May Health Report

"It's the little things that matter."

The month of May has believe it or not come to a close. Amid the pressures of finals, responsibilities of work, and impulses to party I have managed to keep track of my diet and exercise progress. Above is a picture of my gigantic sticky post-it where I wrote down what I ate throughout the day and the type/duration of my workout. Most importantly, I used smiley faces to indicate how I felt that day according to how I ate and exercised. 

Day One

Here is an example of what I wrote in each box. I broke up the day according to breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. Lastly, I logged the time of each workout and what type it was. In the picture of "Day One" I had some great balanced meals and did a full workout. The big smiley face shows that I felt great that day; the tummy felt flat and I didn't feel sleepy. Win! 

Day Seven

But I need to remind you all that I'm not perfect. There were plenty of times that I fell off the  healthy bandwagon! Consider "Day Seven", in which I went on a sugar spree...a chia muffin, red velvet cake slice, and a debbie cake! Oh gosh. That day received a huge frowning face. However, at least I did 15 minutes of toning exercises and had a decent breakfast and lunch. 

Tracking my daily habits was such a valuable tool for several reasons. One, it was motivating because I wanted to fill up the boxes with great choices and accomplishments. My best week was May 12-18 because I worked out for six whole days in a row! I don't think I've ever done that before. The point is that I became used to it and wanted to feel accomplished. I felt great that week :) Second, because I tracked my mood in correlation with diet and exercise it encouraged a consciousness mindset, in which I could ask; was that sugar rampage was worth it? 

Going forward into the month of June while I want to continue tracking my diet and exercise, I would also like to add a checklist of questions such as: 

• Did I eat to optimize digestion today?
• Did I make thoughtful decisions about my meal choices? 
• Did I challenge my body physically?

I believe that these questions reflect my core philosophies about a balanced healthy lifestyle, which include respecting our natural digestion processes, thinking before eating, and training my body to love movement. 

Super Sweet Corn

Have you ever taken a bite into a corn on the cob that tasted so sweet you couldn't help but close your eyes and smile? As I was reading the New York Times article "Breeding Nutrition Out of Food"by Jo Robinson I reminisced about that exact feeling. However, I was shocked by the cultural and historical explanation for why Americans cherish sweet corn. Past farmers naturally chose to grow fruits and vegetables that tasted sweet because it was pleasurable to eat. However, the sweetness of our present day fruits and vegetables indicate a lack of phytonutrients and an abundance of sugar and starch. 

What is phytonutrients, you ask? Phytonutrients serve as compounds to fight against cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia. The bottom line is that they help prevent disease. The presence of phytonutrients is largely tied to a bitter tasting fruit/vegetable. So while us Americans chow down on sugary infested sweet corn, it's because we don't like bitter tastes such as the ancestor corn teosinte. Because of the preference for sweet corn, this trend caused early European settlers to grow sweet yellow corn. Unfortunately yellow corn lacks the phytonutrient anthocyanin. 

CORN

I love this article because it sends the pressing message that we should reconsider the varieties of fruits and vegetables that we eat in order to optimize our health. Also, it ponders the path of evolution in regards to humans and their diet. Should we sacrifice taste for health? I think it's important for our society to be conscious about why we eat the foods that we do. If you want to steer your diet towards the path of nutrient dense foods then consider eating arugula and scallions, which are high in phytonutrients. Also, add herbs such as Italian parsley and basil into your next meal because they are also packed with phytonutrients. Lastly, check out these amazing diagrams from the New York Times article that illustrate the difference of phytonutrients among carrots, potatoes, corn, and greens. 

GREENS

POTATOES

CARROTS