The Future…

Even though I am not a US citizen, I am quite worried about all you folks out there. As I have already mentioned in previous posts, fast foods and unhealthy food do not just make people fat, but increases their chances of developing a wide range of nasty diseases. Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, strokes, respiratory problems, arthritis, and polycystic ovary syndrome are only a few to mention. Any alarm bells ringing? The alarm bells should have been ringing already a long time ago.

Healthcare (including insurance, family plans…) becomes more and more important, though, the future does not look very bright according to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcZx8Ft4JE4

Even though this article was presented in 2006, I feel like that it still applies and gives great insights on the current problem:

Obesity  in America: The Awful Truth!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/93514/obesity_in_america_the_awful_truth.html?cat=5

The Future....

"Obesity is and probably will be outweighing America in more ways than one"

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My Favorite Place To Eat In America Isn’t Very…Well, American!!!

Before coming to Florida State this year, I spent three years at Northern Arizona University, nestled in the mountains of Flagstaff, Arizona.  There, I fell in love with a little coffee house called “Macys European Coffeehouse”. 

Keeping in mind that Flagstaff has a distinctive hippy vibe to the place, Macys is a vegetarian coffeehouse specializing in their own roasted coffee beans that they model on a more European-style of coffee!  Therefore, the place fits right in with the general vibe of the town.  The coffee flavor is much more intense here than at any Starbucks! And I don’t mean burnt like many strong flavored coffees you find in America, but just more intense in terms of the richness and caramel flavors hidden within the grounds of their house-roasted coffee beans!  Hmmmm, I just loved it, and I loved their homemade vegetarian chili, their blue corn bread, their delicious salads, and of course their homemade granola and yoghurt for breakfast!

So what is the point of this particular blog entry? Well, there is no real point, other than I loved Macys, and it was ironic that my favorite eatery in the US was in fact modeled on a more traditional European coffee experience! I guess the perception of good coffee differs from country to country, but it is nice that even in America, there is a European coffee experience to be found!

Macy is online! Even though you won`t be able to smell the fresh roasted coffee beans, it is worth checking out the page:

http://www.macyscoffee.net/index.html

Caffeine: Giving Addictions a Bad Name:

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Addictions! Sometimes they’re good, but most of the time, they are synonymous with bad! In the world of food, addictions are everywhere!  And as I’ve come to notice, a vast number of the foods that might be considered addictive contain caffeine! Ahhh, caffeine! For me, caffeine is synonymous with coffee, and coffee is by far my biggest weakness! No day of mine is complete without a coffee. Of course, coffee – in and of its own accord – isn’t that bad. In fact, it has been linked with good heart health and an array of powerful antioxidants. But what is bad is the endless number of concoctions that big companies have popularized and called coffee. The grande caramel frappucinos with extra whipped cream. The iced vanilla lattés, the pumpkin spiced macchiatos...the list goes on! Me, I like a shot of espresso with some skim milk, commonly called a latté! Not so bad I guess. Milk isn’t the worst food in the world, but it probably isn’t the best either. Nonetheless, I am addicted to it. I am addicted to lattés, not for the milk, but for the hit of caffeine that accompanies the magical warmth that each latté fills me with. Lucky for me, my caffeine hit is accompanied only by a fairly modest serving of calories. But there are many far worse things containing caffeine that people become addicted to. Starbucks’ array of beverages is one example. Their array of more generously, syrup-laden, coffee-containing, milky beverages not only are addictive because of the caffeine, but are especially bad for you as a result of the accompanying processed sugars and artificial flavors. Soda is another caffeinated beverage accompanied by empty calories that many people rely on on a daily basis simply for fluid intake! Caffeine makes bad foods addictive, and no doubt is a clever marketing strategy of the companies involved to ensure people come back for another hit, again and again!

No doubt, there is more to addiction than caffeine, and definitely there are many non-caffeinated foods and beverages, which are equally addictive. But for simplicity’s sake, caffeine was one source of addiction I have noticed to be plaguing the American diet. Soda is mainstream, water is not – go figure!  And coffee isn’t just coffee anymore! My oh my, where are we going!?



Jonny Bowden – My Kind of Foodie!

About a year or so ago, browsing through the food and nutritional books at a Barnes and Noble store (sipping on a latté of course!), I came across an interesting book titled “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth”.  It was written by a guy called Jonny Bowden, and after flicking through the introduction and a few of the listed foods, I decided I had to buy it! It was twenty-five dollars well spent – it is my go-to book for distractions during study sessions, or for a lazy Sunday afternoon read!  It is evident from the introduction that Jonny Bowden cares about wholesome, natural, organic eating, where variety is indeed the spice of life (as the saying goes).  I would be lying if I didn’t say that Jonny Bowden’s philosophies about food had not rubbed off on me a little in the past year.  In a country where at every street I cross, there is a fast food outlet, it is refreshing to know that healthy eating is a practice still existent in this county, albeit, amongst only a minority of people (of course, I could be wrong about that).

It seemed appropriate that I share one of the foods from Jonny’s book, and tell you a little bit about it, why it is so healthy, and why I love it so much!

                                                         BLUEBERRIES

http://www.rawfoodnation.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/blueberries.jpg

Yes, I love blueberries, I love their sweet and fruity taste, and I love that they are very healthy. Blueberries are considered a brain food and various studies have shown that they have the ability to protect the memory. In addition, blueberries contain compounds that are known to have antioxidant and inflammatory properties and functions. An example of such a compound is anthocyanin. Not enough, blueberries do more and are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. Also, they are very low in fats and calorie.

Blueberries are known to be the “Superfruit”! My advice: Eat as much as you want!

Want to know more about Dr. Jonny Bowden and get some more healthy insider tips?
CHECK OUT: http://www.jonnybowden.com/

5 Worst foods that CAN make you Fat

No, it is not just Mc Donald`s, Burger King, Whataburger, Wendy, Taco Bell and Co. that let your belly grow (too much). Belly fat is annoying and trust me no one is proud of his or her belly fat, except maybe a Sumo wrestler.
There are tons of other types of food out there that can be reason in gaining excessive body weight.
Here is a list of the 5 worst foods (that is my own personal view and therefore does not necessarily have to be the only correct existing order) that can help make you gain weight (If you are eating those foods on a regular base, you surely are very likely to become a member of the fat and obese community.):
1.) Soda
They contain nothing but are completely loaded with various kinds of sugars. There are no vitamins, minerals, and nutritional values found. Soda is associated with everything ranging from diabetes to tooth decay, hyperactivity to obesity.
Find out why sugar is SO bad for you:
http://www.beautyden.com/sugar.shtml
2.) Potato Chips
You thought potato chips are healthy? Well, potatoes themselves are healthy, right? Why shouldn`t potato chips then considered to be healthy as well?
You better start enrolling in a nutrition class and learn about proper nutrition when you were thinking that potato chips contain anything good for you. Potato chips are simply fried starch that contain a large amount of fat (the unhealthy kind obviously). If considering the fact that one ounce of potato chips contains about 152 calories and 10 grams of fat (I just looked it up on the back of a package lying around in my kitchen), it is not a surprise that when eating them, you can end up with excessive pounds added to your waistline.
3.) Sausages
Sausages are very unhealthy for you and can be classified as a real bad food. They are very high in fats and calories. If you are in love with sausages and are simply not able to give them up (and delete them from your meal plan), you might wanna consider the light sausage recipes: http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/bllowfatsausage.htm
4.) Fettuccine Alfredo
Pasta in general is not bad for you, BUT strips of pasta that are drenched with cream, butter, and some sort of cheese are VERY bad for you! I do understand why everyone loves it, it is simply tasty. Unfortunately, the two word “fat” and “calories” are related to Fettuccine Alfredo. If you love pasta and you are one of those people that needs to eat them regularly, you should substitute for whole-wheat fettuccine with a red marinara sauce (usually some sort of tomato sauce). This is still tasty and in addition gaining extra kilos can be prevented!
Healthy and lighter pasta recipes can be found under: http://www.lifescript.com/Body/Food/Cook/Perfect_Pasta_Recipes.aspx
5.) Soft white bread
Bread is not equal bread. The “good” and healthy bread is the one that is made of whole grain flour or/ and wheat flour. It is the white bread which you should avoid! White bread is simply made from refined white flour, which in itself has had all the goodness of the wheat removed in the process of refining. Therefore, white bread isn`t good for you and it does bear have any nutritional value. That is why eating white bread is often referred to as eating “empty” calories.

Do NOT get me wrong. You CAN eat those foods once in a while, but they definitely should not be consumed daily and in large amounts.

I know you have been eagerly waiting for this. HERE YOU GO! Showing Fast-Food Calorie Bombs from various Fast Food Restaurants!

Fast Food Restaurants & Nutrition Facts Compared!

Does it surprise you that Fast Food can make you fat?

Why are so many Americans fat?

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Why is it that so many Americans are overweight and some are even diagnosed as being seriously obese?

I have always been wondering about this. Being from a little village in Switzerland, I was not quite sure what causes this, since people in Switzerland seem to live a pretty healthy lifestyle and on average, seem to maintain an acceptable weight. But after having lived in the US for about 3 years now, I have come to see some of the reasons why people are fat here. It is not just one main reason behind people getting so fat here I believe, but indeed various aspects that are responsible for this.

Going to Mc Donald`s on a regular basis? Eating crispy deep-fried French fries along with a quarter pound burger?  And, yes of course the extra large coke that has to go with it (otherwise it would not be the same)?

Eating the wrong foods is certainly a big reason that results in gaining those extra pounds of body weight. Combined with not having enough physical activities (Yes, you and I know that many Americans are pretty lazy folks), it is not surprising that the calorie intakes (through food) are often excessively greater than the burning of calories. It is simple - very simple in fact! If the intake is greater than the output, you start gaining weight! Why are people not aware of this? Does this not sound logical?

I agree, food is tempting, yes! The other day I went to Mc Donald`s, ordered a Big Mac, a cheeseburger, a medium size of French fries, and on top of that I also got a large coke! I certainly consumed way too many calories, and my body would not have needed those 3000 calories all at once! I was not aware of it at this moment!

Along with eating the wrong foods (foods that bear none or not enough nutritional values and are high in sugar and fat) is eating too much food. If you are sitting daily for many hours (at work) and there is not much physical activity involved, you certainly don`t need to eat like a marathon runner that burns many thousands of calories a day. Don`t get me wrong, you do need to eat and get in enough calories in order to have your brain and body functioning, but realizing how much you need as an individual is the key.

There is of course the issue also of unhealthy foods often being so much cheaper and more convenient than the healthy selection of foods.  Shopping at a place like the Whole Foods market is sure to burn a bigger hole in the wallet than a trip to KFC, and the preparation time and effort involved in preparing a meal full of variety is often less appealing to the busy, working person.  Certainly, Americans are being raised in a culture where not only is it harder and more expensive to eat well, but a society that is too busy and driven by capitalism to have enough time to exercise and justify the higher than necessary calorie intake plaguing so many overweight Americans.

A little Introduction...

There are a few greater pleasures in this world than a plate of food when you are hungry.  Such is the simplicity of the human psych.  We are like animals with basic needs, but complex feelings.  My name is Astrid Leutert, and I am many things: I am a student, I am a long distance runner, and I am a foodie! What is a foodie you are probably asking yourself? Well, for one, it probably isn’t even a word, given that my automatic smell checker does not recognize it.  But put simply, a foodie is someone with a special interest in all things food, and I really love good food.  This is obviously quite an abstract proclamation, because I mean, what does good food mean??  For me, good food is more than taste, texture and a means for satisfying hunger; good food may have obscure health benefits, it may satisfy an addiction, it may be the combination of two or more magical ingredients.  Good food may serve some greater purpose – perhaps sustaining a community or representing good old, organic, Mother Nature!  Don’t get me wrong! Every once in a while, I crave bad food too.  I am a runner and I burn many more calories each day than the average person – I mean consider this, I run between 70 and 80 miles a week, bad food is obviously necessary sometimes! And we all know what bad food is.  I think it is fair to say, whatever your persuasion, McDonalds is bad food.  Candy is bad food.  Bad food is food that satisfies us, but does not necessarily nourish us and does not contain much nutritional value!  My vice is pastries! Oh, and not to forget McDonalds!  I do not make a habit of eating these foods, but every once in a while, after a long hard run, the shortest path to replenishing lost energy is sometimes these fast, convenient, calorie-dense foods!

Now, lets get back to who I am! I am Astrid Leutert - a student athlete attending Florida State University.  I am from Switzerland though, and food culture is one component of American culture that has gained my intrigue over the three years I’ve been here.  Bad food can be found everywhere in the US, and it seems there is less hesitation about consuming it among the people I have met, and the people I see sitting in fast food outlets, with each gluteus muscle sitting wide and low over chairs!  Luckily, I have found solitude in many of my like-minded, health-driven runner friends, and I don’t feel so awkward about loving good food. Places like Whole Foods Market have been a haven for me!  I want to talk about food in this blog  – my opinions and experiences with food in the US.  I want to share what I know about good food, and offer possible solutions for the health problems that are caused by bad food in the US.  Read a head, and wet your appetite (pardon the pun).  As we say in Switzerland, Guten Appetite!!!

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