There is no such thing as will power. There is only the quality of what you are eating.

A quote from Jerry Seinfeld goes: “There is no such thing as an attention span. There is only the quality of what you are viewing.”*
My version of this is: There is no such thing as will power. There is only the quality of what you are eating.

For me, high quality food is not merely good for you, but it tastes good and is filling. Choosing high quality food over junk food does not require will power.
Picture this scenario- you open your fridge and see some homemade chili, rich with nutritious beans, beef, tomato, onion, and all sorts of chili peppers. And on the counter is some homemade cornbread, made with whole grain cornmeal, olive oil, and juicy kernels of fresh corn.
It doesn’t take will power to choose these foods and to decide not to go to McDonald’s. It just takes cooking with filling and healthy ingredients like olive oil, beans and grass-fed beef.
*“The Attention-Span Myth”, NY Times Magazine, 11/21/10, p. 22.

Did Paleolithic Humans Eat Bread?

Our ancestors thrived and evolved while eating a so-called Paleolithic diet, loosely interpreted as foods that could be hunted and gathered, foods that were around before industrialization, processing, refining and packaging. It’s easy to imagine that the Paleolithic diet would have included meats, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, but what about small amounts of whole grains? Did it include bread?
If you are personally trying to adhere to a Paleolithic diet, you probably experienced more than a little joy upon hearing the news that “Paleolithic Humans Had Bread Along With Their Meat” (from the New York Times, 10/19/2010). Sorry to be a spoilsport- but what researchers think was actually eaten 30,000 years ago was stone ground starchy plants made into a flat bread.
Our ancestors probably ate starchy plants like potatoes, and they probably gathered a little grain, but bread and rice were not thought to be staple foods eaten in large quantities. A Paleolithic diet still involves asking the waiter to take back the bread basket. Maybe you should go outside, gather some tubers, and find a grinding stone.

What’s your cat eating?

Have you read the ingredient list on your cat’s food? For any packaged food for humans or pets, that’s where you’ll get the most valuable information- not from the Nutrition Facts table.

What you want to see at the beginning of the list is real food ingredients that a cat might actually choose to eat such as chicken, fish, or beef, not by-products. And I can’t imagine that cats evolved to eat large amounts of wheat, soy, or corn.

After trying many dry cat foods, my current favorite is Core Wellness Adult Cat & Kitten Food. I don’t know whether it’s the turkey and chicken, small amounts of potato and tomato, or the probiotics (live bacteria), but my cat loves it (and he is as picky as they come) and his coat is softer and healthier than ever.

Coaching to help you exit the diet cycle

I believe that eating natural, unprocessed, good-tasting food is the best approach to good health, and that strict diets rarely succeed over the long term. If you need help exiting a frustrating cycle of dieting, binge eating and feeling guilty, you might check out Sylvia Kurpanek, a Palo Alto based coach who helps people learn to trust their instincts in an approach very complementary to mine. She’s giving an informational seminar Tuesday evening, 8/24/10 at 7 pm (web site).

Mediterranean cooking- try some new recipes

Once you learn how to cook a few basic dishes, you can eat healthily for the rest of your life. Mediterranean cuisine contains lots of nutritious veggies and is delicious, so it’s a good place to start. Try a few recipes from my friends’ website, Mediterranean Cooking. I’ve eaten the Baked Scallops with Tomatoes and Pistou Sauce so I know it’s wonderful, and I can’t wait to try the Spaghetti Squash with Sage and Walnuts. Mediterraneancooking.net

Vegans Beware

Over the past few years, two major areas of misinformation about nutrition have been gradually clearing up in the public mind and people don’t look at me like I’m crazy when I give talks about these subjects. Most people are now aware that “good” fats (oils, mayo, nuts) are actually good for you and are aware that we need some sun exposure to make vitamin D.

There is another urgent topic that will probably make it into the media and into our doctors' attention in a few years, and that is our need for animal products to get vitamin B12. We can get protein and iron from beans, but vitamin B12 is found reliably only in animal products such as meats, eggs and milk. Vegan sources such as tempeh and seaweeds can’t be counted on for B12. If you don’t get enough you’ll be okay for a few years, but then your nerves will start dying, and your legs, arms, and brain won’t work very well.

I found a great source for information on this topic on the VeganHealth.org website. This is written by Jack Norris, a Registered Dietician, President of Vegan Outreach, and apparently a thoughtful reader of the scientific literature. If you are a vegan, take supplements or eat fortified foods.

Been told your health problems are all due to being overweight?

Many clients come to me for weight loss, having been told by MDs that their health problems are all due to being overweight. For example, their knee pain is automatically attributed to their excess weight, with the unfortunate consequence that other possible causes are not investigated and treated.

There is a lot more to good health than just being thin, and there is a lot more to a complete medical examination than just being weighed and measured. Some tests that are very informative are blood sugar, blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and cardiovascular fitness (how you do on a treadmill test). People who score well on these tests live longer than thin people because good health comes from eating well and exercising, not from being skinny.

Why does this distinction matter? Because if your goal is good health rather than weight loss, you are more likely to succeed. For example by focusing on increasing your energy level, you will feel more like working out. By investigating medical approaches to healing your knee, you will be better able to exercise. This will be much more effective than beating yourself up for not being able to resist eating food. I like to help clients navigate areas of overlap between nutrition and medicine in the most constructive way.