Enjoy!

We encounter so many numbers in our daily lives. Speed limits, serving sizes, weight, and . . .clothing sizes. Clothes shopping is one of my least favorite activities. Clothing manufacturers do not make clothes to fit my body. And, different stores and different lines seem to enjoy randomly assigning sizes to clothing. In one store I may be a 6 and in another a 12. And, let’s not even get into talking about shopping for jeans.

I have finally accepted that the number on the tag is just that – a number. Just like the number that shows up on the scale, it does not determine my self worth. It is not like anyone sees that number and knows my size (unless I wear my shirt inside-out, or they work in the clothing industry). When I try on something that does not fit, rather than starting negative self-talk, I tell myself that it was not made for me. If I have to go up a size, I tell myself that that is not cut right for me and, perhaps a larger size may fit better. I also will go up a size to get one part to fit (hips, for example), then have it tailored.

I have also learned that I cannot expect clothes to fit off-the-rack. I have a great tailor who can make all sorts of adjustments. Neckline too low? Take a little out of the shoulders. I’m also curvy, so I almost always have to have the waist taken in on pants and skirts. If I’m not sure if she can alter something, I will buy it and take it to her for her opinion. If she can’t fit it, I take it back.

Even thought I know all of this, clothes shopping is not on the top of my “fun things to do list.” But, I am getting better at it and learning to enjoy it. Next time you step in that dressing room and what you are trying on does not fit, just tell yourself “that size is just a number, and it was not made for me.” Then, decide if you want a different size or if a tailor can fix what is not fitting just right.

To cook your Teff, bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add the 1/4 cup Teff, cover and simmer for 15 or so minutes – until it is thick and all of the water is absorbed. You will want to stir it occasionally as well. The alternative is to make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for a few days. To reheat, measure out your serving in a bowl (a larger one that gives it room to expand), add a little extra water, cover and cook in a microwave on high for 2 – 3 minutes.  Serve like you would oatmeal.  I used a little butter, brown sugar, and goat milk.

You can find Teff at stores like Whole Foods. I would also suspect that health food stores may carry it. Or, you can order it online. Bob’s Red Mill has both the grain and Teff flour you can use for baking. We haven’t tried baking with it yet, but it is on the list to try.

KIND bars are whole food packed with nuts, fruits, and other good things.  They are higher in fat than other bars, but that is because they have nuts in them.  Lots of nuts.  Nuts also provide some protein.  Those nuts also mean they are crunchy and take some work to eat.  That extra work can slow you down and allow your body to get signals to you saying it is satisfied.

KIND bars are available at a lot of grocery stores and health food stores.  If you are looking for a portable snack remember to be KIND to yourself.

I took a class on “Saving Summer” at Williams-Sonoma last Saturday. One thing the instructor said that stuck with me is that “cooking should be fun.”  She is so right!  And, to make cooking more fun, it helps to have the right tools.  Yes, you do not need a tool for every job, and a lot of tools can multi-task.   But, occasionally treating yourself to a new cooking tool can give some incentive to get in the kitchen.  That cooking tool could be a class, or an actual piece of equipment.  One of the tasks I do not like, and am not good at, is hulling strawberries and tomatoes.

During the class, the instructor used this Strawberry Huller to hull the tomatoes.

The people around me kept saying, “I just do that with a pairing knife.”  And, yes, I know you can do it with a pairing knife.  I’m just not comfortable doing it with a pairing knife (I have visions of the knife slipping and hitting my thumb).  I decided that if that cute little tool would help me in the kitchen (and save more of the fruit), then that would be a good addition to my kitchen.  And, when I made grilled tomatoes last night, I got a little excited to use the new huller for the first time.  It worked like a charm!

If you are not comfortable in the kitchen, pick a couple of things you can do to help.  It could be taking some beginner cooking classes, or buying some beginner cooking books.  Or, one of the most helpful books I have in my kitchen is The Well Tooled Kitchen. If I don’t know what that tool is called for in a recipe, I can look in that book and find it.

Cooking is a way to take care of yourself and those around you.  It allows you to control what goes into a dish, and to modify recipes to suit your tastes.  Cooking is an art form – a way to express yourself.  But, it is an art form accessible to everyone – including you.

Today, I picked up another carton of Cherries Tuilerie Frozen Yogurt and a carton of Deep Chocolate ice cream.  I can’t wait to give the Deep Chocolate a try.  They also have ice cream sandwiches.  I hope my local Whole Foods has them soon.

If you are looking for an alternative to cow milk ice cream or frozen yogurt, you might want to give this one a try.

*I did not receive compensation of any kind for this post.

We went to a friend’s house on July 5.  She said, “You’re still doing Meatless Mondays, right?  I hope so, because I fixed vegetarian.”  She had some great dishes that have inspired me to continue playing around with my own recipes.  We have also discovered a new to us grain – teff – which makes a great breakfast.

I’m looking forward to next Monday to see what lands on the table.  John made pasta with a tomato sauce including sundried tomatoes and goat milk feta.  I’ll have to see what I can find to top that. . . .

First, I made Lemon Mint Quinoa Salad last night.  Rather than just the white quinoa, I used white, red, and black.  It was very colorful.  One of the keys (we learned the hard way) is to rinse the quinoa for a couple of minutes in a sieve.  This removes the bitter outer coating called saponins.  You’ll know if you don’t rinse long enough.

The second recipe is one John found in this month’s Runner’s World – Watermelon Salad.  One of my favorite things about summer is watermelon.  Neither of us thought the salad would be filling, but were we wrong!  I’ve shared this recipe with several others and everyone is craving it.

Let me know if you give them a try!

What’s involved in “meatless Mondays”?  Simple, not eating meat on Monday.  The John Hopkins group has established a website where you can find recipes to help you go meatless on Monday.  You can also sign a pledge and sign up to receive weekly newsletters to help you have a meatless Monday.

I’ve signed the pledge and am looking at recipes for Monday.  I should also add it to my calendar to remind me until it becomes a habit.

Here’s to going meatless on Mondays!

First is Gabriel Brooks.  He is an amazing PT and my body mechanic.  Any time my body breaks, Gabriel is the one to pick up the pieces and put me back together.  When I was running 15 miles a couple of months ago, I heard a “pop” and felt a horrible pain in my right knee at about mile 13.  I walked then ran it in.  Then, was in pain after finishing 3 miles.  I emailed Gabriel.  He fit me into his busy schedule and did a video analysis of my running gait.  I knew my gait was less than perfect, and the video showed it was worse than I thought.  Gabriel gave me a few exercises, made a shoe suggestion, and things to watch when I run.  Like Tonja, Gabriel knows my body.  He is also an athlete and understands what I’m trying to accomplish.  I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be running in Paris if it weren’t for Gabriel.  Gabriel works in the Sports Medicine clinic at Texas Childrens Hospital.

The other member I forgot is Trigger Point.  I guess this isn’t a member, but a tool.  I use their tools after my long runs to help speed recovery.  A day doesn’t go by that I’m not using one or more of their tools right now.  They are helping my body recover from the last run and be ready for the next.  For example, one area Gabriel identified as a problem is the knots in my calves.  I use the Trigger Point tools to really get in there and work them out.  The balls are much better than tennis balls and the rollers much better than foam rollers because they have solid cores.  That means the outside gives a bit, but the core is there to allow you to really get into a knot and work it out.

The more I think about all the people it takes to get me to a marathon, the more I am glad to be surrounded by them and the tools they provide.  I can’t do it alone because . . .it takes a village.

I like to think of myself as an independent person.  However, I’m not sure if it is that I’m a more advanced runner, or understand my body better, but I’ve discovered that marathon training takes a village.  First, I have my husband who will be running the race as well.  He supports me in every way.  Then, come my training buddies – Theresa, Moya, and Jen.  Theresa and I got to know each other when training for Houston almost ten years ago.  We finished Houston, and she talked me into running Marine Corps.  We have forged a strong friendship over countless miles on the road.  She has been doing my long runs with me.  I’m not sure where I’d be without her.  She told me that someone asked her what race she was training for.  When she responded “Paris” the person got all excited for her.  She had to tell them that she wasn’t running it, but a friend was.  It is a true friend who will run 15, 18, and over 20 miles with you when she isn’t going to run the marathon herself.

Training also takes nutrition.  Luckily, since I’m a sports dietitian I have that kind of covered.  However, I use Infinit* as my sports drink.  I use and recommend Infinit because you can custom mix your sports drink including how strong you want the flavor.  I placed an order earlier this month and their usually speedy service was a bit delayed.  I emailed and got a response back from Laurie Walter.  We emailed back and forth.  I explained about having two long runs left and needing to test my new mixture before Paris (I added caffeine – first time to try it).  Lauire understood and upgraded the shipping so I could have it for my run this weekend.  Laurie and the Infinit gang are now a part of my marathon training village.

Taking care of my body and all of its various parts has also become critical.  I’m not sure if it is because I’m older or if I’m more aware of my body, but massage has become another key piece of my training.  I have a fabulous massage therapist, Tonja Samford, who I’ve used for eight or nine years now.  I think she knows my body better than I do.  I’ve learned the importance of pre- and post-run massages to prepare and recover.  A post-run massage has become part of the reason for finishing these last few long runs.  Tonja is  a member of my marathon training village.

Another group of members of this village are all of my non-training, non-running friends who are lending their support.  It is exciting when they ask about how training is coming, and express excitement about the upcoming run.

The final, and in some ways most inspiring members of my marathon training village, are those who have donated to my Challenged Athletes Foundation Race for a Reason.  This is the first time I have raised money for an organization.  The encouragement and financial outpouring is exciting to see.  I know that each step I will take in the Paris marathon will benefit those who, due to physical disabilities, face greater challenges that I do in being physically active.  To all of you, I say “Thanks!”

Actually, to my entire marathon training village, I say “Thanks!”

The next time you take on an endeavor, be it physical or other, think about the your village who helps you get there.

*If you would like to try Infinit, enter “penny” in the Special Codes area for a 10% discount on your orders.  I do receive a small referral fee when you use this code.

Then, I started thinking. . .when am I going to have a business excuse to go to Paris?  Then, I thought some more. . . when I am going to have such a great excuse to, um, run the Paris Marathon?  It only took a few minutes to go from thinking about running it to being a registered participant, to thinking “what the heck have I just done!”

I ran both the Houston and Marine Corps marathons in 2001.  My reasons for running Paris are many: because it is there and I can go, because it would be “fun,” to see how my training and nutrition have changed now that I’m a sports dietitian.

I began training a few months ago and training has been going well.  It has reminded me of a lot of the issues that my clients face when training for and racing a distance event.  However, now that I really understand how to fuel before, during, and after my training has been much smoother.

We are a month out from the race.  I’m filled with a mix of excitement and fear.  At this point you start to wonder and worry about every little ache, pain, and/or tinge.  “Was that a real pain?”  “How is that going to affect my run?”

I’ve also decided to dedicate this run to help those who have a hard time being physically active – those with disabilities.  I’m raising money for Challenged Athletes Foundation.  If you’d like to help CAF “provide opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics” you can make a donation by clicking here.

In the mean time, I’ll keep training and planning.  And, dreaming of running through the streets of Paris.

Then, I look a little closer at the label and find this:  WARNING:This product contains a significantly potent xanthine (i.e., caffeine and caffeine-like stimulants) mixture of about 100 mg per regular 2-MetaCap serving. Consult your physician before use if you are sensitive to stimulants. Do not exceed suggested daily serving. Not for use by individuals under the age of 18 years. Do not use if pregnant or nursing.

A Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine in an 8.2 oz can.  A cup of coffee has between 80 and 135 mg of caffeine.  If you take six capsules of the supplement, you’ll be consuming 300 mg of caffiene – about the same as three cups of coffee.  Not necessarily an issue, unless you are sensitive to or avoid caffeine.

This supplement also contains guarana extract, cocoa seed extract and ginger root powder.  These are intended to suppress your appetite.  Guarana is claimed to help with weight loss, but the research has not show this to be true.  Also, those with a heart condition, high blood pressure, or anxiety disorders (among others) should not consume guarana due to the high caffeine content.  When you stop using guarana, you can experience withdrawal symptoms like those when you are addicted to caffeine.  It just keeps getting better.

I could go on, but am going to stop here.  What’s the moral of the story?  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  If you are looking at a pill, supplement, or anything you put into your body do some research and be comfortable with it.

If losing weight was easy, we wouldn’t have an obesity epidemic.  Losing weight takes work.  Keeping weight off takes work.  If you are struggling with your weight, find a healthy way to do it.  Find a Registered Dietitian and someone to help you find a way to burn calories you enjoy.  It can be done, and done without pills that promise outrageous claims.

Another RD friend of mine suggested PopChips! These are potato chips that are not fried or baked – they are popped. Apparently, they apply heat and pressure to the potato slices and they pop. I don’t really care how they are made, they are YUMMY! At about 120 calories per tasty serving, these are another product that is hard to beat. They really do taste good (not like eating baked chips).

Freeze-dried fruit (particularly apples & pears) have quickly become one of my favorite treats. They are sweet and crispy with minimal calories – about 35 per serving. One of my favorites is Brother’s All Natural Fruit Crisps. They come in both individual servings (great to keep in the car or desk) and larger bags. I’m reaching for these when I need something sweet in the afternoon.

I hope you enjoy these new items.

A year or so ago, I started looking at intuitive eating. Intuitive eating is a process where you reconnect with your body’s hunger and satiety signals learning to eat when you are hungry and stop when satisfied. Sounds simple doesn’t it. However, this is one of those areas where theory and practice are not the same. In theory, it sounds simple; in practice it can be quite a challenge. Theory: I’m not hungry. Practice: Boy, that chocolate covered donut looks amazing! Maybe I’ll have just a bite.

I attended a series of webinars by Bob Seebohar this week on weight loss for athletes. Bob recommends following an intuitive eating approach with a twist – using his FoodTarget to assist with food selection. Basically, food selections focus on lean meats and proteins, fruits and vegetables, with limited carbohydrate choices (whole grains, etc.). This combination can help with weight loss. He doesn’t like to set weight or quantitative goals. He doesn’t like athletes to weigh. This combined approach HAS helped with weight loss and maintenance in many athletes with whom Bob has worked.

I’m intrigued. This seems to bring together what I’ve been thinking about with my own weight management and counseling with clients. I’m starting to tinker with it to see how I do. I started by not stepping on the scale this morning. We’ll see how it goes as the days and weeks progress.

We met at the Russell Senate Office building to hear from Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) who was the sponsor of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) which was passed and signed into law in 1994. DSHEA was intended to “regulate” the supplement industry. Sen. Hatch strongly believes that DSHEA provides the FDA the all of the means and tools it needs to appropriately regulate supplements, but the FDA does not have enough money do enforce the regulations. We thought we would only have 20 minutes of his time, but he stayed for about 45. He also spoke about the Adverse Event Reporting (AER) which was passed after ephedra was withdrawn from the market. It turns out one manufacturer of ephedra-containing products had 1,500 reports of adverse events which were not reported to the FDA. Oops! Now, adverse events (for drugs or supplements) have to be reported to the FDA. Regardless of what you think of Sen. Hatch or DSHEA, he was an engaging speaker.

Next up was Donna Porter, PhD from the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Donna was a truly enlightening speaker. The CRS provides information to the Congress on all sorts of issues – basically providing historical and other contexts for issues. When a Congressperson or his/her staff has a question, they call the CRS for information. Her area is nutrition – which means she was involved with DSHEA and the AER acts were being drafted and passed. She echoed one aspect of Sen. Hatch – that the FDA does not have the funding to implement the regulations in DSHEA. However, she added that some of the aspects of DSHEA would be difficult to implement. Her talk was incredibly interesting.

Next, we moved to the Wilbur J. Cohen Building (which also houses Voice of America) for panel discussions with representatives from the supplement industry and from consumer groups. The supplement industry was represented by Steven Mister from the Council for Responsible Nutrition, Daniel Fabricant, PhD from the Natural Products Association, and by Steven Dentali, PhD from the American Herbal Products Association. These are all trade groups for the supplement industry. I was keeping an open mind and was pleasantly surprised to learn that these groups do “self regulate” their members. They require their members have Good Manufacturing Processes (GMPs) in place and actually do test member companies’ off-the-shelf products for quality and purity. They believe that the current regulations and enforcement are adequate. However, one of the panel members said that he did not believe that randomized control trials are appropriate for supplements. WHAT?!?!?!? His justification was that nutrients work in many ways on many systems and that creating a control group is impossible. Again, WHAT?!?!?!? Honestly, there isn’t a lot other than that to report from this group. They were all trying to spin their messages to show that supplement companies are good, produce products that are pure and not contaminated, care about the consumer, etc. While I think some companies are, I also think there are a lot of supplement companies who are not. And, how can those “rogue” companies who are producing trash supplements be “regulated” by industry groups if they are not members of the groups.

Finally, were the consumer oriented groups. These groups were represented by David Schardt from the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Peter Lurie from the Public Citizen’s Health Research Group. Unfortunately, Rob Stein from the Washington Post was unable to attend. You can probably guess the line these speakers took – supplements need to be tightly regulated for efficacy, purity, etc. One panelist said that DSHEA keeps the FDA from more tightly regulating supplements (which is true), and that the biggest problems is that dietary supplements are a consumer rip-off. (Did I say spin?) Basically, they want more and tighter regulation of the dietary supplement industry.

After the last panel, we went to the National Museum of the American Indian for lunch. If you have a chance, go! The cafeteria has representative native American food from different parts of the country. I had buffalo chili, fry bread, and a salad made from fiddle fern, asparagus and corn.

Key learnings from today:

• Consider the source of information. People are going to try to spin the information to meet their goals including carefully using research to “prove” their point.
• Everyone says the FDA needs more money for enforcement.
• Issues relating to dietary supplements are not black and white. There is a lot of gray area.
• I do think the supplement industry can be helpful in working with congress and the FDA because they work with supplements every day.
• There are responsible companies in the dietary supplement industry. However, there are a lot of irresponsible companies, too.
• Given the confusion of consumers in the US regarding dietary supplements, those in other countries are probably even more confused. And, a lot of other countries do not have consumer advocates trying to keep the dietary supplement industry in check.

Today’s morning agenda was one that really caught my eye. We started off with Meghan Murphy, PhD discussing how a drug is brought to market. Then, Debrah Miller, PhD (and the Director of Nutrition for Hershey) talked about bringing a food to market. Finally, Anthony Lamada, MS spoke about bringing a supplement to market. Comparing and contrasting these three things was quite interesting and, honestly, confusing. There is a lot of gray. If a manufacturer does not like the rules of one type, they may be able to change to another. Stevia is a great example. They didn’t have the research initially to have it declared a food additive, but they could have it declared a nutritional supplement immediately! Since then, enough scientific evidence has been presented to have it labeled as a food additive. Given the variety of people attending the practicum, there was good discussion about, for example, using dried berries as a medical treatment – is it a food or a drug? This is just one example we discussed.

The last session was given by Bill Gurley, PhD who discussed interactions between supplements and drugs. He talked about several interactions I was aware of, but also quite a few I was not. Bill focuses on interactions between drugs and herbals. Again, lots of great information.

Over lunch we got another overview of the NIH and a preview of the campus tour scheduled for later in the day.

The afternoon sessions were not high on my list, but yet again, I learned a lot. We started with Lawrence Friedman, MD talking about efficacy and effectiveness and how to measure them in research settings. He was followed by Elizabeth Yetley, PhD who talked about safety. Finally, Joseph Betz, PhD spoke on identity and quality. Once again, the grouping of these topics proved to be an excellent design. Each laid a foundation and then built upon it and on the information provided previously. I learned that there are quite a few differences in designing studies to test efficacy vs. effectiveness. There was more information about safety and the facets of safety than I had considered. Finally, the lecture on identity and quality added on to the information provided earlier today and yesterday.

The highlight of the day was a tour of the NIH campus including the Clinical Center and the National Library of Medicine. The NIH campus in Bethesda has over 80 building on 322 acres and over 18,000 employees just on this campus. It is a beautiful campus. The Clinical Center is the hospital on the NIH campus and has 320 (I think) beds. In order to use the Clinical Center, patients have to be enrolled in NIH funded studies. There is also a “hotel” onsite and a facility similar to the Ronald McDonald House for children and their families. The building is beautiful. We visited several units including the metabolic unit. I have pictures I’ll post when I get home. We also got to see one section of labs used for bench research.

Next, we went to the National Library of Medicine. There are some great resources available. I’ll post more links when I return home and have more time. Here’s a link to “Turning the Pages” which lets you page through a high quality virtual copy of some of the seminal works of science and medicine. We also got to go into the computing area where they have four screens showing: number of people using the Library databases (PubMed/Medline for example) at one time, top 100 search terms, where the library is being accessed from, and I don’t remember the last one. It was interesting to see what people were researching. If you are in Bethesda, I’d highly recommend visiting. Yes, you can go to the National Library of Medicine. We also toured the exhibit called “Against the Odds” in the library which was subtitled “Making a Difference in Global Health.” It was an amazing exhibit and covered interventions all over the world to improve the health of people everywhere. It covered topics like food supply, rehydration, public health clinics, AIDS, landmines, etc. When you have a few minutes, I’d recommend taking a look at it.

Key learnings from today:

• Manufacturers can play around with what they want to call their product which changes how the product is regulated by the FDA.
• Again, the FDA’s hands are tied by the laws written and passed by the congress and signed by the president.
• I knew bringing a drug to market was time consuming and expensive, but I got reminded of just how time consuming and expensive it is.
• There is a lot of confusion about how to classify products – particularly between food and dietary supplement – among the attendees. If we’re confused, then the manufacturers and public are definitely confused.
• My understanding of efficacy, effectiveness and safety have been deepened. There are a lot of things to think about regarding these concepts, how they are researched and measured.
• Again, enforcement is so limited it is easy for manufacturers to do what they want with little chance of being fined. Even if they are fined, the fines are a slap on the wrist often only taking a tiny amount of the profits gained from sales of the product.

Tomorrow we head to DC to have a panel discussion with Senator Orrin Hatch who was key in the development and passing of DSHEA into law. The other panel member is from the Congressional Research Service. Then, we have a panel session with representatives from the dietary supplement industry followed by a panel from the consumer groups (including CSPI) and media. Tomorrow should be a highlight of the practicum!

The day started off with an early alarm (how early does it get light here? it was already full light when my alarm went off at 5:30). I got ready and headed to the Tastee Diner for breakfast. I always like to find local diners/cafes for breakfast, and I found a winner. I pretended to read the paper and just listened to the “show” put on by the locals at the counter. What a hoot! Finished breakfast and got back to the hotel to get my things and take the shuttle to the NIH campus.

Getting on the campus was quite the process. We all had to get out of the van, go through a metal detector, open all our bags (and every pocket in each bag), provide the slip from the security guard and picture ID to the van driver, have the van searched, get our badges back from the van driver with our passes for the day. Whew! The campus is HUGE and beautiful. One of the other ladies in the van was also going to the practicum.

Made it to the correct building, got checked in and received a HUGE binder of information. I’m going to have to find a UPS/FedEx store to ship it back it is so large. Then, got settled in for the day.

We started with a welcome session. Paul Coates, PhD, the Director of the ODS, spoke after the housekeeping announcements were made. He gave an overview of the ODS, how it fits into the NIH, etc. Then, we heard from Mary Frances Picciano, PhD, about who takes dietary supplements. She provided some great information on the breakdown of the population who takes supplements – over 50% of the US population takes dietary supplements. Next up was Johanna Dwyer, DSc, RD. Johanna spoke about why people take supplements – their motivation. It brought to the forefront the idea that different people have different reasons/motivations for taking dietary supplements as well as one person may have different reasons/motivations for each supplement. It is critical to ask and understand why people take each supplement they take. She also reviewed several of the collection methods – surveys, focus groups, etc – and the pros and cons of each method. The last speaker before lunch was Regan Bailey, PhD, RD, LDN. Regan spoke about measuring food and supplement intakes. Her presentation included a ton of things I hadn’t thought about with regard to collecting food and dietary supplement information from consumers. She also provided information on the National Cancer Institutes FREE 24-hour recall program.

The morning flew. Yeah, I know the topics do not necessarily sound thrilling, but the speakers and presentations made them more interesting than I thought they could be. Also, each presentation is 45 minutes with 15 minutes for questions. After two presentations, we get a break. This just about fits my attention span.

Lunch was in the cafeteria in the building. The cafeteria leaves a lot to be desired in the selection department. Oh well, we may try another tomorrow.

Looking at the afternoon agenda, I wasn’t too thrilled and thought it would be a snooze-fest. The overall topic was “It’s the Law: Rules and Regulations.” See my point?

Well, the first tspeaker was William Schultez, JD who was involved in the writing of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) among other food/nutrition laws. He provided a background of what life was like before DSHEA and what lead to the development of DSHEA. The next speaker was Vasilios Frankos, PhD from the FDA. He explained the FDA’s role in dietary supplement monitoring and regulation. Next up was Michelle Rusk, JD from the FTC. She explained the role of the FTC and how the FTC and FDA work together. Finally, Paul Thomas, EdD, RD. Paul spoke about supplement labels and claims. Now, this session was at 4PM, and although I’d stayed engaged in the prior presentations (surprise!), I wasn’t sure about this one. Paul did an amazing job explaining supplement labeling and claims.

The main things I learned today:

• The ODS cannot directly fund research (they are not an institute) but can fund research in conjunction with institutes.
• How many people take supplements and the top supplements taken.
• Different ways supplement usage is researched as well as some of the pros/cons of each.
• Talk with people about what they are taking and why (not just “why” but what is their motivation.
• The FDA really has its hands tied due to funding and the ways the laws are written. The FDA gets blamed for a lot of things with dietary supplement regulation when it really isn’t their fault – the problem is how the laws are written.
• The FTC has the “teeth” to go after compnies and people. However, they are also constrained by funds and have to target key types of supplements. Also, the FTC is staffed by lawyers, so they rely on the FDA for a lot of the science behind the claims.
• Supplement labels are vague for everyone – including those regulating them. For example, there isn’t a good definition of a “medical food.”

If today is any indication of what the remaining 4 1/2 days will hold, I can’t wait! Tomorrow we get to talk about how foods, drugs and supplements are brought to market (a presentation for each). There will also be a talk about the interactions between supplements and drugs. In the afternoon we get into efficacy and effectiveness, safety, identity and quality. Then, we get a tour of the NIH Clinical Center! I think I’m wearing my running shoes.

The ODS Practicum is currently open to those in academia. However, Paul (the Director of the ODS) spoke about having other such meetings for groups including Registered Dietitians. I hope they do so in the future.

This 5-day intensive practicum will provide a thorough overview and grounding about issues, concepts, unknowns, and controversies about dietary supplements and supplement ingredients. It will also emphasize the importance of scientific investigations to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and value of these products for health promotion and disease prevention and treatment as well as how to carry out this type of research.

I’m excited to be on of 80 – 100 individuals selected to attend. It starts bright and early in the morning, and is held at the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD. Tomorrow will cover:

• Who takes what for why, and how do we know?
• Its the law: Rules and regulations

I’m interested in the discussion about the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) as well as the discussions about the different groups that regulate supplements. Did you know there are two groups that regulate supplements? The FDA and the FTC. I’m also interested in the last session about “supplement and label claims.”

I’ll post a bit each night about what we covered. I’ll also be tweeting about it, if you want to follow me on Twitter.

I was leaving to go to a client’s home today. I’d pushed the button to open the garage door, locked the door into the house, set the alarm and as I turned around to head to my car saw a HUGE snake crawling into the garage. He must have been right against the garage door when I opened it. There is NO WAY he could have gotten under it. He was as big around as my arm. SERIOUSLY! I scream and try to get back into the house. But, remember I’d locked the door? Fumbled with the keys and got back in. Close the door, run in the house, drop everything in my arms and head for the phone. Then, we have this thing called the “Garage Door Butler” which is, under normal circumstances, quite a help. It hadn’t been working in a while, but I got it working this morning. It closes the door after it has been open for a certain amount of time – lets say – oh, three minutes. I hear the Garage Door Butler beeping (indicating it is about to close). I open the door a crack and – the house alarm goes off! I stop the garage door from closing and see the snake heading to the back corner of the garage. Needless to say the dogs are now freaking out trying to figure out what is up. .BARK! BARK! BARK! is their contribution to the melee as the alarm is going off. I slam the door to the garage and head to the other keypad in the bedroom to turn the alarm off.

I finally stop shaking enough to get the phone book out and call animal control. Voicemail. Voicemail? Its 4:50! I call the non-emergency police number and say “THERE IS A HUGE SNAKE IN MY GARAGE!” and get “Hold on a second” and get transferred to a person in animal control who sends an animal control officer my way.

I then call my client and tell her, “Hi, I can’t make it today because there is a HUGE SNAKE IN MY GARAGE.” She understands and we re-schedule. She’s quite concerned because they’ve had the occasional snake around as well.

The animal control officer shows up (one of the things I like about Sugar Land is city services are very responsive.) I tell her what happened and describe the snake. She says, “what color is it?” “Black” I say. “Great. .. ” she says. I pull the cars out of the garage after she has made sure it is safe around the cars. After poking around the garage, she finds the snake and says “Yeah, he is a biggie.” Ha! I wasn’t exaggerating. Then she says “Yeah, these guys get fat.” Hum – not sure what that says about my arms, but I’ll take it as a compliment. She moves things around and finally snags the snake. He is a very angry, large snake. I’d say 4 – 5 feet long and, did I say, ANGRY! Turns out it is a cotton-mouth/water moccasin. Yeah, very poisonous. She says “He could do a lot of damage.” Great. . . . . He is continually striking at her. Glad the pole she is using to hold him down is long and made of sturdy metal.

Here’s a picture of the HUGE SNAKE that was in the garage. http://www.twitpic.com/44l2j She ends up putting him in the heavy duty garbage bag because he wouldn’t stay in the plastic box she brought. Then she says, “We have a new trainee. I’ll take the snake to him and let him practice with it, then we’ll relocate it.” Glad I could be of service in educating our animal control officers (who I really like – by the way).

So, here’s my entry in weird reasons for cancelling a client appointment. The snake is gone and I’m having to convince myself it is OK to get in the car and head to the grocery store. . . . . .Maybe I’ll just have soup for dinner. . . .. .

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/dining/21tele.html?_r=1&ref=style

Well, this morning I got up and really didn’t want to do the workouts. Today was a two workout day – both a bike and run. The bike was an hour with two 15 minute efforts at my functional threshold (this means that it hurts). Then, an easy 40 minute run.

I was tired. Just wanted to sleep. But, I knew it was easier to get the workout done in the morning. I didn’t want to have to think about it all day. So, I got on the bike and did the workout. It hurt. These workouts always hurt. But, I can deal with it because I know I’m getting faster.

Got off the bike and headed to change into running clothes. Its raining. Its chilly (in the 40s). Maybe I should wait until the afternoon to do the run. No, get it out of the way. It was just a sprinkle or light rain. I’ve always kind of liked running in the rain. Rain is OK. Rain and cold are a lot harder. Anyway, I went ahead and changed clothes and went out for my run. Ended up being a great run and loosened up my legs after the bike. Got home and had a great, hot shower. Then, this left the rest of my day open to get lots of work (and a nap) done.

My lesson from today – often you don’t want to do what you need to. At these times, you have to Just Do It! You have to turn off that little voice telling you all the reasons not to do it and Just Do It! Once you do it, the next time you don’t want to, you can remember the day you did it and do it again.

The next time that litte voice says “you don’t need to do it,” tell yourself “I need to Just Do It!” Then, go do it!

Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs.

Hard boiled eggs can be a great snack and an easy way to add some protein to a meal. If you want to cut down on the fat and cholesterol, just remove the yolk. These got me using hard boiled eggs as extra protein. However, I got a new steamer that can cook hard boiled eggs, so that is now how I’m getting hard boiled eggs. Six of these hard boiled and peeled eggs are about the same as a full dozen of eggs, so you have to decide if the extra $$ is worth it for you. But, if you don’t have the time or desire to cook your own, these are a great option. They are good in the fridge for about 5 days (as are ones you cook yourself).

Amy’s Kitchen Breakfast Bowls.

Some mornings I want a good bowl of hot cereal but don’t want to spend the time it takes to cook a multi-grain cereal or steel-cut oats. Amy’s Kitchen has solved that problem with breakfast bowls which you can have ready in under five minutes. The multi-grain is my personal favorite. These run between $2.50 and $3.00 depending on where you get them.

Alexia Sweet Potato Fries.

These have been out for a while, but I re-discovered them this year. YUM! It is a nice change from regular fries and gives you the benefits of extra anti-oxidants. For example, one serving has 100% of your daily Vitamin A.

Field Guide to Produce.

This book is a must have when you hit the produce section. It gives information on how to pick good veggies and preparation tips. And, it is small enough to easily carry with you. Beware: with this book, your time in the produce section may increase exponentially. I know I can spend a lot of time looking up all those new fruits and veggies in this book.

Dr. Jo’s Dining Lean book and Dr. Jo’s Dine Out and Lose Weight Plan

If you eat out, these are a must have. Often the things we think are most “healthy” at restaurants really are not. These can help you figure out which is which. The Dining Lean book has lots of tips for navigating the minefield of eating out as well as nutrition information for a ton of restaurants. The Eat Out and Lose Weight Plan is a packet of cards with tips for eating out and choices for various calorie levels. I’ve got the book in my car and the cards with me most of the time because I do eat out a lot.

Oprah had the good fortune to have a chef, trainer, etc. and a whole lot of people watching her gain and lose weight. Talk about accountability! But, if she, just like everyone else, didn’t have her head in the game of maintaining her weight, it just wasn’t going to happen. Maintaining your weight or weight loss is hard work. It is something you have to think about a vast majority of times you go to put something in your mouth – be it food or drink. There are a rare few people who have high metabolism and/or the ability to not have to think about what they eat and can seem to eat anything and everything without putting on an ounce. For the vast majority of the rest of us, it is something we have to think about all the time.

Fair? No. . . but, “fair” doesn’t matter. If you want to lose weight or maintain your weight, you have to do what your body needs to be at a healthy weight. It is irrelevant to your body what someone else’s body can or can’t do. And, you have to keep your head in the weightloss/weight maintenance game.

So, the next time you reach for that cookie, keep your head in the game and ask yourself “is this helping me reach my goal?” Then, make a decision whether to eat or drink it or not and take responsibility for the outcome of that decision.

Food companies make, obviously, food! They make their food tasty. They make their food pretty to look at. They make food that smells good. They make food cheap and easy to eat. Yes, I’m thinking about processed foods – but those are the ones that tend to put on weight. Think the candy bars at the checkout, cake mixes, snack mixes, ice cream, mac and cheese and those sorts of foods. And, don’t forget all those fast foods and restaurants out there. Do they want you fat?

Honestly, I don’t think they want you, or me, or anyone else fat. But what they do want is for you to eat more of their food. The more of their food you eat, the more money they make. They entice you to eat more through commercials (food = love and acceptance, food = a treat or something you deserve), packaging, and product placements in movies and TV shows to name a few.

Restaurants get you to eat more by hiding calories in the food to make it taste good. Honestly, I don’t want to know how much butter they use. OK – I KNOW they use a lot of butter. I had the chance to work in a kitchen for a few months and discovered the secret of tasty food – BUTTER! The cooks had pitchers (yes, those iced tea pitchers) full of butter that went in and on everything. Next time you get a sandwich or hamburger, look at the bun. I’ll bet you it has butter on it. And, restaurants are good with add-ons. “Yeah, I’d like that dessert.” Sound familiar? It does to me, too.

It doesn’t take a lot of thought to see that if you eat more than your body needs – whether you know it or not -you’ll gain weight. Our bodies are not good at calculating calories as we eat. So, what can you do? Be an informed eater. Print out the nutrition information from all the restaurants that have them (I keep copies in my car for quick reference). Look at the book Eat This Not That or Dining Lean. Or, try Dr. Jo’s Eat Out and Lose Weight Diet Plan which is a deck of cards to keep with you to help make healthy choices.

Food companies can try to entice you to eat more, but you don’t have to. Remember – you are in control of what you eat. So, food companies may inadvertently want you fat – but you don’t have to be.

You may be asking “why a special camp for those children with diabetes?” Or, “isn’t camp like school, don’t they just need a nurse?” Good questions.

The main difference between camp and school is the amount of physical activity. At camp, the kids are outside almost all day running, swimming, riding horses, playing games, etc. These kinds of activities can cause a person’s (adult or child) blood sugar to fall dramatically. And, each person’s body is different. So, one child’s blood sugar may fall immediately after climbing the rock wall while it takes 30 minutes or so for another’s to fall. At this special camp, the children are broken into six groups based on age. For groups with diabetics, there is also a group of medical staff who are there to monitor the kids’ blood sugar throughout the day. The medical staff stays with the group all week and each med staff is assigned specific children so he/she can get to know each child. Additionally, snacks are provided and lunches (packed from home usually) are monitored to be sure they are eaten – another reason blood sugar may be off. May of the kids had insulin pumps (basically a constant infusion of insulin vs. having to take injections) while others had to do injections. I was amazed at how many of these kids took managing their diabetes in stride. It would come time to check blood sugars and they’d hold out the hand they weren’t using, let the med staff wipe it with an alcohol swab, and take the droplet of blood to check their blood sugar levels – all without stopping working on their craft. If their blood sugar is too low, they get glucose tablet(s). Too high, their pump gets adjusted or they get an injection. The camp also has an infirmary in case a child needed more than the med staff with the group could provide. All in all, a very safe place for a child with diabetes.

I had the opportunity to work in the Art Room. We saw five of the six groups each day and helped them complete crafts from tie-dying t-shirts to making super hero masks. We were the only inside activity (other than lunch for some of the groups). However, inside wasn’t air conditioned so there were times it was cooler outside than in our Art Room. Friday, the “Art Room Ladies” were sitting at our long table waiting for our first group to show up when a mother stopped by and thanked us for volunteering for camp. She said that if it weren’t for Camp Rainbow, her daughter wouldn’t be able to go to camp. She would return to school and not have anything to talk about while all the other kids talked about what they did at camp. That was one of those crystallizing moments for me that made me glad I had volunteered and thankful for my “normal” life.

Make time and volunteer with an organization that is special to you – or pick one at random and see what catches your interest. Just a couple of hours a month can make a difference to others – and to you. If you’re not sure where to start, check out Volunteer Match to see some opportunities in your area.

Enjoy!

What does “vegetarian” mean? It depends who you ask. Some adhere to the strict vegan meaning which means no animal products at all (no meat, no fish, no eggs, no dairy, etc.). There’s also lacto-ovo vegetarian who does not eat meat or fish but does eat dairy and eggs. Honestly, I don’t care about the terminology. I care about eating the way that will keep me the healthiest possible for the longest time. This means lots of energy, lots of food and at a healthy weight.

So, I’m trying to eat plant-based, whole foods and low fat as much possible. This morning I tried quinoa for breakfast. Added a little vanilla unsweetened Almond Breeze, Smart Balance, brown sugar and Splenda. Quite tasty! I also had 1 – 2 cups watermelon. YUM! I’ll probably have a gemma (pea) or hemp protein shake mid-morning to up the protein.

The biggest challenge so far – eating out. John and I eat out a lot. Finding meatless options can be a huge challenge. So, I’ll probably include a couple of servings of chicken and fish a week.

My goal: minimize animal protein and fat while still being able to lead a normal life. We’ll see how all this goes. I’ll keep you posted!

Have a great, healthy day!

Honestly, I doubt it.

But, there are quick and simple weapons we can use to win our personal battle. One of the easiest ways to downsize your waist is to downsize your dishes. Today’s dishes are much larger than they were in the 1950′s. As plate sizes have grown, so have serving sizes.

Ever been at a buffet where you start with this HUGE plate? You put a scoop ‘o food on it, and you think “Gee, that’s not much food. I’m hungrier than that.” And, you add a second and, maybe, a third scoop before moving to the next item that looks yummy.

The same thing happens at home when you have large plates. If you put a regular size portion on a large dinner plate, it looks tiny. You add more food. You eat more food. Your waist, hips, etc. grow. Want to avoid this vicious cycle? Eat off smaller plates.

You don’t have to go buy a whole new set of dinnerware. Start by using your salad plates for your main course. It won’t all fit? Put portions on there that will, eat that and THEN if you aren’t satisfied (very different from hungry), go have a second serving. This does two things.

First, it tricks our eyes into seeing a plate full of food. We “eat” in many ways – the first of which is with our eyes. We see a regular portion of food on a little plate and think, “That’s hardly any food.” Put the same portion of food on a small plate and think, “Wow! That’s a lot of food!” Don’t argue with yourself about it, go with what your eyes are saying.

Second, you have to make the decision to get more food if you’re still hungry. For most of us, if it is on your plate it goes in your stomach. By keeping extra food off your plate, you keep it out of your stomach and off your waist, hips, thighs, etc. The important thing is to ask yourself “am I satisfied?” before you go for more. Asking “Am I full yet?” often doesn’t work because it takes time (15 to 20 minutes) for our body to go from satisfied to full. If you’re satisfied and you eat more, in 15 to 20 minutes you go from full to stuffed.

If you want a quick and very informative visualization of how portion sizes have grown, take a look at this slide show/quiz or this one. Want to know the difference between a portion and a serving, check this out. Also, want a portable serving size card? Here it is!

All these are quick and simple ways to start working on downsizing your waist (or other body part).

Happy Eating!
Penny

Questions from clients and reasons why clients contact me seem to come in groups of problems. I think I’ll call this year, “Year of the GI Issue.” I’ve had multiple racers facing GI issues on race day. Here are some common reasons for race day GI issues:
- Nerves, nerves and more nerves
- Nutrition in the hours before and during the race
- Nutrition in the two days before the race.

Unfortunately, not much I can do about the nerves issue. However, I have a friend who takes a couple of sprays of Rescue Remedy before the race to help relax.

For nutrition in the hours before the race – eat something 2 – 4 hours before that you know will settle in your stomach and clear out before the race. Typical choices include oatmeal and either a bagel or toast with peanut butter. Both of these are portable for when you have to travel. Jiff now has portable peanut butter packs called Jif To Go. This makes packing peanut butter more easy than dealing with a whole jar. (Side note: on a day-to-day basis, I prefer all natural peanut butters without added oil and salt. However, those also require refrigeration which is also not a good thing when you’re traveling).

A couple of hours before the race, you can switch to race food – drinks, gels, blocks, etc. These typically are easy to get down and will clear your stomach before the race. Some people have good luck with bars, too.

During the race use what you’ve practiced with. If you are planning on using race provided food – practice with it before the event.

If you have Race Day GI issues, start looking at your nutrition in the days leading up to the race. It is during this time you may want to decrease your fiber if you eat a high fiber diet, look at your dairy intake, stress levels, caffeine, NSAIDs (pain relievers), greasy food, and alcohol consumption. Eliminate one or two at a time until you find what is causing the issue.

The most important thing – train your food just like you train your body. You’ve got to train with the food you’ll use on race day to know that it works. Don’t change anything race day unless you have to (for example, you ride over railroad tracks and lose your bottles with your drink in them as you head out on the bike).

Race Day GI Issues can be solved – it just takes some tinkering to figure it out.

Happy Racing!
Penny