School Lunch Program + School Breakfast Program = Obesity

It was a while ago, but there was a big uproar nationally about the changes to the school lunch programs.  Something about smaller portions, higher cost and, (heaven forbid), more vegetables.  No one liked these changes.  There was a local boycott in the Parsippany, NJ schools, though I never did hear about that outcome.  But it brought me to question the role of the school lunch and breakfast programs.

I can understand the point of reduced cost lunches to those who are TRULY needy and certainly there needs to be a cafeteria providing food to all students and staff who would like the option.  But I feel there's a tremendous waste of money and resources here.  Why can't we make school cafeterias privatized and let it be for profit to take the burden off the taxpayer?  Why do I have to foot the bill to feed someone else's children?  People go out for lunch all the time and pay for their lunch, don't they?  They should do the same in school.   Especially now when everyone just laughs at the school lunch options.  (Side bar here:  I've spent a lifetime listening to complaints about hospital meals, airline meals, school meals.  So maybe we can make the first change with the school meals).

First, let's talk about providing free breakfast to students.  Why in heaven's name is any child leaving the house without eating breakfast?  Aren't parents/caregivers/older siblings there to assure small children are getting something to eat before they leave for school?  Yogurt, cold (low sugar) cereal with milk, some toast with peanut butter.  Why is this so hard?  There's no cooking involved.  You just need to have the right ingredients in the house.   Get up a few minutes earlier to take care of "the most important meal of the day."  That goes for the adults AND the kids.  If the child is old enough to prepare something for themselves, then get with the program.   Just Do It!  I see plenty of people in line to get Egg McCrappiness so people have a buck or so for their own breakfast.  And to boot, kids are fatter than ever and some of this obesity is being blamed on the documented junky food that kids are eating for breakfast and lunch at school.  School cafeteria managers complain that kids don't eat the good food--eggs and oatmeal for breakfast, salad and vegetables for lunch--so they are forced to sell what the kids want.  And what the kids want are donuts, bacon, pastries, french fries and such.  Hence, obesity.

Secondly, why are we forcing the school lunch program to provide milk?  I know it helps keep the cost down if you get milk with your meal, but it's a well documented fact that most of the milk is tossed out.   I don't drink milk.  Neither do my kids or my husband.  For that matter, neither does my brother, sister-in-law, etc.  So why are we paying for the milk in school?  It's being pushed from the US Department of Agriculture as a food commodity and I guess it started being pushed because it has calcium.  (I even remember the small cartons of milk when I went to grade school--I think it was 7 cents.  There was no option to refuse.  We just didn't opt-out in 1967.  I took the milk but I never drank it).  But let's get back to the calcium.  We know that there are other foods we can get calcium from.  Kids are certainly eating enough cheese to get their calcium, but we can get calcium from broccoli, kale, (reminder:  eat these) even calcium-fortified orange juice.  So the milk is a waste.  Get rid of it.  (There's also the issue of the majority of the corn and grain farmed in this country to feed cattle and the cattle using our natural resources.  And I'm still trying to understand what a carbon footprint is).

There's also a suggestion over whether low-fat chocolate milk should be a substitute for the "white" milk in the schools.  Now that stuff really goes off the shelf--the kids love it.  But it has additional calories from sugar and is another cause of the obesity epidemic.

I think I'll stop raving here and provide you with what I think we should have.  Home Economics.  That's right.  I think the good old home ec classes should be reinstated.  Teach people how to cook, teach them how to shop wisely and cook healthfully.  Teach people what they should eat to reduce their risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer and other illnesses.  That's what dietitians should be doing.  There would be less obesity if people could make their own breakfast and pack their own lunches.  Let's get with THAT Program!

Hair Raising Experience

I'm disturbed about the price of a haircut.  For my latest haircut, I paid $60 plus a $12 tip.  For $72, I should be happy with the results, but as usual, I'm not.  Allow me to backtrack.

Up until about 3 years ago, I used the same hair stylist at the same salon every month, without fail, with very good results.  It was relatively inexpensive for a trendy salon, about $40 plus tip.  The beautician was a young gal with pinkish hair and we got to know each other very well.  I loved seeing her and hearing about her single-lifestyle and the reflection in the mirror was of 2 rather smiling people.  And then what happens?  I get an email from the salon that Amanda is no longer employed there.  I try connecting with Amanda through phone and facebook, but with no luck.  She and my happy haircuts are no longer.

I've run through a very long string of hairdressers since, some with recommendations, some  just because they're cheap and/or local.  I've paid premium moolah (up to $80, pleased don't tell Broccoli Rob) because the salon was supposedly some feng shui place, but discover that the person cutting my hair is actually just an apprentice who needs experience.  I don't return.  Other places have similar situations, but one thing is for sure, no one ever cut my hair like Amanda.  I have short hair that I like to keep spiky, but don't want to put much bother into styling it in the morning.  I think it should be easy to get the right haircut but it's not.  And to boot, I'm somehow paying for privilege without getting any reward.

Which brings me to the question.  Why are we paying so much money for a haircut?  (I take poetic license with the "we").  To go to beautician school, you don't need a college degree.  Okay, I for one would never wash someone else's hair and I don't trust myself with scissors or razor blades.  But for heaven's sake, how much time does it take to get a beautician's license?  I could look that up, but I'm pretty sure it's 2 years or less.  And then you work at a hair salon, starting with sweeping up the floor and washing hair and move up.  So, to put things into perspective, I am paying about triple my hourly wage to someone with very little education and whose said education cost, I don't know, about 5% about what I just spent on my daughter's college education.  I'm not happy about this and now that I think about it, I'm not a huge fan of giving tips after already paying a significant amount for dinner, haircut, manicure and other stuff.  But I'll keep those thoughts under safe keeping for another chapter.

So I guess it all comes down to value.  I have just an okay haircut, but one that I don't think is worth $72.  I would expect that a more expensive haircut would give me the haircut that I'm pleased with but #1) I don't want to pay more and #2) I've given this a try without success.  My daughter with the expensive education is presently unemployed despite having scholastic achievements.  I have a reasonable education with modest compensation, certainly nowhere near the exalted hairdresser.  All I can say is...Mothers:  let your children grow up to be beauticians.  And Amanda, if you're out there, call me!

That's one small step for dietitians...

     People don’t listen to registered dietitians for good, solid, nutrition advice.  Nope.  They prefer to heed the recommendations from health food store owners, unlicensed nutritionists, gym owners, Dr. Oz, next door neighbors, anybody.   Of course, since I’m a registered dietitian, I believe that RDs are your best source for information regarding what to eat for health or to treat your disease.  I’ve been a RD for 30 years and there has been absolutely no improvement in the dietitian’s status as a healthcare provider or promoter.  

     What threw me over the edge earlier this summer was my spinning instructor’s advice to the group while we were stretching after the workout.  He told us to eat eggs for protein and to have eggs with either spinach or black beans.  And if we choose the black beans, he recommended that we add cheese since the beans are an incomplete protein and the cheese protein will make this meal ‘complete.’  Well, I have some issues with this.  First of all, he’s wrong.  But no one knows that he’s wrong, and spinners are hanging onto his every word.  I checked his background.  Nutrition?  Nope.  He has a college degree in a foreign language and has no advance credits or certification in the field of nutrition.  But dang if he isn't a delightful guy with a great body and a full-time smile to boot. He sounds like he knows what he's talking about.  So people listen.

     I did approach him after class to ask why we need cheese at all with the eggs since the eggs are the best source of protein, and complete at that.  He kinda just reiterated that the cheese has protein to complete the beans.  I double checked with another spinning instructor who happens to be a RD and she agreed with me.  (Dietitians do stick together).  But the point is that the great body guy is giving out nutrition advice willy nilly.  And dietitians are left in the dust.  Here he is promoting saturated fat and sodium in cheese, when, in fact, it's not needed at all.  Heck, just eat the eggs.  Personally, I wouldn't think of adding black beans to eggs but if you want to do it, then fine.  No problem there.  Skip the cheese though.

     The following week the not-nutrition guy told everyone to eat 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate for its antioxidant benefits.  The class was really happy to hear of this tidbit.  Did you know that 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate has about 450 calories?  I can think of better ways to get antioxidants.  But I'm sure lots of people left the spinning class and went to get the Hershey's Special Dark Bar that was suggested.  And to make matters worse, the spinning instructor told the guys in the class not to eat soy because it lowers their sex drive.

     I go back up to him again.  I didn't even bother to speak about the chocolate but I did tell him that I've done research on soy and the rumor that it lessens a man's sex drive is unsubstantiated.  As suspected, he held firm to his recommendations, stating that this information was in "research" that he had reviewed.  When asked about the "research," he cited Gentleman's Quarterly and Prevention Magazine.  Hah!!  Now, did I tell him that I'm a RD?  Nope.  Because he had already said that someone in another class had a comment about one of his suggestions and he lamely mentioned to the class that "she was a registered dietitian."  I didn't wish to be ridiculed.

     BUT, and here's the big but (pun intended)...Who are people listening to?  Not me, that's for sure.  I'm no PhD or researcher, but I've been a clinical practitioner for a long time and read loads of evidence-based articles about food, nutrition and general health.  I don't know everything, (nutrition is an ever-changing science) but I do know what's in the research and I only promote well-studied nutrition information to my patients and co-workers.  But the guy on the lead spin bike is reading lay magazines and then spewing back awful advice that people accept as gospel.  

     For many years there has been a campaign to get NJ dietitians licensed so that we would be the only ones, by law, allowed to dispense nutrition information.  That bill has yet to pass the NJ Assembly.  There has been great opposition, with lobbyers better than the dietitian's groups, allowing anyone (and I do mean anyone) to speak about nutrition and get away with it.  I'm now too old and too unmotivated to continue to fight for my profession.   But RDs are well-educated in their field, have to pass a national exam and maintain continuing education credits.  The guy on the bike--he just has to be super friendly, read a supermarket magazine and spit back the information.  It's frustrating.  And even more frustrating that he puts down a dietitian and I don't have the guts to take him on.  So here it is--I should tell him that I'M the nutritionist and that he's giving inaccurate advice and should stop!!!  Shame on me for not doing this.  THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH ME AND WITH DIETITIANS IN GENERAL.  We're too meek and non-confrontational.  I pledge to do better next time.

     So go ahead and eat eggs. You can even safely eat an egg every day.  They're not the culprits for raising your blood cholesterol.  They have a wonderful protein content, a bunch of vitamins and minerals and are inexpensive.  Just skip the cheese and butter--that's where the saturated fat is that will affect your blood cholesterol.  Eat soy--it's safe.  Limit dark chocolate to one SMALL square (about a half ounce) daily.  Trust me.  

Celebration for a Revelation

I may be a dietitian, but I'm a bit chubby.  Always have been.  Except for that time I first joined "Lean Jeans" and was following the Weight Watchers diet and got down to my thinnest, a size 10.  I was actually very heavy at one time as well, about 15 years ago.  Really don't know what happened, but I exploded to about 180 or 190 pounds, even with exercising.  But for the better part of my 58 years, I've been somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.  And that's with regular exercise and with some mindful eating.  And the truth of the matter is that I've obsessed about my weight and how I look.  And I want to change that.

For years, years, years, I've weighed myself.  Get up.  Pee.  Take off pajamas and get on the scale for the lowest weight of the day.  Base what I wear on that morning's weight.  Look around whatever room I'm in later that day and determine if I'm the heaviest one there.  I can even tell you how much I weighed at any particular event.  Count calories, Weight Watchers points, grams of fat, write it all down.  Put it onto an App on my iPhone.  Subtract points/calories with exercise.  Continue same, every day, ad nauseam.

But now, I'M DONE.  Done with getting on the scale.  Done with getting on the scale and determining how my day will go with my mood, based on the scale's read-out.  Done with counting calories and writing it all down.  Done with worrying about how I look to others.  Done with being disgusted with myself.  It's gotten me nowhere except to a place that's sad and self-depreciating.  Do I wish to be thinner?  Yes.  Have I tried my darndest to get my BMI to 25?  You betcha.  So I turned to Dr. Weil's readings about what to do next.  His answer--If you've tried and you're still not at the weight you love, then try to be in love with the weight you're at and the person that you are.  Whew.  But it's not so easy to dissolve those old thoughts.  So it's one day at a time.  One meal at a time.  Stay with it.  I know how to eat healthfully.  I always plan for 5 days of exercise weekly.  What more do I need?   But what happened yesterday?  One of the patients that I work with looked at me and said "hey, you've gained weight".  I was sunken.  He may have been right as my clothes may not be as comfortable as they used to be.  But boy I could have popped him on his skinny head when he made that remark.  So today's a new day and I'm going to TRY to love the body that I have and the person I am.  Stay conscious.  And I'm off to spinning class!

THE JOY OF JOYVA

I'm still working on making some dishes from Dr. Andrew Weil's 2011 newsletters.  Last week, I tried the recipe for homemade hummus.  This is a really easy recipe because it has just a few ingredients--canned chickpeas, sesame tahini, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, olive oil and a little water.  And it requires no cooking.  What it did require was a food processor though, which I didn't have and I didn't realize that I didn't have it until all the ingredients were in the bowl.  I had forgotten that I had given my food processor away to my daughter since I didn't use it much.  (I had found that I prefer to chop vegetables by hand, considering it to be therapeutic, therefore not needing the big machine on my counter).

So when it came time to puree the chickpeas with the other ingredients, I really needed to use my noodle to make the hummus.   I tried to use a potato masher.  Didn't work.  At all.  I then tried a blender.  Have you ever tried to use a blender to puree something solid?  I found that it just doesn't work.  Blenders are great for blending liquids, but the blender didn't do a thing to smooth out the beans.  I tried adding more lemon juice and water, but it didn't budge.  I tried futzing around with using a chopstick to move the stuff around in the bottom, and all I got was a chopped up chopstick.  So just when I was about to dump the whole concoction into the trash, I remembered that I had an immersion blender.

This is a great, inexpensive kitchen gizmo for blending/pureeing items right in the mixing bowl or the cooking pot.  I use the immersion blender for making butternut squash soup and potato soup.  And now it has a new use--for making hummus.  BTW, my daughter has since returned the food processor back to me since she said she barely uses it.  And I gave her a new immersion blender!!

But back to the hummus.  I mentioned that one of the key ingredients is sesame tahini.  I bought this at the supermarket, right by the packaged hummus containers.  I only saw the Joyva brand and I admit the turbaned-guy on the logo looked a little scary to me.  If there was another brand available, I probably would have bought it to avoid that Aladdin icon.

But, when I opened the can, the delicious scent of the sesame paste opened my memory.  What came to mind immediately was the scent and taste of the sesame confection halvah, and with that, the memory of my maternal grandparents, Ruth & Harry (Nan & Pop, to me).  

The aroma of that tahini brought me back 50 years to my grandparents kitchen, with them taking the halvah out of the package and slicing it into generous chunks.  And the 3 of us sitting at the kitchen table enjoying the halvah (though we pronounced it "hal-a-vah") and each other.  I could practically taste the halvah again, and vividly remembered their kitchen, their cabinets, the window looking out to the backyard, even the view of the neighbor's house over the kitchen sink.  All this love and joy from taking a whiff of the Joyva tahini.  I have just found out that Joyva halvah is still being made--by the Joyva company!  How did I miss seeing the halvah in the store all these years?

So, if there's a bottom line here, it's to eat more beans, use sesame tahini for its healthful and delicious fats, and, always, to remember and honor the people that have been important to you.  Nan & Pop were the best.  They lived right downstairs from my family and I saw them every single day while I was growing up. They treated me like a princess.    And I'm going to have some halvah in their honor.

EXERCISE: IT'S WHAT'S BEFORE DINNER

I was never the last one picked for the school-yard sports teams.  But I was probably next to last.  (Good thing I was the more social of the last 2 to be picked).  I truly have zip athletic ability.  Can't catch, can't throw a ball from here to there, certainly can't run.  And I'm not competitive.  BUT, I've become a fitness enthusiast.

I know, and you know, that it's important to exercise for your health.  Goes right along with eating right.  Exercise helps with blood pressure, mood, digestion, sleep, cholesterol and theoretically helps with weight control.  (I say theoretically because I'm still a chubette, but that's a topic for another time).   There's little downside to exercising and if I can do it, anybody can.  I started working out at a local gym ("Lean Jeans") because some of the dietitians from work joined there too.  We took classes and worked out on the gym equipment together, which was a lot of fun.  That was 30 years ago!

Though Lean Jeans is long gone, as is that original job, I've always managed to stay focused on fitness.  And I've managed to find activities that are self-directing and non-competitive.  I've joined other gyms, trekked loads of hiking trails, swam laps, worked with trainers, zumba-d and walked while others drove.  As the years go by, I allow nature to direct me in my exercise regimen.  And what I've discovered is that I can pretty much do whatever I did 30 years ago.  (Well, I can't get up from the floor without assistance anymore).  But, I feel strong.  I feel good.  And I think that's because I exercise regularly and perhaps a little fanatically.  My latest regimen is spinning 3 times a week, and weight training once a week.  Then, on Thursdays, (ugh, here's the dietitian regimen mentality again--it has to be Thursday) I use the elliptical machine for an hour.  I admit I also use this time to watch reruns of Law and Order on the individual tv atop the exercise equipment.  This assures that I stay on the machines 'til I see who gets prosecuted at the end of the show.  I especially love it when Jerry Orbach is in the cast!  And twice a month, my hubbie, Broccoli Rob, and I go contra dancing, a really fun way to sweat and socialize.

So how do you make time for exercise?  You make it a commitment.  Like a non-negotiable part of your day.  Say you're gonna do it, and do it.  When my kids were small, I awoke at 6 am and went to the gym or walked in the neighborhood and was back in time to get the kids off to school.  When I needed to get away from the laundry, I joined a women's day-hiking group which forced Broccoli Rob to assume active home duties on the weekend.  Nowadays, I go to the gym right after work, before dinnertime.  I pack my gear in the morning and have it ready in my car.  You all know what happens when you come home first and then plan to go out later--intrusions, other plans arise, the couch calls.  Getting my exercise in right before dinner is great for improving that energy slump at the end of the day and empowers me for the rest of the evening.

I actually look forward to exercising and little gets in my way of assuring I get in my 5-6 hours weekly.  However, if you dread exercise, you're not going to want to do it.  Then you need to change your attitude.  Find something you might like and experiment.  Don't worry about what you look like at the gym--no one is looking at you anyway.  There are mirrors all over the gym so people can watch themselves and not you.  Since exercise is so important for good health, you need to start and continue.  I've read that it's never to late to start exercising.  Start small such as with walking around your block.  All that takes is a decent pair of sneakers and the ability to put one foot in front of the other.  Dollars to donuts you can easily find a buddy to walk with to keep you motivated.

For all those who were picked for the sports team ahead of me, I hope you're walking the walk.  Hope you're throwing, catching, running, what have you.  What I wouldn't give to play a little dodgeball again in the school yard!  Bet I could kick a home run!!

It's Not Easy Eating Greens (but it should be)

I love Dr. Andrew Weil, the integrative medicine guru.  Well, I love his philosophy and his recipes, which are based on mostly organic, mostly vegetarian, unprocessed foods.  Last Friday, he offered his 2011 newsletter for free through a download and I sat down and read every word.  And I made my shopping list as I was reviewing his recipes.  This gets a dietitian excited.  Marched myself to the indoor farmers market after work with the vision of cooking all day Saturday.  I may have been a little overly ambitious--picked out 8 recipes and color coded the page tabs (yeah, dietitians are like that)--but I made 6 items so far and plan to make the other 2 sometime before the remaining veggies go bad.

I laid out my beautiful, colorful veggies on the countertop to keep me focused.  I'll always remind you of the importance of fresh veggies in your diet.  Buzzwords like phytonutrients, fiber, antioxidants are all there in these plants.  You gotta eat this stuff, and, as we get to know each other better, I'll remind you to toss out that crappy food in your pantry and fridge.  Told you I was going to start speaking my mind.  So anyway, here's the celery, parsley, onions, garlic, potatoes, leeks, carrots, red pepper, beets, 2 kinds of 'shrooms, parsnip, turnip and cabbage.  Oops, the lemons aren't veggies, but they still look great in the pic.

I decided to try my hand at Dr. Weil's recipe for homemade broth for the first time, primarily to cut down on the amount of salt in the canned/boxed varieties.  The broth was then used in 2 of the other recipes.  Here's the pot of cut up veggies for the broth.  Pity that the cooked veggies get strained out when you're finished, so that you wind up with just the clear broth.  (But I munched on the cooked carrots from the mash while I continued cooking).

And, here's what was created from these glorious veggies...

So, even though it doesn't look like a lot of food here, there's good, nutritious, filling food.  Got 2 ½ extra quarts of vegetable broth to put in the freezer and use another time, cabbage & mushroom saute, roasted root veggies, a pot of mushroom barley soup (top right-hand corner of the pic) and roasted balsamic beets.   Everything was so de-lish.  And nu-trish.