables.

• Don’t worry about “complementing” your proteins. Many people feel that eating vegetarian is “hard work.” This misconception may exist because it was once thought that in order to derive high quality protein from grains and vegetables, proteins needed to be “complemented” (i.e., legumes with seeds, seeds with grains, grains with legumes, etc.) at the same meal. It is now known that you do not have to combine foods in a special way at the same meal to obtain all of the amino acids together. This is usually done naturally during the course of the day with the meals normally eaten.

• Decrease or eliminate consumption of dairy foods. Substitute soy or rice products for milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream.

• Limit refined grains such as white rice, white bread, and white pasta. Choose instead brown rice, whole grain breads and other whole grains.

• Increase your intake of fruit and vegetables to load up on antioxidant vitamin and minerals. Have at least three pieces of fruit a day and try a variety of colorful salad greens such as romaine, green and red leaf, spinach, and bibb, not just iceberg or head lettuce.

• Eat more foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for your heart, bones and help fight depression. Vegetarian sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flax seeds, wheat germ, tofu, walnuts, and green, leafy vegetables.

Fitness: It’s the (Not So) Little Things That Count

So here we are, a couple months into 2008. You made that New Years Resolution to get in shape. You’re hitting the gym like a madman and following all the workout advise that you read about in some magazine by some insane personal trainer/physical therapist who thinks he knows what he is talking about; you even bought this crazy kettlebell thing he kept saying is so great. So why isn’t the weight pouring off? Why don’t you still have enough strength to lift yourself off the couch or the energy to even care. What is going on here?

Now, let me preface what I am about to say by stating clearly that I am not a nutritionist or registered dietician; nor do I have any special training in analyzing sleep patterns. But, I am aware of many of the problems out there that people have and I am going to attempt to make you more aware, too.

Fitness is like a love triangle with constant battles between the exercise component, the rest/sleep element, and the nutrition/diet factor. If one is out of balance, none of it will fit together right. I always talk about exercise, so now we are going to focus on the other two.

Sleep/Rest

The National Sleep Foundation reports that while exact sleep requirements differ among people, the general rule of thumb is:

Adults = 8 hours

Teens = 9 hours

Younger = more

You need to realize that working out hard is great, but muscles don’t grow or get stronger when you work out, it is the recovery process where muscles repair themselves from the workout and can become bigger and/or stronger. The National Sleep Foundation further notes other areas that are affected by improper sleep:

• Memory and learning – Sleep seems to organize memories, as well as help you to recover memories. After you learn something new, sleep may solidify the learning in your brain.

• Mood enhancement and social behaviors – The parts of the brain that control emotions, decision-making, and social interactions slow down dramatically during sleep, allowing optimal performance when awake. REM sleep seems especially important for a good mood during the day. Tired people are often cranky and easily frustrated.

• Nervous system – Some sleep experts suggest that neurons used during the day repair themselves during sleep. When we experience sleep deprivation, neurons are unable to perform effectively and the nervous system is impaired.

• Immune system – Without adequate sleep the immune system becomes weak and the body becomes more vulnerable to infection and disease.

• Growth and development – Growth hormones are released during sleep and sleep is vital to proper physical and mental development.

There is more to sleeping properly than just getting in the required number of hours. Proper sleep actually involves 4 stages ranging from light sleep to deep and dreaming stages. A person cycles through these stages throughout their sleep time. To insure that all stages are achieved, and achieved enough, consistency is needed. It is important to generally go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time each day (straying every now and then won’t kill you). If there are any factors that are limiting your ability to fall asleep at a consistent time, you need to address them. Things like eating too soon before bed, watching TV while falling asleep, and participating in physically or mentally stressful activities too close to bedtime are common disrupters of sleep (although not for everyone). My advice is to keep a sleep log for one month. A sleep log is fairly simple and should include information such as: bedtime, time you actually fell asleep, time you woke up, number of times you awoke during the night, how well you slept, how you felt when you woke up, and how you felt the rest of that day. Try it and see how you feel.

Nutrition/Diet

So, is anyone confused about what the heck they are supposed to eat? With all the diets out there it’s enough to drive a person absolutely crazy. It would be nice to think that all of the diets were created in an attempt to truly improve a person’s life in terms of weight loss, energy, control of diseases like diabetes, etc; but while some of that may be true, a lot of the diets are only improving the bank accounts of the diet “creators.” For most people, it is not hard to know how to eat right; it is doing it that’s the problem. Let’s face facts, many people cannot lose weight via diet because either they just eat too much or what they eat is garbage. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that eating pizza, cheeseburgers and drinking beer daily is not a staple for proper nutrition. Many of the diet programs out there do work and the reason people do not have success is because they do not do them correctly.

All that being said, there are many others who do not overeat, and eat what they think is healthy and still have problems. Before I let you know some details, let me first say again, that if you are using weight loss as the benchmark of proper diet, you must consider whether the other areas are balanced (exercise and rest). Assuming they are, here are some things to consider:

1) Calories: 3500 calories = 1 lb. (an excess 3500 calories = gaining 1 lb., a deficit of 3500 calories = losing 1 lb); 1 gram of protein and/or carbohydrates = 4 calories, 1 gram of fat = 9 calories, 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories

Sounds simple right? Wrong. It is not just about total calories you eat or do not eat, but how you utilize those calories.

2) Metabolism: The number of calories used by your body during various activities, including rest.

Example: 2000 calorie per day diet – 500 calories burned during exercise = 1500 calories left to use for the rest of daily activities. If 2000 calories are required for daily activities, then there is a deficit of 500 calories. Therefore, in 7 days one pound of body weight will be lost (500 x 7 = 3500); however, if only 1000 calories are required for daily activities, then there is an excess 500 calories. Therefore you would gain 1 lb. in 7 days. This is metabolism – the higher the metabolism, the more calories burned. Factors that affect metabolism include: body size/weight (heavier = more calories used, although this mostly refers to calories used during activity vs. rest), body composition (greater lean body mass/muscle = higher metabolism), age (metabolism decreases with age), sex (sorry ladies, men burn more calories), drugs (don’t do drugs!), heredity, hormones, stress/anxiety, and temperature (good news for Michiganders – more calories are used in colder temperatures). To calculate your metabolic rate, use these formulas:

Women = 655 + (4.36 x W) + (4.32 x H) – (4.7 x A)

Men = 66 + (6.22 x W) + (12.7 x H) – (6.8 x A)

* W = weight (lbs.) H = height (inches) A = age (years)

3) Food quality: These days everything is about being quick and convenient – welcome to fast food. Not only do we have to deal with fast food, but in an attempt for certain industries to make money, things like preservatives, chemicals, and basic “fake food” are rampant. It is very difficult to look at an ingredient label and see less than a dozen ingredients, half of which you need a degree in biochemistry or nutrition to even know what it is. Last, just because the calorie count may be low (such as with carbohydrates), your body only uses so much before it gets stored as excess, generally as fat.

So with all this information, now which diet should you choose? Realize that weight loss will not happen overnight, and even with proper diet, the loss may not always be consistent.You may even experience some weight gain at certain points, especially if you are exercising.

The best thing I can tell people is to start keeping a food log. Record everything you put in your mouth, how much of it, and what time you did it. Be as specific as possible. For example: turkey sandwich with whole wheat bread (2 slices), 5 slices of lean turkey, lettuce, tomato, mustard at 11:15 a.m.; 16 ounces of water at 1:33 p.m.; 3 jellybeans at 10:42 p.m.

Doing this may make some things more obvious. I had a client who thought she was eating healthy, and then via her food log, discovered she was eating Oreos every hour! It was only one or two at a time, but it adds up. Eventually what you want to see is about six small meals per day, spaced fairly equally. No eating right before bed. Try to balance carbs and protein – most people are excessive with their carbs (most of your snacks/munchies – the things you throw a handful of in your mouth without thinking are either carbs or fat) and the body only uses so much at a time. Eat a lot of vegetables and a decent amount of fruit. Try to have real food.

These are very basic rules for a difficult task. Unlike exercise, which only takes about an hour, you have to think about what you eat the whole time you are awake (which should only be 16 hours – see above). Two excellent resources for nutritional information are: The Metabolism Advantage by John Berardi, and The Anti-Estrogenic Diet by Ori Hofmekler (for both men and women).

Rest and nutrition are two areas that are all too often neglected, and just as important (if not more so) than anything else. Put some time into focusing on these areas if you truly are looking for improved fitness and life quality.

For more information regarding rest/sleep, and nutrition/diet; as well as to download sleep and food logs – contact Bob at bob@functional-strength-training.com, or visit his website at www.functional-strength-training.com.

Fitness: Gut Check Time

So here we are, the end of beach season. Many people are sorry to see it end, others say, “Thank goodness I don’t have to wear a swim suit for another 9 months!” Most people’s New Years or Memorial Day resolutions to get in shape did not turn out the way they wanted. Oh well, better luck next year, right? It doesn’t have to be that way.

Before deciding which of the thousand new fad diets or exercise programs you may look into in the next 12 months, first look inside and do a “gut check” as to why things have not worked out thus far. As you read this article, be true to yourself about how much any of this applies to you. If you are happy with your physical self, then great! If not, stop doing the same thing you have been doing, but hoping for different results, and make the change.

DIET

Before addressing what my clients SHOULD eat, I always first look at what they ARE eating. There are a number of diets out there, and most of them do work for some people, but none of them work for everyone. We are not going to compare and contrast the differences, let’s point out why many people cannot succeed with their diets.

1. Right idea, but missing the point. “I don’t know why I’m overweight, I pretty much just eat salad all the time”, or “my diet is healthy, I eat high protein which is low in fat”. Let’s examine a typical salad – iceberg lettuce (almost no nutritional value), cheese (take your pick which kind, they are generally processed with lots of chemicals and fat), bacon bits (not a good source of protein, but plenty of fat and sodium), croutons (sodium and fat), maybe a little bit of cucumbers and a tomato (the only redeeming value of the salad), and plenty of dressing (even most of the low fat alternatives are not exactly healthy). Or the protein eater – what was it cooked in (butter, oil, etc?), what did you eat with it (that wonderful salad, or maybe a good creamy sauce). Don’t get me wrong, I like salad and protein, and they can be extremely healthy, but just because you eat salad and chicken does not automatically make you a healthy eater.

2. The old standard: “just don’t eat anything.” Super-low calorie diets have been a staple for people looking to lose weight forever. Fortunately some very smart people have figured out that eating a cracker and a diet coke all day is not the healthy alternative. Starving your body will cause it to feed on areas you do not want to lose, like muscle tissue; and affect overall functioning throughout your body. Furthermore, these types of diets basically destroy a person’s metabolism, causing your body to burn very few calories on its own.

3. Think before you stuff: the people who do actually eat healthy, and then some. It is amazing to me how generous people can be. As a physical therapist, I am often blessed with thank you gifts from my patients. I cannot accept money or other similar gifts, and people know this. So what do they give: food. This is the case in most office settings, the thank you gift, or it could be leftovers from someone’s party – brought in for the office to share. While it usually tastes good, the food is rarely good for you, but instead some sort of “sugary” treat. When sweets appear, or maybe it is a bag of chips lying around, people often will shovel it in without thinking. So while someone may eat healthy meals, it is the unhealthy snacking that gets them.

I have found that the best first step towards eating right is to keep a food journal – a pain in the butt, but effective. There are only a few requirements, write down everything you put in your mouth (and I mean everything), how much of it, and what time you did it. Try to be as specific as possible – don’t just write “salad” or “sandwich”; write down everything in it. If you have water, write down “1 glass (8 oz.) of water at 9:17 a.m.”.

This task helps in multiple ways. First it makes you actually think before you eat, and decide if putting that cookie in your mouth is worth having to write it down. Second, it makes you aware of your current eating habits and what needs to change. Third, if someone else is helping you with your eating (a personal trainer, dietician, etc.) they can have the facts vs. what you tell them (which is often less than accurate).

EXERCISE

1. “I belong to a gym”, or “I have a great gym in my house.” This may be true, but indicates being in shape about as much as a person who owns a lot of books claiming to be an intellectual. Many of the big, expensive gyms are losing members to the cheaper, more basic gyms. People’s philosophy, why waste $100 per month on a membership I don’t use, when I can just waste $20 per month – can’t argue with that logic.

2. “I am at the gym 3 hours a day.” I actually had a woman say this to me once in an attempt to brag about what great shape she was in. After taking one look at her, I thought, “then you are wasting 2 1/2 hours per day.”

I estimate (and this comes from observing many people) that for every hour the average person “works out,” they get about 20-30 minutes of work done. The rest of the time is spent chatting, taking unnecessary breaks, or just standing around not having a clue.

The other end of the spectrum is the person who actually does spend hours working out. Unless someone is training for a specific endurance event, these people usually are sacrificing quality for quantity, and are risking overworking their bodies, which can be a serious condition.

3. “The lazy exerciser”: the person who does quality exercise on a regular basis, but is lazy the rest of the time. These are the people who drive around a parking lot for 10 minutes looking for the closest spot to the door so they don’t have to walk too far, the first in line to take the elevator to the second floor, or the person who comes home and plops down on the couch, because they are tired from sitting all day at work. Let’s get real, 60 minutes of exercise does not compete with 1380 minutes of laziness.

4. “My job is physical enough.” The truth is, most of the time, no it isn’t.

5. “I don’t have time.” It’s understandable – people need to spend time at work, driving, sleeping, eating, watching TV for four hours, “working” on the computer for two hours, etc. It’s not my place to tell people how to prioritize their lives, but everyone needs to prioritize their own life.

6. “I got off schedule when I went on vacation.” People like to claim that they have specific days that they work out, and specific things they work on those days. For example, Saturdays they work chest and shoulders, Tuesdays are legs (men usually skip that day), Thursdays are back and arms. While all of this probably sounded good in the Muscle and Fitness article where it came from, it gives people the excuse that since they missed the Saturday workout, their schedule was off and that’s why a month has gone by without being able to “get back on.”

There is a simple solution. Schedules will be thrown off; unless you are competing for Mr. Olympia in the next week, start back today. You don’t need to wait for New Years, Christmas, or Rosh Hashanah – be like Nike, “just do it.”

7. “I don’t know what I am supposed to do, or how to do it.” So, instead they do nothing. Here’s the deal: LEARN, or if you don’t want to learn, find someone to tell you what to do. If none of that works, use common sense – you know you should not just be sitting around all the time, start walking every day (and don’t say you walk all day at work).

8. My favorite: “I workout with a personal trainer 3 days per week.” Refer back to number 1 – talking to your trainer for an hour about what they did over the weekend, how their week is going, and what their weekend plans are, does not constitute working out. Obviously, as a trainer myself, I think having a personal trainer is a great way to go, but only if you are doing it for what it is meant.

As I said, this article is meant for everyone’s personal use. It may seem harsh at times, but reality often is. I don’t want to make light of legitimate reasons for not being in the kind of shape you want, because there are many. The point is to examine if you are in the kind of shape you want to be in, look at what may be contributing to it, and make necessary changes. If you try something and it doesn’t work, make another change and keep trying until you find what works for you. Remember, “the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary” – unknown.

Bob can be reached by email at bob@functional-strength-training.com or visit his website at www.functional-strength-training.com

Women & Weight Loss: Why the Difference?

With Ernest Quin of Physician Directed Hy-Tch Weight Loss

So, why do men seem to keep winning on the reality television show, “The Biggest Loser?” Well, it is not simply coincidence. In fact, men generally have an easier time losing weight than women because of their physical makeup and because of some of their dietary preferences.

It is a well-known fact that the more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn. Your metabolism will be higher, and your body will process the calories you consume much more quickly. Men tend to have a physical makeup that contains more muscle tissue than women; however, women can be very successful at losing weight using some of the same approaches as men.

According to Ernest Quin of Physician Directed Hy-Tech Weight Loss, most diets don’t work for men or women because they’re temporary. “After a person loses the weight, providing they stick to the diet, they gain the weight back because they return to their old eating habits. Weight loss programs that use meal replacements have the same problem. Once they stop purchasing the pre-packaged meals (which can get expensive), they gain the weight back,” says Quin.

Successful weight loss is truly about changing your lifestyle. There are many fad diets out there that may help you lose 2-15 pounds quickly, but many people quickly regain that weight once they stop the diet. Why does this happen? It happens because people return to their eating habits (which were generally poor) after they discontinue the diet.

Some points to consider when trying a true weight loss program is to consider how you are going to maintain your new body once you are finished with the program. If you simply have replaced your meals with meals from a program, but didn’t learn what the calorie intake and nutritional value of the meals were, you have not learned the skills to change your lifestyle when you return.

Keep in mind, exercise is important. However, if you are taking in 5000 calories a day, but only burning a fraction of those through exercise, then you are not going to lose or maintain any weight loss.

“A successful program measures a persons metabolism (which can be different from one person to the next) in order to customize a nutritional weight loss program for that individual,” says Quin.

Other considerations in choosing the right weight loss program for you:

• Program should have no meal replacement

• Program should not be a “one size fits all” weight loss program

• Program should strive toward lifestyle change for permanent weight loss

Men tend to carry their weight in different areas than women. For example, men tend to gain weight in the belly area, where women tend to put weight on in their lower body such as legs, buttocks and abdomen. No matter where your problem areas are, the process if very similar: exercise regularly, and eat properly.

A true commitment is necessary to losing and maintaining weight regardless of your program. Too many people begin a program, only to slowly fade off the regimen and never fully completing the lifestyle change necessary. This is where you see the Yo Yo dieter.

So, when you sit down and start looking at your weight loss opportunities, do the research. Take the time to find a program that meets your needs, and has the best possible outcomes for long term maintenance. You will be happy you did so.