Breakfast is Under Attack

Breakfast Is Under Attack

Or is it? So there was a new study that came out and said that eating breakfast (unknown what they ate for breakfast) did not provide any meaningful data for weight loss. Another day, another study. But, what were the parameters of the study were they allowed to eat anything they wanted for breakfast? Pancakes and syrup? Waffles and whipped cream? Dry sugar coated cereal? When you are told you can eat or not eat and there is no direction there is also no control group.

Let’s Assume

So maybe the group was given a set of choices for breakfast (benefit of the doubt that they were well-balanced) and the other group did not have breakfast. Do we know if the non-breakfast eaters were allowed a mid-morning snack when they were hungry? Or forced to wait it out till lunch? And what were their choices of foods during the rest of day. The same as everyone else or just allowed to eat what they wanted? So much data that is needed to know the background of the study. Also, what were they told about the study? Mindset is as important to weight loss as anything. Did they know what the anticipated results were? Did they know the Doctor conducting the study didn’t like breakfast and was tired of being told to eat breakfast?

Is It All About Losing Weight?

When it comes down to it is breakfast all about losing weight? I eat breakfast every day and I haven’t needed to lose weight for over 5 years.  So I never said that eating breakfast will make you lose weight. Otherwise I would continue to keep losing weight until I was nothing…eating breakfast makes me feel better and I think helps me make better choices throughout the day. I don’t eat a big breakfast usually. Most times it is an egg with some Canadian bacon and a little fruit or veggies in the egg. I also never deprived myself throughout the day just to see if I can lose more weight. Eating is about making you productive during the each day, giving you the ability to think and focus and the energy to do what you need to do and the ability go to sleep at night and start all over again.

Remember that Breakfast is breaking the fast; so no matter what time you do it and no matter what you eat, you need Breakfast!!

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet and TimerOrganizer

www.timerdiet.com

www.timerorganizer.com

Food for Depression

Food for Depression

It is with great sadness that this is the topic of today’s blog. Most of us have been touched in some way or another by the passing of Robin Williams and specifically by his admission of his ongoing depression. On the outset of this blog by no means am I saying that depression can be cured by changing your diet. I am saying that your diet and exercise are important in light of the possibility that it can aggravate or affect your moods and should be your first defense in daily health and well-being.  

Always Seek Medical Advice

If you feel you are venturing into being depressed seek a doctor and don’t let them dismiss you. If you don’t feel you are being taken seriously, continue to seek help.  I myself was concerned many years ago when I spent two days in bed for no apparent reason. When I told the on-call doctor she told me, “Well, if you told me you spent two weeks then I would be concerned, but two days I am not concerned.” Personally I felt she was very dismissive and since she wasn’t my general doctor I decided to just leave and I went home and got on the internet and looked up everything I could including diet and made some changes that helped me.  If you feel a doctor is not taking you seriously seek out another doctor or consider a psychologist that specializes in the area of concern that you have. 

And of course if it is critical call the Suicide Hotline 1-800-273-8255 or go to www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org 

What I Learned About Food and Drinks

Probably the most important thing I learned when I went online was that alcohol and caffeine create a cycle of ups and downs. While many people are able to have both alcohol and caffeine without this side effect creating a more severe cycle of ups and down, it is why we usually drink caffeine (to bring us up) and alcohol (to bring us down). But both can work in reverse and against each other. So if you are sensing that your moods are being affected by either of these it is best to stop for a while and assess the situation without either of them in your system. AGAIN ALWAYS SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE FIRST!

I also learned that foods play a major role in my moods, one food in particular that seems to make me feel better is pistachios. I don’t know if it is taking the time to crack them open or the protein and dietary fat or what, but pistachios have been known to create calmness. Eating foods that are found in nature are your best bet when changing your diet to affect your mood in a positive way. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, and fishes high in Omega 3. Don’t forget to include some dairy into your daily diet and protein rich and dietary fat foods like eggs and beef. In other words eating basic foods will make you feel better than eating processed foods.

Sugar

If anyone has read my book, TimerDiet you know I am against all artificial, superficial sweeteners. Raw sugar is all I keep around for others to use in their tea and coffee. I keep white cane sugar around for baking and that is about it. If you think you are not affecting your blood sugar by using artificial sweeteners you may be mistaken. My brother-in-law just had a battery of blood tests and specific diagnosing for his blood sugar, they found that when he used artificial sweeteners (his sugar of choice) that his blood sugar went up significantly more than when he used regular sugar…I tried to tell him. But at least now he has scientific proof for him that artificial sweeteners are not ok for him.

Daily Exercise

Even a daily walk for 30 minutes can positively affect your mood. I believe when you exercise it should always be about your health and well-being—NOT about losing weight. If you exercise only to lose weight you will easily talk yourself out of exercising on a routine basis. Set aside 15 minutes every day at first and then increase it to anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes a day. Have a goal in mind as to what you want to accomplish. More stamina to keep up with the kids or grandkids? Get rid of the triceps flab? Show off some biceps? Or do a walk/run 5k for your favorite charity.

There is NO One Cure ALL

When it comes to depression there is not one cure all method or drug or reason or symptom. So I hope my point is made that you must be vigilant in your daily diet and exercise and be aware of your moods based on what you put into your body and if your moods are not consistent with your expectations—seek help!

If you are not sure if what you are feeling is depression there are various websites that provide valuable information and ask you questions to help you decide if you need more help. 

My go to website is www.webmd.com do not hesitate to check out your symptoms.

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet and TimerOrganizer

Back to School Part 2

Back to School – Part 2

For the first two weeks of August we are focusing on Back to School. Last week in the #TimerDiet101 blog the focus was daily exercise and nutrition for children. Earlier this week in the #TimerOrganizer101 blog we talked about schedules and chores for kids and how going back to school can be a great time to evaluate these two important parts of our children’s lives. Today in our last #TimerDiet101 blog devoted just to back to school we are going to talk about teaching kids (and maybe ourselves) about menu planning, nutrients, and cooking!

Menu Planning and Nutrients

Peanut Butter with Raspberries

Menu planning and nutrients go hand in hand. If you don’t understand the nutrients that are in foods it will be impossible to create well-balanced menus. Some foods have labels so they are pretty easy to know what their nutrients are. We all need dietary fat, protein, and carbohydrates in our daily diet. I find the easiest way to handle this is to look at grams equally and try to have approximate equal amount of grams of each in your menus. No more than double; no less than half. Always be sure to have annual physicals for everyone in the family, including the kids! If your doctor gives you specific nutrient guidelines then be sure to follow them!

Write out your menu plans, but be flexible. Perhaps say that Monday is Chicken, Tuesday is Taco Night, and Wednesday is Meat, then add the vegetables and grains you want to include to make sure you have a well-balanced meal. You can even write the menus out on a white board in the kitchen so everyone knows what to expect and be looking forward to dinner time with the family and make suggestions.

Cooking at Almost Any Age

Well-balanced 

Get the kids involved young; kids can start at a very young age with age appropriate things to do in the kitchen. Tossing a salad with wooden spoons in a large plastic bowl, dropping the tomatoes into the salad (after you have them prepared), spreading peanut butter on their bread (with a child’s knife) and mashing raspberries or banana’s (with a spoon or child’s fork) to put on top instead of jelly.

As they grow get them even more involved. While I don’t recommend using chefs knives as young as some do, I did see the Junior Master Chef show and there were 8 year olds who were better chefs than I can ever imagine being. So get the cookbooks out and make dinner preparation a family event! By the time the kids are in their early teens they should be able to, want to, and encouraged to make an entire dinner from beginning to end all on their own. This will be invaluable education that really is not taught anywhere else anymore. When I was growing up (yes another ‘when I was growing up’ story!) we all were required to take home economics in high school. We were taught how to sew one half of the year and cook the other half of the year. We also were required to take a course that taught us how to budget on ledger paper, find a job in the newspaper, and make a timeline for our future.

Just think how proud you will be when your son or daughter makes an entire meal for the family and how much money they will save when they go off to college and don’t have to eat out all the time!

Next Tuesday will be our last #TimerOrganizer Blog devoted just to Back to School—go to blog.timerorganizer.com to sign up for the weekly blog

If you are not sure about the nutrients of your favorite foods check out the USDA government web-site

http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet and TimerOrganizer

Back to School

Back to School

It is Back to School time already! The school supplies, the new shoes, and the clothes to wear—these are our main areas of focus when we think of back to school. But maybe this year can be different. Eating right and exercising daily is not only good for our children’s health and well-being it also affects their ability to learn.

Daily Exercise

Learning requires good nutrition and exercise

It is a known fact that daily exercise helps us with so much more than our physical body. Daily exercise helps with our stress levels, feelings of well-being, and clearing our minds of the day’s events. Our children need to have daily exercise. 

During the summer this is usually an easy thing to have happen. However, as soon as the school books open and the snow begins to fall, it can be all too easy to forget about how much exercise children need. Consider getting them involved in local children activity groups, school sports, off school sports, whatever your family can think of—the sky is the limit.

Some people think it is expensive to be involved in all of the activities and some are expensive, but you can also make money and get exercise. My two oldest grandsons work mowing lawns and herding chickens. They get an amazing amount of exercise and paid! Gardening can also bring financial results while teaching science and providing daily exercise. On top of all this they are involved with their church sports teams and more.  

Daily Nutrition

Be sure when you are sending your kids off to school this year that you truly understand nutrition and make choices that will help your children stay focused throughout the day. A lot of people have what I call a carbohydrate rich breakfast—cereal. More than likely you are not getting enough protein and dietary fat in the morning when they start the day. Consider getting up 5 minutes early and make eggs for breakfast! That’s all it takes to make an egg based breakfast—five minutes!

Lunch time has its challenges as well. Some kids have school lunches and others have school cafeterias or restaurant. There are so many choices and no supervision. Teaching kids why and how to choose wisely is important! Learn what you can about nutrients like dietary fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Each of them have their place in your child’s daily diet. I use the word diet as it is defined in Merriam Webster, “habitual nourishment.” Our kids need habitual nourishment in order to grow and learn.

Snacks are another area that we need to think about what is best for our kids. A well-balanced snack is a great segue to a good dinner. Try something like apples and peanut butter or mini tunafish salad sandwiches or fruit and cheese cubes.   

This School Year

So this year when we are all concerned about our back to school plans make sure that nutrition and exercise is a major part of back to school planning.

The US Government and the NFL have websites to help with ideas on nutrition and how to get 60 minutes of daily exercise for children into each day.  www.fueluptoplay60.com and www.letsmove.gov

Sherri Sue Fisher, author of TimerDiet and TimerOrganizer

Check blog.TimerOrganizer.com next week for Back to School ideas for organization