Heartaches and Hangovers

Have you missed me?!  I know, I know.  It’s been over a week since you’ve last received an installment from yours truly.  This semester of graduate school is winding down (2 finals to go!) and the last week has been filled with papers to write, discussion boards to complete and study guides to go over.  Needless to say, stress is on the rise.

Now if you are like me, stress can make you want to eat.  Sometimes a lot.  And things that are NOT good for you.  You know those late night college study sessions you had where everyone was noshing on Doritos, donuts and guzzling enough coffee to send their heart into a frenzy of flutters, PVC’s (premature ventricular contractions) and Tachycardia.  Now, I used to be that person.  The stress eater.  The sugar seeker.  The stressed out, donut cramming, fudge round munching, soda guzzling crazy in a pair of oversized sweat pants just praying for an Organic Chemistry miracle.  Every day was an endless cycle of bad eating and trying to visualize tertiary molecules until I was on the verge of tears.  Or insanity.  Or both.

I’ve come a long way in the stress management department and have made even greater strides in healthy eating.  I’ve replace the donuts and fudge rounds with apples and nuts.  I’ve replaced that high calorie, sugar laden soda with water and passion tea.  And my body has responded quite well (combined with exercise and enough sleep of course).

So you are exercising, you’re getting enough sleep yet that number on the scale isn’t going anywhere.  Now, you could genuinely be replacing pounds of fat with pounds of muscle OR… you could be sabotaging yourself by eating things you think are OK but really aren’t.  

So I’ve made a list of things to not eat when you are trying to slim down  AND get healthy (or ever really.  Because they are bad.  Bad, bad, bad)

Ever heard the term “excitotoxins”?  Let me tell you a bit about excitotoxins.  These substances (usually in the form of amino acids) damage or kill brain cells due to excessive stimulation (hence the term excitotoxin).  We have a naturally occurring excitotoxin in our body known as glutamate.  It serves as an excitatory neurotransmitter and is a key compound cellular metabolism (Sorry, the nerd in me is coming out… I promise I’m making a point).  Now, we need glutamate to function, but excessive glutamate (or any excitotoxin) can build up and lead to cell damage and death.

Now that I’ve given you a small anatomy lecture (which you thoroughly enjoyed… right!?), Let’s talk about some additives in your food that are excitotoxins:

1.  Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

2.  Aspartame (Still guzzling that Diet Coke?)

3.  Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

4.  Sodium caseinate

5.  Hydrolyzed oat flour

6.  Autolyzed yeast 

(4-6 are all different compounds containing MSG)  

 

Many of these things are found in the processed foods that you buy.  Now I’m not saying consuming these is going to send your body into excitotoxin attack mode and start immediately killing your brain cells but they have been linked to neurodegenerative disorders and have been known to exasperate the symptoms of disorders such as Fibromyalgia (FMS) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).   Don’t put these substances in your body and you won’t have to worry anyway.

“Listen crazy woman, I don’t need my brain in 80 years and I want to slim down, quit rambling about that and tell me what I shouldn’t be eating so I can lose weight!”

I know that’s where you are right now so… lets discuss another problem with food additives.  Food additives like Aspartame and MSG is they down regulate appetite suppression.  You will feel hungry sooner and you won’t feel as satisfied with a smaller amount (thanks Pringles… once you pop you can’t stop, right?).  The more you can avoid food additives, the less they will mess with your head and your appetite.  

You should also avoid added and artificial sugars.  They spike insulin levels to compensate for the glucose levels circulating in the blood stream.  Once all of the glucose is used up or eliminated, your body crashes into a state of hypoglycemia so glucagon is released to compensate.  It’s an endless cycle of ups and downs which can lead to insulin resistance, Type II diabetes, and metabolic syndrome (unhealthy/slow metabolism=problems losing weight).  The more sugar you eat, the more you’ll want to eat because you won’t be as satisfied after that crash.  

Food Additive Offenders:

Pretty much all fast food restaurants

Canned Soups (the sodium levels in these are ridiculous too!)

Frozen dinners (Yes, even those Lean Cuisine meals could be contributing to a rounder middle)

Pretty much all snack chips (although you’ve cut those out already, yes?)

Sugar additive Offenders:

Most cereals targeting children.  The sugar content is ridiculous (if you want a cereal, look whole grains, no added sugars, and fiber to fill you up.  Shredded Wheat, Wheaties, and plain Fiber One cereals are better options, although an egg breakfast will fill you up for more protein, no sugar and sustain that full feeling longer :D)

Granola bars

Canned fruits (they are bathed in processed sugary, syrupy liquid diabetes)

Most “healthy” protein bars (some have more sugar than a candy bar!)

Dried fruits (most have added sugars to enhance flavors)

Sauces and Salad dressings (read the label before you buy… learn how)

 “Flavored” Yogurts that try to mimic desserts like Key Lime Pie, Chocolate Cake, etc.   (look for lower sugar and no artificial additives, like Yoplait Greek)

Soda (an obvious one)

Fruit Juices (if you must drink it, get fresh squeezed juices to avoid the flavor and sugar additives)

Alcohol! (That one broke your heart, didn’t it?)

Most Chocolate (Go for Dark, the more percent Cacao the better.  I personally prefer 85%)

Anything with “sugar alcohols” in substitution for sugar is a no no as well.  I won’t bore you with the carbonyl to hydroxyl reduction chemistry but needless to say… these are not a good substitution for non-hydrogenated sugar.  They aren’t readily absorbed in the intestines as sugar and can cause a host of “discomfort” and bloating (and by discomfort, I mean you should probably buy some Charmin, stat)

“So what the H - E - double hockey sticks- am I supposed to eat then!?”

Easy.  Keep it simple and whole.  Lean proteins (organic if you can get it, to avoid additives), lots of veggies and throw in a few fruits for sweetness.  Yogurts and Grains (if you do eat them) should be a compliment to your diet, not the bulk of it.  Think a salad with a side of pasta, not a plate of pasta with a side of salad.  

If you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably not good for you. 

A cookie a month won’t kill you, but remember to not overindulge and don’t let that sugar crash send you back for more.  If you must enjoy a sweet treat on occasion (we are all human), keep yourself in check and prepare for the storm of cravings you will undoubtedly have not long after eating said cookie.   

Keep working hard.  Discipline.  Dedication.  Determination.  You can (and WILL) do this!

For all the George Jones fans... enjoy.