Embrace and Master the Art of Leftover-ing!

Just the thought of leftovers used to completely depress me. Maybe it's because of unappetizing definitions like this one from Wikipedia:

Leftovers: the uneaten remains of a meal.

But I blame Mom. Every afternoon when I came home from school I would ask, "What's for dinner?" And about once a week she'd respond, "Leftovers." As if these leftovers weren't worthy of being called the actual food that they were. "Leftovers" sometimes meant mac 'n cheese (a childhood favorite!), yet after being labeled "leftovers", I wasn't interested. Seems Mom would have benefitted from a Marketing 101 class.

My distaste of the "leftovers" concept trickled along into my twenties. But at this point, the depression stemmed from a heightened awareness of my economic status: leftovers made me feel poor. And I was poor, mind you, but I certainly didn't want to be reminded of that fact when I sat down for lunch or dinner! So, instead, more often than not, I made the wise choice of either ordering in or going out (declining the doggy bag), driving myself further into debt.

As I matured into my thirties, leftovers no longer felt like the plague. Yet still, there were issues, boredom being one: my taste buds weren't interested in having the same dinner two nights in a row. And often, I wasn't even home two nights in a row. But then inevitably a few nights later, I'd take a look at my leftovers and wonder if they'd gone bad. I would decide they probably had, but as I was not sure, I'd leave them there. (Am I the only one here? Highly irrational!) And they'd then get pushed farther in the back of the fridge only to be discovered weeks later in a state I will not describe here.

But I am happy to report that, pushing 40, I have finally embraced and mastered the art of leftover-ing! In fact, I now strategically cook to ensure I have plenty of leftovers to choose from at all times. A big motto in my house is "cook once, eat twice." I'll admit this is much easier to do now that I'm home rather than at a corporate job (and that health coaching is my career focus!) but it's easier than you may think. Here is a handful of ideas:

- Roast a chicken on Sunday for dinner. Kids can have chicken again one or two nights that week. You can have it in your salads. Or make chicken noodle soup!
- Cook four pieces of salmon instead of two. Refrigerate the remaining two for lunch salads or make salmon breakfast omelets.
- Make more couscous, quinoa, brown rice than you need. Save for up to four days in the fridge and use as a side for any dinner during the week and/or sprinkle over salads. Or spice it up into a salad of its own like this tabbouleh!
- Make more black beans than you need. Use in the kids' dinner quesadillas the next night.
- Bake an additional sweet potato. Divide the flesh into ice cube trays, freeze them and then use a couple of cubes in each of your morning smoothies!

But all of that might feel like too much planning. So what about the stuff you just couldn't finish but know you shouldn't throw away? Odds and ends leftovers can still be made into something fabulously delicious. Check out this list of recipe ideas from Greatist. (And let me know if you decide to make the breakfast spaghetti. Dying to know if that's any good, but haven't gotten around to trying it myself.)

And as far as more "traditional" leftovers go - meaning, just heat them up and there's your meal - I happen to believe foods like pizza, meatballs and thai anything improve with age (okay, overnight.) Or even just remember the Friday after Thanksgiving. Isn't it all somehow more delicious the day after? Here's some actual science behind that.

During the holidays, more than any other time of the year, there are bound to be leftovers. Get creative. I bet you discover some yummy combinations!

Fun Fart Facts

Want to make the unavoidable potty talk in your young household somewhat educational? Or are you just interested in the digestive system? Read on for some fun fart facts.

Anything involving flatulence is a hit in the Kain home these days. Instead of reading the other night, Maggie asked if she could practice writing before she went to sleep. She started off asking how to spell our cat's name, and it went downhill from there as you can see from the picture here.

I cut off the exercise after the third mention of a bodily function as her giggling was becoming uncontrollable and my chances of getting her to go to sleep quickly were waning. But nice penmanship for a four year old, eh?

So anyway, on Sunday I was reading the paper and came across a quiz about digestion that I thought would be perfect to take to test out my health coaching knowledge. I have to admit: I got a perfect zero. Some obscure stuff here! (Take it and see how you do.) I wouldn't say it's the really important stuff to know, but it might help me in Trivial Pursuit some day, and my family found some of the results quite entertaining.

Did you know...

While it varies by diet, humans will toot about 22 times a day. The peak time for passing gas is five hours after lunch and five hours after dinner. These time periods are, in part, a result of manners: you hold it in at work and let the gas out on your way home. 
I had guessed 8, the lowest number I could check on the multiple choice quiz, and even that I had thought was extreme. Frank claimed he hadn't farted at all the day before. We decided that it must have all happened while he slept, though I didn't believe him for a second.

Flatulence in women has higher concentrations of stinky hydrogen sulfide than men.
I'm not sure why I decided to share this little gem with Frank as I've not heard the end of it since.
 
The foods that cause the most foul-smelling gas are red meat, cruciferous vegetables, garlic, dried fruits and beer.
Well, hmmmm..., except for the dried fruit, these are all pretty much staples in our household. If you're eating healthfully, it seems you won't be able to avoid gas. Cut out the red meat, beer and dried fruits if you so choose (though grass-fed red meat once a week is fine for most and some bodies actually need more, dried fruits are yummy in moderation chopped into granola, and cutting out beer is a crime as far as I'm concerned) but cruciferous veggies and garlic should be consumed a-plenty. Cruciferous (cabbage family) vegetables are incredibly nutritious, containing all the normal vitamins, minerals and fiber of other veggies, but they also uniquely include certain phytochemical compounds which play a major role in the body's natural detoxification process. And garlic is an allium vegetable (basically an edible bulb) that can transform a blah meal into something totally delicious with no guilt whatsoever. The sulfides in garlic (and onions, leeks, scallions and shallots) have also been linked to decreased risk of many diseases. So bring on the gas, folks!

If these fun little tidbits haven't gotten a rise out of at least someone in your family, share this little gem: your stomach actually digests itself! Our stomach linings have evolved to regenerate themselves completely every few days. Find it hard to wrap your head around this? Take a moment to think about your body in general. It's a machine that works 24/7. The fuel you provide it with daily through food, drink, exercise, mental state, etc. is constantly replacing yesterday's fuel. While percentages vary, experts agree that many cases of chronic diseases like heart disease, the leading cause of death in this country, are not only preventable, but reversible... this constantly replenished fuel is the reason. Change how you treat your body and what you put into it and you could cure it without drugs. But I digress... back to gas.

We learn very early on to hold in our gas, mostly because it's embarrassing not to (rarely because we're being considerate.) Some say it's really bad for our health to do so, but I think I'm with Dr. Oz on this one: Holding in gas isn't dangerous to your health, but Dr. Oz says it can cause unnecessary stomach cramps and pain. "You shouldn't bother holding it in," he says. "Let it come out when it's supposed to come out. Be smart about it. Do it in a place that's airy enough that you're not going to hurt your family and friends." (His use of the word "hurt" here makes me laugh.)

Okay, just one last thing: a little freebie holiday tip. Whoopie Cushions make great stocking stuffers for just about any age. They'll be in my kids' stockings again this year, though I'm unsure why I'm deciding to perpetuate the flatulence fascination. Buy them at the nearest dollar store to save some money. They inevitably pop on Christmas Day from over-use and abuse anyway.

The Holidays: Good or Bad For Our Health?

 Maintaining a healthy diet is especially difficult at this time of year given the inescapable abundance of food and drinks. But here's a little secret: embracing this enviornment is healthier than trying to fight it and then beating yourelf up about it when you can't. Because food and drinks are fun. And lucky for us, fun is good for our health!

Did you know... 

• laughter can ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.
• laughter stimulates circulation and aids in muscle relaxation.
• positivity can release neuropeptides into your body that help fight stress and improve your immune system.

Conversely, negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that invite more stress and decrease immunity.

But despite the inherent goodness of the holidays, we are all guilty of allowing stress to compromise them to some degree, be it self-inflicted, or brought on by friends, family or the commercialization that companies rely on to make their numbers at the end of the year.

My best advice? Try to reduce that stress by focusing your energy on maintaining good mental health, and everything else will have a much better chance of falling into place.

Be content with how much you can do and what gets put off.

"I just have too much to do. There's no way I'm getting it all done!" Sound familiar? Call me a pessimist, but the likelihood of all of it getting done is non-existent. Rather than accept this reality, many of us choose to rob ourselves of sleep to try to make it all happen. What you might not realize is that sleep deprivation stimulates the hunger hormone, gherlin. So our brain tells us to eat even if we really don't need to. What's worse, sleep deprivation increases activity in areas of the brain that seek pleasure, so we crave unhealthier and higher-calorie foods (of which there is no shortage this time of year.) And without proper sleep to aid in better decision-making, those are likely the ones we'll reach for. It's like a quadruple whammy! So don't try to be superwoman (or man). Prioritize the stuff that absolutely has to happen, and cut yourself some slack as far as what can wait.

Be content with how much you have and what you can give. 

 

"Keeping up with the Jones'" is never a more relevant phrase than during the holidays. But everyone's reality is different, so comparisons are silly. You might not be able to afford everything on everyone's list, but the family next door can. So what? Be content with what you can give and believe that it's enough. You'll find it quite freeing.

Having recently quit my job, I can't give what I normally do this year. A couple of months ago, the thought of this kept me up at night. But once I made peace with it, I realized I can give things like homemade kick-ass quinoa granola that my friends might decide is a wonderful, permanent replacement for the bagel they normally have in the morning. A far more meaningful gift than a tenth pair of Cosabellas!

Be content with who you are and what you look like.

Many of us have a distorted image of our body. We talk to ourselves in ways we would never speak to another. Imagine speaking to a child the way you speak to yourself. It would devastate and squelch them. It affects you similarly, causing stress that makes maintaining or improving your health even more difficult. So give yourself a break! Especially at this time of year! Give the holidays their opportunity to do all the wonderfully soul-enriching things for you they are intended to do. That piece of pie won't kill you, but feeling unnecessary guilt about it can do damage. (And, hey, there's always January for resolutions!)

Lastly... Eat Sweet Potatoes!

Sweet potatoes are a root vegetable, which means they grow under the ground. So eating them provides a wonderful grounding effect that helps fight stress. As their name suggests, sweet potatoes are also sweet-tasting so they can help reduce cravings for sugary treats. But unlike the jolt delivered by simple refined carbs, sweet potatoes elevate blood sugar gently so there's no energy crash after you eat them. Much higher in nutrients than white potatoes and especially rich in vitamin A, they are healing to the stomach, spleen, pancreas and reproductive organs and help to remove toxins from the body. They can even increase the quantity of milk in lactating women and lessen cramps and premenstrual symptoms!

My favorite way to eat them is plain old baked. (This recipe calls for S&P and butter but try them first without. You may just agree with me they're delicious naked!)

Or if you're feeling more adventurous, make sweet potato fries, skillet sweet potatoes (follow just the first part of the recipe, or have the steak too!), sweet potato dip, sweet potato pancakes (be patient with the flipping), or sweet potato soup!

Your body is your home. Make it the best place to be. 

Find Yourself a Workout Buddy or Buddies!

If I didn't have them, I wouldn't have gotten out of bed at 5:35am on this frigid and windy morning.

I'm talking about my My Body My Home Boot Camp buddies. Three women in my apartment building meet me for a workout every weekday morning from 5:45am-6:30am, and have been since mid-September. When we began, I didn't think it was going to continue. It's cold. It's dark. It's really easy to hit snooze. But I underestimated them. Everyone has remained committed to this now cherished 45 minutes of peace and sweat before the crazy and lazy ones (we have seven children and four husbands between us) even begin to stir.

As mentioned in previous posts, I quit my corporate job back in early October. It seems a little odd to, well, everyone, that I now get up earlier than I did when I worked full time. But I do it because my Boot Camp buddies need to be on the subway by 7:30am, so if we started Boot Camp any later, it wouldn't work for them. They rely on me, so if it doesn't work for them, it doesn't work for me. But here's what I realized a couple of weeks ago: I rely on them too.

Throughout high school and college, I played organized sports. After graduating, I had to find the self-discipline to keep in shape on my own, and I've done a pretty good job over the past 17 years. I worked out in the morning because I could never guarantee I'd get out of work in time to do so in the evening (or that I'd have the willpower to say no to after-work drinks!) And then the babies came. I couldn't have my boobs at the gym if the 6-month-old needed to eat. And what warm-hearted first-time mom can roll out of bed for spin class when her 18-month-old is cuddled up against her? And then we moved from being a couple blocks away from Central Park to across from Prospect Park. A "run around the park" went from being 6.2 miles to 3.3 miles. It's still a run around the park, right?! Needless to say, things became a little lax. If I let all that happen, it would have been easy to work out after the kids were at school once I quit my job: more sleep + warmer + lighter. Oh so appealing! But without even realizing what they were doing, Olivia, Jessica and Christina didn't let that happen. The Sunday night they first asked me if they could join me for my workout the following morning, they changed my everything for the better:

1. They force me out of bed. On time. Every weekday morning for the past 10 weeks.
2. They have me back to my apartment before anyone gets up, so I don't miss a minute with my family.
3. They've given me the gift of an extra hour to focus on growing my new business when the kids are in school.
4. They make me look forward to every workout I do, because I truly love their company. 
5. They make me look forward to every workout I do, because I make it different each time to keep it interesting. 
6. They've made me more creative. I've devised three different Boot Camp workouts we rotate through addition to running and yoga. And I'm in the middle of creating a fourth. 
7. They've forced me to cross-train rather than run every morning. This is better on my nearing-40 bones and joints, and it's made me stronger and my muscles more defined.

I could think of three more to make this a perfect ten, but seven happens to be my lucky number so I'll leave it there.

I think they think I'm doing them a favor by donating my workout time to helping them get and stay in shape. But they've done me an even bigger one. And the benefits of exercise go far beyond the obvious physical ones: better sleep, better mood, better sex to name a few. Those sound kinda nice, huh?

As winter descends upon us, I highly recommend you find yourself a buddy (or buddies) too.

Let's Get Kids To Encourage Kids To "Eat Your Veggies!"

I used to work in advertising. And some day, I'll probably go back. But I got bit by the nutrition bug about a year and a half ago and decided a few months ago I needed to pursue it whole hog for at least a little while. So that's what I'm doing. But I love it when my old world and my new world collide, as they did in this recent NYT article: Broccoli's Extreme Makeover.

I often felt bad about working in advertising because doing a good job typically meant I was helping sell products that people either didn't need (or worse, were actually bad for them) or couldn't afford. In fact, no product or service I ever marketed was one that people BOTH needed AND could afford.

But maybe if I'd been hired to market broccoli?

These are the kinds of assignments advertising agencies rarely get to work on because, as this article describes, there's little money in real food. Government subsidies go to the likes of corn and soy - not the corn on the cob you eat at a summer barbecue, or the edamame you munch on before your sushi - but the kind you find hidden in strange ingredient names in the majority of processed food and animal feed, which is the far bigger business. And while this unfortunate reality is getting more and more publicity as of late, I don't expect anything to change any time soon.

That said, three years ago a bunch of carrot growers got together and pitched in what amounted to millions to market baby carrots via Bolthouse Farms, the second largest supplier of carrots in the country. Bolthouse Farms' CEO is an ex-Coke exec so knows a thing or two about how to market snacks. They hired one of the best agencies in the business to come up with the campaign and it was a great success. So... it is possible to get people to eat better. But their approach, which was to market baby carrots as if it were junk food rather than a healthy alternative to junk food (a brilliant flip), tells us a lot about the American consumer.

Unfortunately, these success stories are few and far between. And it all goes back to my earlier point that there is little money in the real food business and therefore little incentive for anyone to put much energy (financial or otherwise) behind it. But the broccoli makeover article inspired me...

I am co-chair of the Green & Healthy committee at Frank's elementary school. It is a year-long initiative but there is a special focus on it in January, for obvious reasons. As such, my co-chair and I are encouraging teachers to incorporate Green & Healthy activities into their January curriculum, and are providing some suggestions to get them thinking. Suggestion #1:

Have your students pick a vegetable and then create an advertising campaign (depending on the grade, that could mean just a print ad or a bigger campaign) for that vegetable that would get kids their age to want to eat it. 

A few years ago, I balked at the crowdsourcing agencies popping up everywhere taking revenue from the traditional agencies. But when I realized they weren't going away, I found ways to use them that strengthened my client offering vs threatened it. And now, I'm embracing the crowdsourcing model even further. If every teacher chooses to do this activity with their students, we will have 1500 ideas on how to get kids to "eat their veggies!"

I've been in the business for too long to believe even 1500 5-10 year olds will come up with something as good as Crispin did for baby carrots, but if this exercise can at least change the way some of the kids at PS321 feel about a few different vegetables, I'll call that success!

(If you're feeling inspired yourself, the NYT blog has a call for entries for new slogans to sell beets, cabbage cauliflower, turnips or peas.)

The Switch Witch

One night in mid-November last year, I heard the same question I'd heard EVERY night since October 31st: "Momma, can I have a piece of Halloween candy?" But instead of obliging, I lied. I told my kids I couldn't find it. Thankfully, they didn't search the garbage. Just call me the Grinch who stole Halloween.

Now, here's the thing. I LOVE Halloween: the costumes, the decorations, carving pumpkins. I love that everyone is out and about in the fresh air. And I LOVE the feeling of a progressively heavier bag. It feels so satisfying - as satisfying now as it did when I was little. I'm the one egging my kids on to run to the next house to get as much candy as they possibly can, comparing their bags to other kids' bags. Totally perverse when I'm the same one tossing that candy in the garbage two weeks later.

So this year, the Switch Witch is paying a visit to the Kain house on Friday night while we sleep. She is a good witch, and she looooooves candy. She trades you your candy for the toy of your choice. Simple, brilliant concept I cannot believe I'd not heard of (or thought of!) until now.

The question becomes whether or not your kids will fall for it. When I told Frank about her, he nearly fell off his seat. "Really, Momma?! She exists?! Are you sure?! Do you think she knows Hawk Man?!" Yes, indeed, she knows Hawk Man. And she knows Batman too, Maggie's toy of choice. Bet you she knows the toy your kid's been begging for too.

Frank's totally cool with giving up his candy as long as he can have three pieces on Thursday night and three on Friday. (I felt that was a fair negotiation for a six year old.) Maggie seems down with it too though I'm pretty certain she has absolutely no idea what she's agreed to and when she discovers only Batman in her candy bag on Saturday morning there will be hell to pay. But it's worth a try! Because I would much prefer being a good witch to a grinch.

Focus on feelings, not looks

In one of my September posts, When Observations Become Judgements, I wrote about an upcoming workshop at Frank's school about self-love and body image. I attended the workshop last night, and it was eye-opening.

Loni Markman, the woman who ran it, is a positive body coach who's been working for several years in this field, but the last workshop she ran on this particular subject was a handful of years ago. In updating her statistics, she discovered the age at which our kids are becoming aware of body image and physical appearance has dropped dramatically. It starts at age FOUR now. This is frightening. Maggie is four, and Peter and I lovingly refer to her as "chubby cheeks." Now's probably the time to stop doing so(!), though I'm not naive enough to believe that he and I alone can prevent her from image awareness. But this workshop made me realize we might be putting too much of the blame and onus on school, peers, the media, etc., and under-estimating our own complicity.

One of the things Loni said last night is whenever you find yourself in a conversation with your kids about body image or physical appearance, steer the conversation away from looks and back to feelings. Makes a whole lot of sense. But then she asked a bit of a stinging question: when we are in a similar conversation with one of our peers and even alone with ourselves, do we do this? Seriously ask yourself, do you do this? The answer was no for all of us in the room. If it were yes, our kids probably wouldn't be in the predicament they are. Because even though it doesn't seem as though they listen to us all the time (at least mine don't), they are human sponges and they see and hear everything! So become more aware of your own behavior:

A few illustrative scenarios:

• You're at a restaurant and the waiter offers dessert. Stop yourself from patting your stomach and saying, "I've already eaten way too much! I shouldn't have any." Instead, say something like, "Dinner was delicious and I feel great! I'm going to pass." Even if the former is said with a wink and a smile to your husband, the kids are watching, listening and eventually emulating.

• Your kids are in your room and you're getting dressed. Your jeans aren't buttoning too easily. Hard to ignore, but try not to verbalize your dissatisfaction. "Looks like mommy needs to go to the gym!" sends unhealthy messages to your kids. I've also been known to say things like: "Ugh, I just want to get this run over-with!" Your kids knowing and seeing you exercise is a good thing, so don't shy away from talking about it. But make it a positive rather than a burden. "I'm feeling kind of sluggish today. I can't wait to go to the gym and get back some energy!" I even invite my kids to do workouts with me sometimes - they love it. They think of it as play (we could learn a thing or two from them.)
  
  
  

• At the end of a family vacation you say to yourself (out loud), "I've eaten so much this week I have to go on a diet when we get home." Strike the word "diet" from your vocabulary. Girls are dieting as early as six years old these days. If it's hard to believe, think about the number of people you know right now who are on some sort of a diet. Statistics will tell you that 99% of those who go on diets end up "failing" (whatever that means). So there's absolutely nothing beneficial about diet talk, especially around your kids. 

• If your kid comes home from school and tells you they're fat, don't dismiss it. It's an invitation to talk. There's likely something else bothering them, and certainly something that triggered the comment. Dig to figure out what it is and navigate that problem with them... everything else should follow suit. If they come home and tell you someone else is fat, follow the same same strategy. And when it's appropriate, negate the comment: "What good things can you tell me about (the person)?"

More often than not, we don't even realize what we're saying in front of our kids. It's just the way we talk. But their interpretation of what we are saying is very different than an adult's interpretation. We're more influential than we think!

Now, put the kids aside for a minute. Think about you. Don't go on a diet or change your eating habits because you don't like the way you look. Do it because you don't like the way you feel. Don't eat something because you think it will make you look better. Eat it because it makes you feel better. Similarly, don't exercise because you want to look different. Exercise because you want to feel different. Let your feelings be your guide rather than the scale or mirror. Looks are short-term. Focus on feelings and I promise you the long-term rewards will be greater. (And the trickle-down effect to your kids hugely positive!)

Thank you for the stimulating discussion, Loni!

Lipstick On Too Many Pigs

Quoted in the New York Times this week:

"Companies like McDonald's play a powerful role in shaping the culture and environment that influences the health-related behaviors of young people," said Howell Wechsler, chief executive of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an organization set up by the Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association.

While this statement is a sad commentary on the state of our collective health, it's unfortunately a true one. So I guess I should be commending this organization and others - as well as McDonald's - for taking some action... McDonald's will apparently stop marketing some (operative word here?) of its less nutritional options to kids, and will be offering fruits and vegetables in many (operative word here?) of its adult menu combinations. Not everywhere, mind you, and the roll-out will not be complete for another seven years. But a step in the right direction? Maybe.

The whole thing just seems sort of ridiculous to me.

If you're the type of person who's looking for something healthy, McDonald's isn't likely where you'll find yourself. And if you're a healthy person actually at a McDonald's, it's likely because you're just craving a little once-in-a-blue-moon treat - like me at nine weeks pregnant, wolfing down a quarter pounder with cheese before the car had even cleared the drive-thru window. If someone had confronted me with a veggie and fruit "option" at that point, making me think twice about my uncontrollable need for salty fries, it would not have been pretty.

At least those who frequent McDonald's will be exposed to the better options consistently and therefore maybe the message will start to sink in (that's where McDonald's "powerful role in shaping the culture and environment that influences health-related behaviors of young people" kicks in.) But don't be fooled. Those who might be impressionable are probably the same ones opting for the Egg White Delight Muffin, thinking they're choosing a healthy alternative. After all, this is how it's marketed:

But in reality, just looking at the ingredient list for this could send you straight to the hospital. If you're not in the mood to click another link, check out how just the egg white alone is prepared.

It's too easy to be fooled, even for the smartest among us. (Have you ever bought something at the grocery store thinking it was fine, only to turn the package over at home to find it's anything but fine? If you haven't, try it.) Especially when you really want to think you're being good. McDonald's knows this. And unfortunately they are in very good company. Lotsa lipsticks. Lotsa pigs.

If we all live a little more suspiciously when it comes to food, we can start to chip away at the influence these pigs have over our health.

Generation SNACK!

Like anything in the world of nutrition, you'll find "experts" who will argue that snacking is a good thing, and you'll find "experts" who will argue that snacking is a bad thing. My perspective? It depends. (Spoiler alert: this is my perspective on just about everything health-related.)

On the good side, snacks can help prevent over-eating at meals. And taking time out for a little snack can be a nice respite from a hectic day. Snacks can also help balance a mood if blood sugar is out of whack, preventing meltdowns in kids and even in adults (manifests as unjustified impatience and frustration.)

So as I see it, there's no harm in a snack every so often.

But it seems to me that today's wee generation (and I can say this because I created two members of it) thinks of snacks as an entirely different thing. To them, snacks are a daily guarantee. It's as if snacks are their own food group. I don't remember this being the case when I was little, so I asked my mom:

I don't remember snacks being very much a part of our lives at all. Maybe because I was taught not to eat between meals? I know we had pretzels around, and bananas and other fruit, mostly apples. But I don't remember you guys ever eating in the car on the way to do errands or soccer practice or anything like that. Do you?

Nope, I don't. But I don't know too many parents nowadays who dare take their kids in the car without snacks. I certainly don't. Having an emergency stash on hand is smart, but when the stash becomes the expectation rather than the exception, it's a slippery slope: kid doesn't eat his breakfast - he knows he'll get a snack if he's hungry... kid eats that mid-morning snack and then isn't hungry for lunch... so kid doesn't eat lunch but is hungry in a few hours so he gets a mid-afternoon snack... and so on and so on.

This wouldn't be such a problem if the latest definition of "snack" wasn't so warped. (And actually, this situation would likely be much less prevalent if the latest definition of "snack" wasn't so warped!) When my four year old asks for a snack, I offer fruit, veggies and hummus, nuts, or - dread! - her leftovers from the previous meal. And I'm very emphatically told: "Those aren't snacks!" To be considered a snack by Maggie standards, it must come from a box or bag with a questionably long shelf-life.

The odd thing is, my kids actually really like fruit, veggies and hummus, nuts... so what gives?

Can I blame school? The ubiquitous 'snack time' that seems to be synonymous with piles of bright orange fish?

Can I blame the expansive center aisle of the grocery store? The shelves packs with overly sweet, overly salty, overly-processed "foods" that didn't exist 30 years ago?

Can I blame other parents? After all, an apple is booooooo-ring when it's sitting on a bench next to a bag of cinnamon teddies.

It might make me feel better to place the blame elsewhere, but the reality is whether some or all of these things are true, none is an excuse. Healthy eating habits are ours to teach our kids... or not. And frankly, I think many of us have gotten a little lazy.

I'm never going to be able to control what my kids are given at someone else's house, or at snack time at school, or if they're sitting next to a bag of Doritos at the playground. But I can control what I give to them. I can control what I have in my cupboards, my car and my purse. And I can control how much of their real meals they eat (or at least what that means for any sort of snack entitlement later.) And if I'm doing right by them when I have that control, I can give them a better shot at making their own good choices when I'm not around.

Superfood For The Mind and Soul

Every year for the past ten years, eleven crazy friends and I (and over 400 other teams) have run a relay race up in New Hampshire called Reach the Beach. It's my favorite weekend of the year.

The route is roughly 200 miles, split up into 36 legs, starting at Cannon Mountain and ending at Hampton Beach. It's marketed as 200 miles in 24 hours, but for the more normal (us), it takes roughly 30. Each runner logs a total of between 15 and 23 miles depending on which legs they've been assigned, or up to 3ish hours, depending on how fast they are.

The other roughly 27 hours are spent sitting in one of two progressively smellier vans, getting progressively more sore from sitting still after pushing our bodies up and pounding them down massive hills, becoming more and more slap-happily delirious, and eating the only kind of food that can possibly survive in a magically disgusting environment like this one: processed crap... with the occasional banana or apple. (My kids were beside themselves with confusion and excitement when I brought the leftovers home this year - Life Cereal and Oreos!? What happened to Momma!?)

And after each of our vans completes a round of legs, we always find a fabulous restaurant along the route to reward ourselves. If it's after 11am-ish, we don't shy away from the drinks menu. Nope, we dig right in to everything, letting nothing dampen our debaucherous spirits... as if our next legs are days away, rather than hours. Because this race is all about the moment.

Our stomachs always pay the price on subsequent legs - but nevertheless, each of us somehow manages to run them faster than we possibly could on any normal day. Because adrenaline is on our side. So are the 50 random angry cows we meet on the side of the dirt country road, the moon and the stars that guide us at night, the driving rain that makes us feel four years old again, the end-of-the-random-driveway-cocktail-party-goers who toast our grit, and the cool sand between our blistered toes as eleven of us gather around Big Booty Hoh (team name = don't ask) runner number 12 to hobble across the finish line - throat lumps and all.

Big Booty Hohs 2013

It may seem odd for anyone, let alone a health coach, to argue that sleep deprivation, alcohol, Twizzlers and pushing your body way beyond its limits is a healthy combination. In fact, I'm fully aware that to most people this weekend sounds like the definition of hell. But except for duds along the way, most anyone I've recruited to run for the Big Booty Hohs over the past ten years has fallen in love with the experience. And we've all kind of fallen in love with each other too: BO, farts and all.

We even have a theme song, this small excerpt of which doesn't do its brilliance justice:
"... Big. Big Hohs. Big Booty Hohs. 
Sometimes a Hoh just gotta make through the night. 
Perseverance is my pimp. The road is my crack pipe..." 

Bad for the body? Inarguably. But this race is like superfood for my mind and soul, which more than makes up for it. Five days have passed since we "reached the beach" and I'm still riding high.

Forget Philadelphia Cheesesteak... Philadelphia Smoothie, Anyone?

I am married to a Philadelphia sports fan. I am a Boston fan. While that sounds like a recipe for a bad marriage, we find solace in commiseration.

The Eagles have been bad for some time, making Peter's fairly successful fantasy football team an increasingly important part of our family's football season lives. But last night, against predictions, the Eagles beat the Redskins. As Philadelphia and Boston fans, Peter and I know the perils of premature celebration, but this is exciting news nonetheless. For him, because his team looks really promising. For me, because I can credit their looking good to Chip Kelly's strict requirement for a healthy team diet, and therefore shamelessly promote my own business.

Chip Kelly replaced Andy Reid as the Eagles head coach this year. One of the first things he did was completely change the team diet. Gone are Taco Tuesdays. Gone are Fast Food Fridays. No more soda; instead, each player gets their own customized smoothie. Make me wonder what a Wylie smoothie might include...

Are eating habits the only thing Chip Kelly changed? No. In fact, read here and you wouldn't think diet had anything at all to do with their win last night. It's as if the headlines from May were buried somewhere. But consider this: 80% of health is attributed to diet and only 20% to exercise. When focusing on professional athletes, those percentages might come closer together, but diet still plays a major role in overall performance, no matter where you're performing - at school, at work, on the field, you name it.

I am a Patriots fan, but I am (also) rooting for the Eagles this year. Not just because I want a happy husband. Not just because I want to prove my beliefs and promote my business. But because Chip Kelly has a real shot at influencing a huge number of people with a message I hold near and dear: treat your body with the respect and love it deserves and it will pay you (and your rabid fans!) back in spades. Treat it any other way and you're gambling. Whether these headlines make it to the big papers is questionable, but they'll certainly always make it to this little blog that could!

When observations become judgements

I took Frank on a bike ride yesterday. He knows how to ride his own bike but the roads around our house aren't terribly forgiving, and he's small for six so he still fits in the baby seat (we of course don't call it that.) And besides, I love stealing time alone with each of the kiddos. So this was Frankie and Momma time. We talked about first grade, camping, football and then, when my breathing got heavier and heavier until eventually I could hardly talk (we live in the mountains!), he asked me if I wished the whole ride were downhill.

"No," I said. "I actually love the hills. They keep me in shape so I'll always be able to keep up with you." He asked me if I knew anyone who wasn't in shape. "Lots of people," I told him. And then the inevitable question: "Who?"

Oh...

The situation reminded me of a story my friend told me a little while ago about her five-year-old son calling one of her co-workers fat. He didn't just say it about her, he said it TO her. And he was right, this woman was indeed fat. It wasn't a criticism, however - it was merely a five-year-old's observation. A fact is a fact at that age, after all. So my friend didn't feel it appropriate to get angry with him. She simply said that everyone is different and managed to change the subject. (They had a longer conversation later.) She handled it a lot more deftly than I likely would have in the heat of the moment. So I took the opportunity this bike ride conversation afforded me to avoid any remotely similar situation.

"You know, honey, it's not nice to talk about people being out of shape. There could be lots of reasons they are or they look like they are, and they probably don't feel very good about it. It's like saying someone is ugly. Or stupid. We just shouldn't do it."

Uncharacteristically, Frank accepted this answer and then moved on to a different topic. But it got me thinking about at what age kids really start truly processing differences among people - be it body shape/size or anything else - and how and when the processing turns into judgements, either of themselves or others. Unfortunately, I think it's happening earlier and earlier. In fact, an upcoming PTA workshop we're holding at PS321 elementary school in Brooklyn is all about self-love and body image.

In retrospect, I wish I'd engaged in Frank's questioning rather than (successfully, at least for the short term) shutting it down. Because I want him to feel comfortable talking to me about his thoughts and observations so we can help steer them in a way that helps rather than potentially hurts.

Talking it through - whatever "it" is - is always, always the healthier approach. I promise I'll take my own advice next time, Frankie.

Ideas that make me jealous

I recently hosted a meeting with a bunch of my clients and agency industry partners. We spent a good part of the meeting talking about general business, but we always like to devote some time to "inspirational learning" as well. It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, and miss the things that may be happening around us that could have a tremendously positive impact on the way that we think and ultimately the business decisions we make. (True of life as much as it is of business, actually!)

One of our inspirational learning agenda topics was 'Ideas that make you jealous.' Each team was tasked with sharing an example of advertising that made them think: "damn, I wish I'd thought of that!" My team shared some Cannes-award-winning work from IBM.

IBM's purpose is "to use our technological smarts to help the planet work better." They carried this purpose over into their advertising where they turned a would-have-been billboard campaign into:

A ramp for bikes, suitcases, strollers.

A shelter from the rain.

A bench to chill out on.

Brilliant.

HOWEVER, if I'd read about this before our meeting, I would have shared it instead. Two social scientists are out to try to change the behavior of the American food shopper by incredibly interesting means - it's being termed 'Nudge Marketing.'

Imagine getting your grocery cart, throwing in a bag of cheez doodles and then seeing your own reflection as well as the bag staring right back at you? 

You'd think twice. (This guy is clearly smiling because he sees lettuce, a pineapple and a tomato.) It would also give you pause to throw in a loaf of Wonder Bread and a jar of mayo into the section of your cart marked "produce." And it would be tough to ignore enormous green arrows on the grocery floor leading to the fruit and vegetable aisle.

These are just some of the marketing experiments taking place around the country to increase healthy food consumption. Perhaps they are a little 'Big Brother'-esque, and therefore they might attract some criticism, but no one is being forced to do anything. The control, and ultimately the decision, still lies with the consumer. Early signs suggest the approach is working. 

Sorry IBM. While getting caught in the rain can be a bummer, it's not the end of the world. What could be the end of the world (or the end of America as we know it) is if we keep up our addiction to food that eventually kills. Any idea that can help us curb that addiction gets my vote.

Fruitarians

Yes. People who eat only (or, I should say, mostly: 80%) fruit. They exist. And at least from the pictures, they look pretty healthy.

They recently got together for their annual festival in upstate New York and numbers would suggest the concept is gaining in popularity - the festival enjoyed 50% higher attendance this year than last. I'm not terribly surprised - folks are always looking for the next silver bullet in wellness. And the likelihood is that Fruitarianism will hit its peak at some point and then interest will wane, replaced by the next thing.

While it's hard to imagine that eating 80% fruit is sustainable, consider the unfortunate percentage of the American population who gets by on 80% artificial, highly-processed foods. In comparison, fruit sounds pretty damn good!

Okay, so I'm rolling my eyes a little bit too. Are these people truly motivated by "wellness" or are they just out to make some silly statement and to attract a bunch of press? In truth, it's probably a little bit of both when you average them all out. But let's put aside our judgements for the moment, and pull two important nuggets from Fruitarianism:

1. FRUIT IS GOOD. Fruit has gotten a mixed rap over the past couple of decades. Dreaded carbs! Loads of sugar! But the reality is, fruit is a super-food. The carbs are good carbs (and carb profiles vary from fruit to fruit so choose from a wide variety and there's little to worry about.) The sugar is natural sugar. And that sugar is appropriately balanced with loads of fiber to ensure healthy digestion. Just how nature intended.

2. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. I doubt all 600 people who attended this year's festival are truly healthy living on 80% fruit. But I'm certain some are. We are all different. A concept I keep coming back to is bio-individuality. What works for me may be detrimental for you, and vice versa. If you're trying to get healthier, don't just copy everything that woman in your spin class is doing and assume it's going to work just as well for you. It may, but it may not. We all have to experiment and be open - stick with it and you'll ultimately find what works, and what's sustainable. (And remember I'm available to help!) If that's 80% fruit, well, so be it!

So... what about a fourth term for Bloomberg?

Did I just turn off half my readers?!

Sorry, but I couldn't help but contemplate this as I read an excerpt from a recap of the most recent NYC mayoral debate:

Even as it highlighted a new top tier in the field, the evening presented, in stark terms, Mr. Weiner’s fallen stature in a race that he once led. He was ignored by his opponents for much of the debate, and his most memorable moment came after the candidates were asked if they had ever texted while driving. Mr. Weiner, whose smartphone antics have been well documented, acknowledged that, indeed, he had. “Yes,” he said, his cheeks burning red as the audience roared with laughter.

Certainly makes for more entertaining news. But after laughing, I nearly cried. So depressing. This pretty much captures the way I've always felt about politics. I feel unhealthy engaging in them. Watching debates gives me hives. It's impossible to keep track of the un-kept promises. I've experienced many a family dinner ruined by political chatter. And yet so often we can't be sure if the candidate or whomever we are defending is who they say they are, or believes what they say they do. 

A fourth term for Bloomberg is heresy, I realize. The third term was controversial enough. I fully recognize his demeanor and approach can be off-putting, and I believe that many of his critics have sound arguments. But for me, Bloomberg's progress on a platform near and dear to my heart - green and healthy initiatives - would be enough to warrant that fourth term.

Put simply, he wants to reverse the obesity epidemic. This is not something you typically hear as a top priority from a politician. And at face value, it may not seem appropriate for the NYC mayor to be focusing so much of his time here. One of the biggest criticisms against him is that he's messing in areas government shouldn't play in. But make no mistake: this isn't about thinner people walking our streets. Remember, Bloomberg is a businessman first. It's the trickle down ECONOMIC effects of a healthier community - on productivity, on education, on healthcare costs, etc. - that are his motivation. And those economic issues are in-arguably the responsibility of the NYC mayor.

A lot of his initiatives have been successful (smoking ban, calorie listings, bike lanes), others have failed (soda tax being among the biggest); others still may not come to fruition by the time he leaves office ('active design' guidelines laws being the latest.) But the green and healthy resume he's built in his nearly 12 years is undeniable. Even his failures have sparked consumer awareness and debate - absolute requirements for any sort of significant change - that never would have happened without the effort. And it's all paying off.

I've heard chatter from time to time about some of his successful pushes being reversed by the next mayor. I can only hope those get filed under 'un-kept promises', political things said to capture a certain audience's vote rather than something to follow through on. And that instead, the next mayor pushes for the progress to continue, because we can't afford (in the broadest definition of the word) for it not to. 

UPDATE: sort of... thought this was an interesting piece in the NYT noting each of the candidates stances on some of Bloomberg's public health agenda items.

Whole vs Refined Grains

We've been taught by food marketers over the past few years to look for "whole grains" on packages. And if you see it, just like if you see "gluten free!" or "no high fructose corn syrup!" you just assume it's healthier than another package that doesn't call out these things. And that, my friends, is what we call "marketing" - little short cuts that drive perceptions and purchase.

But ask the average American consumer and they likely couldn't articulate what whole grains actually means and why they're better. Can you?

It's actually quite simple. Whole grains leave the grain completely in tact, so you get the whole kit and kaboodle, just as Momma Nature intended: the bran, the germ and the endosperm.

• The bran (the outer layer) contains the fiber, hugely beneficial in slowing the digestion process, and protein.
• The germ (this is what sprouts) is rich in vitamins and minerals.
• The endosperm is just the starch, which is essentially a whole lot of sugar.

A product like whole grain brown rice contains all three. White rice is just the endosperm; everything else has been stripped away - sugar rush! A good rule of thumb: when in doubt, buy brown. (But just be a bit careful as some brown-colored grains are posers: they are white grains that have been colored brown with molasses or caramel color. One other thing to note: there IS such thing as whole wheat white flour; it's just whole flour made from something called white wheat. Confusing!)

You may be wondering why any food manufacturer would go to the trouble of refining grains if the whole grain is that much better for you. That's a simple answer too: bran and germ spoil more easily, so refined grains offer a longer shelf life.

All this is just a preamble to this article, "The Whole Story", which ran in the NYT last week. I love Bittman's perspective - and his recipe suggestions! - but thought it could use some education for those still scratching their heads about what "whole" really means. Because I've found when it comes to health, a better-educated consumer will make better decisions on a more consistent basis.

Crowding Out The Negative

I've written about the concept of crowding out in previous posts, but always in the context of food: by adding more healthy stuff to your diet, you'll naturally reduce the unhealthy stuff. For example, if you're trying to cut down on the amount of soda you drink, better to gradually "crowd it out" by drinking more water rather than trying to quit soda whole hog and immediately.

I got to thinking how this concept could apply beyond food.

As a health coach, my strategy is to encourage and reinforce the positive versus focusing on fixing the negative: crowding out! There will always be negative presence in your life but how much or how little you feed it determines its effect.

How does this work in the real world? A few examples:

1. I ask my kids every night to tell me three great things that happened during the day. Unfortunately, it's often easier to remember the stuff that wasn't so good, that made them upset, or that disappointed them. But starting with the good stuff always helps crowd out the bad stuff, thereby weakening the effect it has on them. And it makes bedtime a whole lot more fun!
2. I've trained myself to ask my clients "what's new and good?" rather than "how are you?" at the start of every session. It forces them to think about their answer versus the typical knee-jerk "I'm fine" response we always give and get to the latter question. And importantly, it always starts our sessions on a positive note (unless the answer is "absolutely nothing!" - but that hasn't happened yet!), which crowds out the negative and makes our discussions surrounding any issues that much more fruitful. 
3. When taking care of really little ones, crowd out bad behavior. Always better to teach good behavior by acknowledging and encouraging it when it happens, rather than waiting to reprimand and "fix" bad behavior. This is not to say we should just ignore bad behavior, but putting the stronger emphasis on good is much more effective.

What good stuff in your life could you feed right now to crowd out the not so good?

Beat This Heat!

I came the closest to fame yesterday as I've been since I won an essay contest on the subject of sportsmanship when I was nine, and got a free dinner for my Boston Bruins-obsessed Dad and me with Bobby Orr...

NY1 interviewed me in Prospect Park! It was 5:45am, and I was doing none other than the Scientific 21 Minute Workout, opting to call it "strength training" for the purposes of the interview.

The report was focused on the heat wave currently melting the better part of the country. The interview was cut down, and I'm telling people the best parts were cut, of course, since it turned out rather boring (and my name is apparently Wylie King), but her questions centered around strategies to beat the heat. My thoughts:

- Exercise early, before the heat really kicks in: having children helps since if you want to spend time with them in the morning, you want to be out and back before they wake up!
- Don't overdo it: we can learn from our kids on this one. If they feel terrible, they'll stop playing rather than trying to "get one more mile in!"
- Drink lots of water: so many of us suffer from dehydration as it is, which not only can trick our brains into thinking we're hungry and cause us to become unnecessarily agitated, it can also be seriously dangerous.

If I'd been prepared for the interview, however, I'd have done some research on the kinds of foods that help maintain optimal health in the heat. Embarrassingly enough, I couldn't with absolute confidence have said what they were beyond citrus fruits and light veggies, and thinking about how people eat in hot climates. But the former is obvious and the latter doesn't necessarily help without context: Louisiana is hot, after all, but I don't know that anyone would characterize it as a mecca of health.

So I did some very complex research (google) and found that my knee-jerk thinking was spot on. The why's are where it gets interesting, however, and can aid in future decision-making rather than restricting you to an exact list of recommended foods.

1. Eat your water: Water-rich produce like watermelon, cucumbers and lettuce will all help keep you hydrated while providing great nutrition at a low calorie count. 

2. Add some flavor! Herbs like mint, cilantro and basil have naturally cooling and soothing properties. Zero calorie additions that provide tremendous upside in the heat.

3. Embrace what's counter-intuitive: Spicy foods are actually a great way to cool down. Eating them causes us to sweat, and sweating is our own little air conditioner. So think ginger, chilies and cayenne pepper. 

4. Bring on the citrus: Lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits - all of them are hugely cooling, naturally aid in digestion and strengthen immunity with strong doses of Vitamin C. Get creative. Have them whole but also squirt them into drinks, onto salads, etc. 

5. Choose your protein wisely: I love a good barbecue just as much as the next guy, but a great steak in heat like this takes its toll on your body. And it's that much harder to digest which means your body heats up trying to do so: counter-productive! So opt for delicious legumes instead.

OR, move to northern Canada.

What We Can Learn From Summer Vacation

One of my favorite recurring pieces in the NYT is 'Really?' in the Health section where they prove or disprove health claims. A recent one discussed whether the claim that kids gained weight over the summer was true or not. Spoiler alert: it is.

And I'm not surprised.

My family and I just came back from a week and a half of summer vacation (context for this post and also my excuse for being absent since June!) Now this wasn't the lying-around-all-day-drinking-pina-coladas-by-the-pool-trying-everything-there-is-on-the-menu-just-because kind of vacation. No, this was me, my husband, my mother and my sisters in charge of six cousins ranging from three months old to seven years old. This was a "Momma can we play baseball, can we go golfing, can we walk on the beach for hours and hours and collect sea glass, can we can we can we?" kind of vacation. And the answer to all of those questions (if preceded by a please) was always (well, most of the time) "yes!" My kids didn't gain weight, but I did. How?

I had something in common with those kiddos who gain weight over the summer, and that is that I had completely slipped from any sort of routine. Getting up at 6am and exercising just seemed very unvacationlike. And if the kids get up before exercise happens, the chance of it happening are slim to none. And why not have an extra cup of coffee since we're all hanging out in the kitchen for an extra half hour? And Coley hasn't finished his French toast (on organic whole wheat using pastured eggs, 100% grass-fed milk and real maple syrup, of course!) and I'm on clean up duty so I might as well finish it rather than waste it. And making a salad for myself when we have just a two-hour window to hit the pool between thunderstorm threats seems selfish, so I'll just grab a hot dog off the grill like everyone else. And it's 6pm and the kids are playing out on the sun-soaked deck. Anyone care to share a beer?

Does this sound familiar? (If not, I've just stuck my foot in my health coaching mouth!)

Routine keeps adults in check just in the way it keeps kids in check. The reason my kids and their cousins didn't gain any weight and I did was because rather than disrupting their routine, they just added more gas to it - running, jumping, playing, constantly on the go - whereas I wasn't as diligent as I typically am about ensuring greens with every meal, keeping it to good carbs and saying no thank you to ice cream. No food stood a chance in these kids' bodies as active as they were. And actually, getting them to sit to eat anything more than a bite before they were off on their next adventure was next to impossible. Conversely, the kiddos who gain weight over the summer are those who've been taken away from school and sports routines and embraced a more sedentary lifestyle, either because they enjoy ten hours a day of video games or because based on their circumstances, they have no other choice.

Unlike for the kids in the study, the few pounds I gained were worth it. They'll go away naturally soon enough as I dive back into my routine. And they're worth their weight (pun intended) in mental health. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for a majority of our nation's children, and the results of this study could lead to a lot of goodness if responded to in a meaningful way. Regardless, a refreshing twist here is the suggestion that school, typically called out as the demon that establishes and promotes bad habits, can really help keep kids' health in check. With school menus getting cleaner and greener, and school vending machines being kicked to the curb, fingers will have to be pointed elsewhere: routines and habits formed at home travel far...

It's time to show we really mean it, America!

A couple weeks ago, I posted an optimistic piece about health trends moving in the right direction. And though I haven't looked at any more recent data than what I referenced then, I'm going to remain optimistic that the trends are continuing. However, one thing will prove whether my optimism is still warranted:

OUR RESPONSE TO THE TWINKIE RE-LAUNCH!

Coming back soon to a supermarket near you: 37 indecipherable ingredients in all their glory. They will have been gone for 20 months by the time they return. The challenge goes out to all of us: let's get them back off the shelves in less than 20 months by simply not buying them, and kill this sorry excuse for food once and for all.

WHO'S IN?

Get Some Sleep!

We tend to equate health with food. And it's true food plays a big, important role in being healthy (or not.) But if you stop there, you risk overlooking other factors that could play even more important roles.

My beloved health coaching professor and founder of Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Joshua Rosenthal, coined the phrases 'primary food' and 'secondary food.' Secondary food is, well, food. Primary food is everything else we feed on each day: relationships, jobs, exercise and, you guessed it, sleep. These things are primary because they're actually more important than what you eat. Primary foods affect what you eat, and they determine how what you eat affects your body.

America doesn't get enough sleep. Probably not news for anyone reading this, but it gets more interesting. We typically associate a lack of sleep with exhaustion, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, etc. Beyond the gagillion cups of coffee, we don't really think about how it affects our appetites and the kinds of foods we crave - perhaps because if sleep deprivation is chronic, its effects have become the norm for most of us.

Shannon Wheeler; New Yorker Cartoon

There are two hormones in our body that control our appetite by communicating with our brain. Leptin tells the brain enough food has been consumed and we can stop eating. Gherlin tells the brain we're hungry and to keep eating. Given these two definitions, one would think the only thing that could influence leptin and gherlin would be (secondary) food. But primary food, and sleep in particular, does too. Heavily.

Sleep deprivation suppresses leptin and stimulated gherlin. So our brain tells us to eat even if we really don't need to. What's worse, sleep deprivation increases activity in areas of the brain that seek pleasure, so we crave unhealthier and higher-calorie foods. And without proper sleep to aid in better decision-making, those are likely the ones we'll reach for. It's like a quadruple whammy!

And it's a slippery slope. Sleep deprivation leads to poor eating habit leads to obesity leads to Type 2 Diabetes leads to heart disease leads toooooooooooooooo.......

So hopefully the point has been made to get some sleep as a big step in the healthy direction (and there could be worse advice to be given, right?!?!) But then the question is how do you know if you're getting enough? Here's a rough guide:

Sleep requirements depend on age. Newborns sleep 16 to 18 hours a day, preschoolers need 11 to 12 hours, and elementary school children need 10 hours. Adolescents should get 9 to 10 hours, though most teenagers sleep only about seven hours. Given the opportunity to sleep as long as they want, most adults average about eight hours a night.

Now here's what's crazy. We've all gotten used to the ridiculous swirl of conflicting messages about what we should and shouldn't eat (though hopefully I've helped you cut through some of them!), but here's some more confusion for you, this time relating to sleep.

Studies show that people who sleep between 6.5 and 7.5 hours a night live the longest. And those who sleep 8 hours or more, or less than 6.5 hours, don't live quite as long. There is just as much risk associated with sleeping too long as with sleeping too short. The big surprise is that long sleep seems to start at 8 hours. Sleeping 8.5 hours might really be a little worse than sleeping 5 hours. 

Huh?! You just have to laugh. Here's what I'll say, and at the end of the day, the same goes for the food you eat.

We are all different. Listen to what YOUR body is telling you.

I have a colleague who really only needs a handful of hours of sleep. If that's all I got I would be a useless mess, but it works for her. Most of us need a lot more. And you know who you are - you really don't need some guide to tell you.

Just be careful not to keep yourself awake at night worrying about how much sleep you're not getting!

Ode To Dr. Gately

Our beloved pediatrician is retiring this month. I just mailed what's probably my last check to him. It covered our co-payment for a visit a few weeks ago. At the time I had no cash on me, and Dr. Gately doesn't accept credit cards.

Dr. Gately has been practicing out of the ground floor of his brownstone for decades. It's not a modern office. There are dust balls under the chairs. There's a weird pink bathtub in the bathroom filled with filing cabinets, and the door sticks. The eye charts are worn; the patched glasses are themselves patched. And there's no nurse, only a wonderfully charismatic office manager/receptionist/accountant - you name it, she does it - named Bernadine, who knows my voice when I call. She laughs heartily over just about everything. But don't cross her: she'll tell it like it is.

Dr. Gately accepts nannies bringing your kids to sick visits, though you better be there to pick them up. If it's a well visit, mom or dad must come or he'll refuse to see you.

Dr. Gately is not for everyone, but he was for me.

I've never been shoed out of the office prematurely. In fact, on multiple occasions, I've had to tell him we really need to go! Even more important, unless really, really sick, my kids would jump for joy when I said we had to go to the doctor. They associate Dr. Gately, and therefore all doctors, with all things good. Such a healthy perspective for little ones to have.

The check I just mailed was for a visit Maggie and I made straight from the airport, coming back from a trip to Portland to meet our newest niece/cousin. Maggie had been playing the night before with her older cousins and something happened to her hand - we're not sure what. They all went to sleep crying. Our flight was the next morning. Maggie was favoring her hand big time, so I knew it wasn't a game. I got off the plane at 4pm and called Dr. Gately. They close at 5pm. We didn't get there until after 6pm. He stayed open for us. Both he and Bernadine were there to greet Maggie. Because that's just who they are.

Doctors get you at your most vulnerable. They should be the most comforting people and provide the most comforting environments in the world. Yet doctors' offices can feel like factories - you wait, then you wait somewhere else, then you have your eight minutes and often forget the questions you meant to ask, and then you're out. That's not health care. That's checking a box.

Thank you, Dr. Gately, for never just checking a box. You took the time to know my kids, and everything you prescribed (medicine, advice or otherwise) was based on that knowledge. You made my kids feel invulnerable. And even though they aren't, for them to feel that way at three and five is just fine with me.