Exercise in Moderation As Well - & the Biggest Loser

I have to admit a guilty pleasure. I love watching competition shows: the X Factor, Top Chef, Expedition Impossible... and yes, The Biggest Loser. The producers must know what they are doing, because I can't get enough of them. I particularly like watching the Biggest Loser on my treadmill days: I feel like Bob is yelling at me sometimes - yay. I'm a bit upset that this morning at the YMCA,  the news was on and they showed who the recent winner was when I have not watched the episode, but that is not the subject of this post. (Please don't tell me who was last booted off the X Factor either as I am behind on that show too!)

I have conflicted feelings about the Biggest Loser however.  I know they do cover eating healthy on the show, but I can't help but think that the show sends the message that crazy work outs is the best way to lose weight. I am no nutritionist or personal trainer, but I have found that for myself when I've relied too heavily on working out to keep my weight at a healthy level, it backfires.

Microwave Popcorn without the Chemicals

There is an article going around social media right now entitled "7 Foods You Should Never Eat"  by Prevention Magazine that lists foods that specialists in different jobs won't eat. The farmer won't eat corn fed beef, the Endocrinologist Won't Eat: Canned Tomatoes etc. One of the foods listed that has some lingering chemicals  I didn't know about was microwave popcorn. 

3. The Toxicologist Won't Eat: Microwave PopcornOlga Naidenko, is a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group.
The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize--and migrate into your popcorn. "They stay in your body for years and accumulate there," says Naidenko, which is why researchers worry that levels in humans could approach the amounts causing cancers in laboratory animals. DuPont and other manufacturers have promised to phase out PFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags of popcorn will be sold between now and then.
The solution: Pop natural kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings, such as dillweed, vegetable flakes, or soup mix.
Budget tip: Popping your own popcorn is dirt cheap
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/12/01/7-foods-should-never-eat/#ixzz1fo4wbEE3

I didn't know about the chemicals, but I don't eat microwave popcorn because of the salt and added calories from oil. Basically if I pop it myself without oil I can eat a whole bowl for a couple hundred calories instead of part of a bag of packaged micro popcorn for the same calories.

I know microwave popcorn is easy but there are easy ways to do it without prepackaged versions with "movie style butter."

Method 1: I use one of these bowls made specifically for popping popcorn kernels. Its a bowl... with a lid... that doesn't get too hot in the microwave and is shaped correctly to pop the popcorn. No oil needed. I find that I like to put the salt in the bowl with the kernels instead of putting it on later. It pops great and then if you want you can add real melted butter on to it or have it plain.

I have the cheap Nordic Ware one below but there are fancier ones. I may have to get the red one as mine is probably 5 years old and is getting discolored.

Method 2: You can also try popping your kernels in a paper lunch bag. Put 2 tbs popcorn in a lunch bag, roll up the end and pop in the microwave for about 2 minutes or until you stop hearing the popping. You can also add a tsp or more of oil into the bag if you like. The bag will get messy, but if you prefer it made with oil its worth it.

Method 3: Another option is an electric airpopper although not technically a microwave popper, it is a fast and healthy method.  I can remember as a kid in the 70's eagerly waiting for the popcorn to spit out of the machine before the Muppet Show started (Pigs in Space were my favorite).  They haven't changed much since the 70's, but every year they have a cute new model. This year I spotted the one below that mimics movie theater poppers.  --Nicole

Fitness Lives - Keep Straight in December

I love this motivational post entitled Is Fitness Dead by - Adam Bornstein on Livestrong


In short he is challenging everyone to not let December and the holidays mean a halt to fitness and nutrition. Here are some excerpts:

But the end of the year is also bittersweet. When you look beyond the holiday cheer and time away from work, December oftentimes equals doom for your health. Diets go crashing, activity disappears, and the hard work that people put in for an entire year goes on life support—waiting for resurrection in January. 

Should We All Go Gluten-free Article Rant

There was a recent article in the New York Times Magazine entitled: Should We All Go Gluten-Free? It discusses a Gluten-free Expo in Utah, the prevalence of Celiac disease & gluten intolerance, and how the market has responded with gluten-free products.

If you haven't read the article pop on over to the link and  give it a read. I think it is great that there are gluten-free products on the market for people suffering from serious celiac disease. I am a bit concerned about how people without celiac have gone gung-ho about gluten-free prepackaged food. 

I have done so many diets in my lifetime: low fat in the 80's, Atkins at the millennium, pescatarian more recently, and now gluten-free. I should be on board with this trend and all the products then - right? Ugh. The thing that I have learned from the different diets that I've done is that the key to healthy eating is about eating the right amount of calories (and because for a 5' 2" person those calories are few) - to have those calories count by using them for healthy REAL food. Whether its been low fat or high fat that I've eaten - if I start