However, whenever I get sick, I still try and talk myself out of exercising.  In the past, when I haven’t felt good, I’ve taken it as a sign that my body is trying to tell me that it’s time for a break.  I’ve had  cough, cold, and mild sinus infection for about 2 weeks now but I’ve still continued to work out.  I haven’t felt great at times.  In fact, the other day I actually stopped running.  But I just learned a few things in the New York Times that tells me I’m doing the right thing by continuing to exercise when I’m sick.

Neither exercise performance nor metabolic responses are adversely affected in those exercising with colds.  Psychologically, you may not feel great while doing it, but the latest research shows that you’re physically able to perform as well as when you feel perfectly healthy.  I’m not so sure this is true for elite athletes, but for the average Joe, I buy it.

Many people actually feel better while exercising with a cold.  The current research suggests that exercise doesn’t decrease recovery time.  It also doesn’t actually decrease the symptoms of your illness, but many people with a cold reported feeling better after working out.  This doesn’t work for me, but it may for you.

The research cited in this article, like many of the health and fitness articles I come across, was a very small study (only 45 participants).  So take it for what it’s worth.  I find it remarkable that there are so many studies out there in this field that get published with such small study samples.  In any case, it doesn’t sound like exercising will sick (unless you are really sick) is such a bad idea.  Maybe we should replace the old “feed a cold” idea with “sweat a cold.”  It can only help us lose a little bit more weight, right?

Researchers aren’t sure as to the reason behind the correlation.  However, they do speculate as to some possible reasons.  First, your blood pressure is higher when you’re awake.  If you spend more time awake than you should, then your average blood pressure may be high enough to cause some hardening of your arteries.  Another possible reason may be due to stress.  Stressed out people tend to sleep less, eat poorly, and exercise less.  All of these things also contribute to artery hardening.  Stress also increases blood pressure and levels of a hormone called cortisol which has been shown to cause similar effects.

Whether or not this study is repeated later–it was a very small study that definitely needs some more work–getting enough sleep is a very important aspect of being fit.  Inadequate sleep has been linked to health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.  Health benefits aside, I like to get enough sleep for one simple reason.  I like to sleep!

Way back in the introduction, the book gives a bunch of stats and research about various topics relating to the American diet and micronutrients that I wanted to share with you. How’s this for scary:

The foods you eat every day…are doing much more than making you fat or thin. Their effects on your body are making the difference between the development of chronic disease and a vigorous extended life. They can prevent or greatly reduce your risk of vision problems, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and a host of killers. These are not just vague promises; they are facts that are now supported by an impressive and irrefutable body of research.

The doom and gloom continues with a list of 11 “disastrous developments” that ruin the health of most of the modern industrialized society. Here are just a few of the ones that I found most salient to my life:

1. Increased portion sizes
2. Decreased energy expenditure (NO EXERCISE)
3. Increased consumption of processed grains
4. Decreases consumption of fruits and vegetables
5. Increased consumption of refined sugar as an overall percentage of caloric intake
6. Decreased whole food consumption
7. Decreased consumption of anti-oxidant and calcium intake

The rest of the list mainly dealt with fats and the types of fats we’re eating as a society now.  I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about fats (maybe I should).  Mostly I think that if I’m eating a varied diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole foods, lean meats and low-fat dairy, then the fat problem takes care of itself.

Of all the items on the above list, the one that I find the most interesting is #7.  Just what is an “anti-oxidant” anyway?  We hear the word all over the place–it’s quite the buzzword in the health magazines and on the nutritional blogs that I sometimes read.  Superfoods Rx does a pretty decent job at describing what an antioxidant is and does.  Basically, an they are molecules, found in high concentrations in many of the superfoods that we’re supposed to be eating. Their main job is to defend the body from other molecules called free radicals.  Free radicals are very unstable because they’re missing an electron.    Searching for a replacement electron, they target other molecules in the body such as enzymes, DNA, important proteins, and cell membranes.  Now, instead of the free radicals being unstable, the important physiological systems in your body are weakened because they’ve lost electrons.  Free radicals are generated by the body’s own nutritional processes and introduced into your system from the environment.  Basically, an anti-oxidant is a sacrificial lamb that gives up electrons to free radicals so that your bodies important molecules don’t have to.  The more antioxidants in your body, the less damage that free radicals do to it.  Obviously this is a very simple explanation of a very complex process.  I hope it helps you to understand the importance of a diet rich in anti-oxidants.

I want to wrap up the superfoods conversation with how I plan on incorporating the superfoods plan into my diet.  I’ve never been good at following a specific diet plan.  I like to take information I read from all kinds of nutritional sources and meld them together into “Mac’s plan.”  I already eat lots of beans, berries, salmon, spinach, tomatoes, nuts and yogurt.  That’s half of the 14 superfoods.  I think it would be very easy to incorporate tea, broccoli, oranges and turkey as well.  I’m contemplating replacing half of my morning coffee with tea.  My kids love oranges, and I love a good turkey sandwich with avocado.  As for the other three superfoods (pumpkin, oats, and soy) I’ve got a little bit of work to do.  But if I manage to incorporate 11 of the 14 superfoods, that’s pretty darn good.

Also, In the back of the book, there is a ton of great information on how to eat more superfoods.  For example, there’s a section full of recipes that I’d like to try.  But even more helpful is a shopping list that has brand name foods that you can find in the grocery store that contain lots of superfoods.  Just pick one off the shelf at the supermarket and your good to go.

I’m really glad that the SuperFoods Rx book fell into my lap.  I don’t think it’s the be all end all to my diet solution.  I don’t think there is one.  But, it did provide me with a lot of information about food that I should be eating that I actually like to eat.  And to me that’s the biggest part of the diet battle.

Blueberries are a wonderful source of phytochemicals, true, but so are grapes, apples and other berries. Many phytochemicals (but not all) are antioxidants, so that is good… And why focus on just walnuts? Peanuts (actually legumes) are a wonderful source of protein and good fat; all forms of nuts are great, though Almonds are actually some of the *best*, nutrition-wise. This diet seems to hugely exclude other foods that have a wider array of nutrients, and so you would be limiting your intake of these other nutrients.

One of the points (that I should have mentioned earlier) of the Superfoods Rx is that the 14 superfoods all have substitutes called “sidekicks.” Sidekicks are beneficial for a number of reasons. Maybe you hate blueberries and refuse to eat them. That’s fine, eat other types of berries. The 14 superfoods listed were deemed to be the best of best, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat only those–go ahead and vary your diet.

What I really wanted to write about today are the guiding tenets of the SuperFoods Rx. The plan was designed to be a simple one that rests on several important principles:

Superfoods Rx is the “best diet in the world.”
The superfoods Rx guiding goal is to “identify the best, buy the best, and eat the best!” The research for this book can be broken down into two general categories: analysis of the diets of the “healthiest societies in the world”, and analysis of foods that were proven to reduce the amount of free radicals in the body.

It’s been argued that two of the healthiest societies on the planet are the people of Okinawa and the people of the Mediterranean. The people of these societies actually have similar diets on the nutrient level.

• They are primarily plant-based.
• They contain a number of protective substances (such as selenium, glutathione, resveratrol).
• They have a good balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
• They have high amounts of fiber, folate, antioxidants, vitamin C and  Vitamin E.

Dr Pratt analyzed these diets and identified foods that showed up repeatedly.  But he also contacted dietitians and food scientists from all over the world in an effort to identify which foods were proven to be the best health promoters.  After combining his two areas of research, the 14 categories of superfoods were announced.

Superfoods are whole foods.
Just what is a “whole food” anyway? There are many definitions of the word, but for the purposes of the superfoods diet, a whole food is one that “is unprocessed, or processed minimally and in such a way that none of their nutritional characteristics have been intentionally modified.” But why are whole foods important? Whole foods contain the precise balance between phytonutrients, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other substances. Since there hasn’t really been much research on the required amounts of these substances, it’s best to let nature provide them in the right amounts without us altering them in a processing factory. Theoretically, it is the balance between these chemicals that makes superfoods so effective at promoting health and fighting cancer. Supplements and processed foods have their place, but one shouldn’t rely on them to keep you totally healthy.

Superfoods Rx equals synergy
Food synergy is the ability of separate micronutrients found in the same food to work together, providing a health benefit that neither could provide without the other. There are many chemicals found naturally in food that we have little understanding of. Surely they play a role in nutrition and health. By eating a diet that contains as much whole foods as possible, you’re ensuring that your body can deal with these chemicals the way that nature intended.

Superfoods are simple; Superfoods are positive
Many diets fail because they’re too complicated. Superfoods is simple. Many diets fail because they concentrate on what you can’t do (a negative)–superfoods concentrates on what you can do ( a positive). The book is full of ideas about how you can incorporate these 14 foods into your diet every day. If you eat lots of superfoods, then don’t worry about the foods you eat that aren’t on the list. Eat well, get lots of exercise, and your body will pay you back in the long run.

That being said, I think I’ve found a diet that contains enough foods that I like that could make me stick to it. Recently, one of my friends loaned me a copy of SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life. I’m sure that most of you have heard the term “superfoods” and could probably name a few of them. But do you know all of them and why they’re good for you? Below is a list of the fourteen superfoods, some of the key nutrients that make them superfoods, and how many servings of each you should aim for per week if you’re following the diet.

What I found most surprising, was that I already eat a lot of these foods on a daily basis, that I like almost every one of these “diet foods,” and how much of them I’m supposed to eat every week. There’s no way I plan on eating 14 cups of blueberries per week, or 7 cups of broccoli. The point is, the more superfoods that you eat every week, the more your body will appreciate it. In the coming weeks, I plan on writing a few posts about this book. I’d like to write about the nutrients in these foods that make them so super, as well as some of the ideas that I found most interesting while reading it. Keep in mind that I’m am in no way advocating that you follow this diet–I don’t plan on doing so. But I did find some of the topics very thought provoking and I want to share some of them with you.

[He] believes that appropriate changes to a person’s diet can enhance his cognitive abilities, protect his brain from damage and counteract the effects of aging. Dr Gómez-Pinilla has been studying the effects of food on the brain for years, and has now completed a review, just published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, that has analyzed more than 160 studies of food’s effect on the brain. Some foods, he concludes, are like pharmaceutical compounds; their effects are so profound that the mental health of entire countries may be linked to them.

I’ve observed in the past that certain foods or certain meals affect my mental ability. Some foods turn my mind to mush. Others promote alertness. For example, I love pancakes and maple syrup, but when I have this kind of breakfast, I generally suffer from a “brain cloud” the rest of the day. I save pancakes for a rare treat.

Here are three important brain-related nutrients and some foods that provide them:

• Folic acid can help those between 50- and 70-years-old fight “the cognitive decline that accompanies aging”. Insufficient folate is also associated with depression. The moral? Eat your spinach and drink your orange juice!
• Antioxidants, such as Vitamin E, also help fight the effects of aging. In fact, Vitamin E has been linked with better memory in old age. (You can find Vitamin E in vegetable oils, nuts, and leafy greens.) Berries are another good source of antioxidants.
• Omega-3 fatty acids also help the brain stay healthy. These can be found in walnuts and kiwi fruit, but especially in oily fish, like salmon. Omega-3s don’t just help your mind stay sharp — they also help to stave off mental illness. “There is a strong negative correlation between the extent to which a country consumes fish and its levels of clinical depression,” write the authors.

Finally, the article notes, it’s important not to overeat. Gluttony actually undoes some of the good done by antioxidants.

[The Economist: Food for thought]

Pam has often referred to studies that show that the majority of people who consistently exercise do so in the morning.  So off to the internets I went, searching for answers to this controversial topic.  It seems that every time I do some research, I never find a definitive answer.  It seems that in order to find one, I’m going to have to change my question to “Is it safe to smoke?” or “Should I blow dry my hair while standing in a bath tub full of water?”

Yep, I found articles that supported exercising first thing in the morning and articles that said this was a bad idea.  But, the most overwhelming piece of advice I found was that it’s better to exercise than not to.  So if early in the morning works for you, then that’s what you should be doing.  Here are some of the tidbits that I found while poking around:

Pros for early morning workouts:

• Early morning workouts may boost your metabolism throughout the day.  This is a great perk for those of us trying to lose weight.
• Exercise may increase mental acuity. If this is true, then why not take advantage of it during the whole day instead of just part of it.
• Exercise in the morning may energize you throughout the day. I definitely feel better when I’m working out than when I’m sitting on the couch.  And the few hours right after the workout are often the best in the day.  So maybe, if you start out your day well every day, you’ll have more better days and continue to exercise.
• If exercise is a priority in the morning, then it’s harder for other things in your life to push exercise out of your routine.
• More than 90% of people who have a consistent exercise routine do it in the morning.  If consistency is your goal, then this one is hard to overlook.

Cons for early morning workouts:

• Muscle strength peaks during the late afternoon. Some studies suggest that workouts performed in the afternoon are more beneficial and also decrease the likelihood of injury.
• Many people are more awake and alert in the afternoon. It’s easier to pay attention and work harder if you’re alert.  People who have a tendency to skate through an early morning routine also have a tendency to concentrate and work harder in the afternoon.
• Circadian rhythms prepare your body for an afternoon workout. Blood pressure, body temperature, and some hormone secretion peak for many people between two and four in the afternoon.  All three have been linked to better performance in the gym.

So again, it’s not really hard to find an article on the internet that helps you believe what you want to believe.  This, I have found, is especially true regarding exercise and nutrition.  Remember, the main point is that exercising–no matter what time of day–is better than sitting on your behind all day.  Do what works for you.  For me, I’ll stick with the 4:30 AM wake up call.  This week.

Get in my belly
By one measure, eating at Claim Jumper is a good deal — you get two or three meals worth of food for your money. But by another measure, dining their is dangerous. And it’s no just Claim Jumper. Portion sizes in the United States have been increasing for some time. According to a USA Today article from a couple years ago, “a typical restaurant meal has at least 60% more calories than the average meal made at home.”

Portion size wouldn’t matter if we were able to limit our calorie intake. We’d eat what we needed and take the rest home. But that’s not how our minds work. As portion sizes have increased in the past twenty years — not just in restaurants, but in pre-packaged foods, too, and even at home — Americans have done a poor job of compensating. When offered large portions, we tend to eat large portions. And we do a poor job of adjusting what we eat later. Larger portions in restaurants make larger portions at home more acceptable, leading to a dangerous spiral.

Portion size research
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control published a wonderful plain-English review of the research into the effects of portion size. Among the points the paper makes:

• The fundamental rule of weight management is that people gain weight when they eat more calories than they expend.
• Short-term studies show that people eat more when they are confronted with larger portion sizes.
• Even though there is information available about appropriate serving sizes, people generally do not correctly assess the amount they are eating.

The paper recommends the following steps to reduce overeating due to portion size:

• When dining in a restaurant, either split your entrée with a companion, or ask the server for a doggie bag before the food is brought to the table. Reduce the portion size first.
• When eating at home, take steps to reduce the desire for “seconds” and “thirds”. Don’t bring the serving dishes to the table. Dish up reasonable portions on individual plates.
• When eating in front of the television, allow yourself a reasonable amount of food. Put the rest away before you begin eating.
• Control hunger between meals with healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables.

Grandma Jean’s pasta
I’ve noticed the affect of larger portion sizes in my own life. Though I try to do a good job in restaurants, it’s easy to give in. One of my favorite dishes is Grandma Jean’s Pasta at a nearby Italian joint. It features an enormous plate of penne coated in tomato sauce and sauteed with pepperoni and pork ribs. It’s great stuff. But the portion the restaurant serves is — I’m not joking — enough for three or four meals. Most of the time I’m smart, and I stretch this food over a few days. Sometimes, though, I give in, and eat most of it in one sitting.

Worse, though, are the pre-packaged foods. If a manufacturer is going to put a certain amount in a container, I’m often going to eat it all in one sitting, regardless of the “serving size” stamped on the label. That’s a habit I’ve been working to break, too.

Small and cheap
One final note: because I’ve become a frugal fellow, I’ve noticed something interesting. There are restaurants that still offer reasonable portions. They’re not the norm, but they exist. These restaurants generally seem to offer smaller prices. (Subjectively, I think the food tends to be better, too, but I have no data to back that up.)

One local Mexican place, for example, offers high-quality $2 tacos. Each one is just a bit of meat and salsa on a small tortilla. Simple, but delicious. I’m able to order one, two, or three tacos depending on my hunger and my calorie needs. I like this “build it yourself” approach better than only being offered four tacos for eight bucks.

[See also: Super Size Me.]

Currently, there are two studies being conducted that are asking about the effectiveness of stretching. The first study, being performed in Norway, asks its subjects to undergo a 13-week regimen. 1/2 of the participants are instructed to perform a 10 minute stretching exercise before and after their workouts while the other 1/2 are asked to abstain from stretching during the same time period. The participants enroll on the internet and report weekly on the study’s web site where they tell about muscle soreness, injuries and feelings of looseness. So far, 1700 people have enrolled in the study and they researchers are still actively enrolling more. If you’re interested in participating, go here.

While the first study is geared towards all forms of exercise and the exercise regimen isn’t prescribed, the second study, sponsored by USA Track & Field is specifically geared towards those of us who run at least 10 miles per week. This study is also still accepting new subjects and is asking whether stretching BEFORE exercise affects injury rates in runners. In this study, participants are given a stretching program, or are asked to not stretch for three months and they have to report their injuries during that time frame.

Whatever your opinions on stretching may be, it’s safe to assume that someone out there disagrees with you. For me, stretching feels good–especially after a run. I hardly ever stretch before a workout, but I love the “looseness” I feel afterwards. I know I’m not the most flexible person in the world and stretching is the only way that I know how to increase flexibility. I say do what works for you, at least until there’s a definitive answer as to whether stretching actually provides some type of benefits.

The study followed 200 obese women (it seems that most of the studies I read about are done on women…I wonder why?) through a two-year weight loss program. The women who managed to lose more than 10% of their body weight were exercising more than twice the amount recommended by health authorities.

What has become increasingly clear…is that the conventionally accepted advice–30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week–is probably insufficient to spur any real change in a a person’s body weight.

The article also touched upon a really interesting subject for many of us who struggle with our weight. Can the answer to the obesity question really be found in diet and exercise alone? Is the answer simply willpower, or is there something else to it. There’s some research out there now that suggests our weight may be regulated by our genetics. The “set-point theory” states that our bodies like to be at a certain weight. When we get too far away from this set-point, our body fights really hard to get back to the weight that it feels comfortable at.

This might help to explain why so many people struggle to stay at their lower weight after they’ve been on a run of successful dieting. In fact, none of the women in Jakicic’s study lost more than 10% of their initial weight. And after two years of being on a restricted diet and on an exercise plan, many of them were still over weight. The bright side to all of this is the fact that even for an overweight person, a 10% drop in body weight significantly decreases your risk of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

So, the verdict is in–again. If you want to lose some weight. You have to move. Alot.

Note: The information from this post was found in this article from Time.com. I don’t actually subscribe to The Archives of Internal Medicine.

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