What NOT to Eat

Posted by Andy - 03/28/08 at 04:03:00 am

The New York Times posted an interesting article dealing with The Worst Foods in America. The article is based on the book Eat This Not That! by Men’s Health editor-in-chief David Zinczenko. David’s book is a type of guide that details America’s worst foods, and then gives better (i.e., healthier) alternatives.

I have not read this book myself, but it sounds like something that would be good to have sitting on your bookshelf. Here are some of the worst (i.e., unhealthiest) foods.

• Worst Fast Food Meal: McDonald’s Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips with creamy ranch sauce. Chicken sounds healthy, but not at 870 calories.
• Worst Drink: Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo’d Power Smoothie. With 166 grams of sugar, you could have had eight servings of Ben & Jerry’s.
• Worst Supermarket Meal: Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie. One pie packs 64 grams of fat.
• Worst “Healthy” Burger: Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger. With 1,145 calories, not a very healthy choice.
• Worst Airport Snack: Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll. Packed with 813 hot gooey calories and 5 grams of trans fats.
• Worst Kids’ Meal: Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni ‘n Cheese. With 62 fat grams, it’s the equivalent of 1.5 full boxes of Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese.
• Worst Salad: On the Border Grande Taco Salad with Taco Beef. A salad with 102 grams of fat and 2,410 mg of sodium.
• Worst Dessert: Chili’s Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream. At 1,600 calories, it’s like eating the caloric equivalent of three Big Macs.

Survey Says…

Posted by Andy - 03/20/08 at 06:03:00 pm

Anyone who has sent us a message through the Gyminee Contact page will know that we respond to all feedback and most definitely take all suggestions into account. We love hearing from Gyminee users and we believe that our users should help direct the future of the product.

In an attempt to make it even easier for users to give their input, we have created a short survey (only 6 questions, it will probably take you about 15 seconds to complete).

 

Click here to take our survey!

Don’t Eat Foods that Can’t Rot

Posted by Andy - 03/11/08 at 05:03:00 pm

Michael Pollan’s new book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, provides great insight into the types of food that Westerners eat today and what happened to bring our nutrition to such a processed state. Pollan argues that consuming processed foods (refined grains, high-fructose corn syrup) are much more dangerous than consuming, for example, foods that are high in cholesterol.

Here is a Q&A with the author that is a great read. The topics covered range from antioxidants to cloning livestock. He explains that the Western diet is causing diseases (diabetes, heart disease) because of the lack of natural foods.

Here are some of my favorite statements from the article.

“I mean, my basic philosophy of eating is, you know, if your great-grandmother wasn’t familiar with it, you probably want to stay away from it.”

“And, in fact, one of my tips is, don’t eat any food that’s incapable of rotting. If the food can’t rot eventually, there’s something wrong.”

When discussing how to shop at the grocery store Pollack said,

“All the processed foods, the really bad stuff that is going to get you in trouble with all the refined grain and the additives and the high-fructose corn syrup, those are all in the middle. And so, if you stay out of the middle and get most of your food on the edges, you’re going to do a lot better.”

Pollack contrasts the Western diet with other more traditional diets saying,

“Well, the interesting thing is that most traditional cuisines are very healthy, … the human body has done very well on the Mediterranean diet, on the Japanese diet, on the peasant South American diet. It’s really interesting how many different foods we can do well on. The one diet we seem poorly adapted to happens to be the one we’re eating, the Western diet.“

It’s not easy to be a part of Western society and not eat fast food and the plethora of other foods that are, more or less, terrible for you. However, it’s also important to keep in mind that our manufactured diet is a new phenomenon that can be detrimental to our health (we are starting to see the side effects more and more). With a little planning and some will-power we can all eat more naturally and lead a healthier life. Hmmm, I’m in the mood for some sushi…

Tired? Try Exercising

Posted by Andy - 03/04/08 at 03:03:00 pm

A Reuters article provides some insight into the benefits of exercise to fight off fatigue. A study performed at the University of Georgia took 36 individuals who received little to no exercise on a regular basis. Part of the group did leisurely to moderately intense workouts for 6 weeks, while the other participants remained sedentary. The active participants had a 20 percent increase in energy level over the sedentary participants.

“A lot of people are overworked and not sleeping enough. Exercise is a way for people to feel more energetic. There’s a scientific basis for it and there are advantages to it compared to things like caffeine and energy drinks.”

Many of us have experienced this boost in energy after going for a jog or a brisk walk. But, what studies have also shown is that regular exercise will provide a lasting boost in energy level, not just that temporary high you get after your cardio session.

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