Posts Tagged ‘fast food’

Attention All Shift Workers – Have You Had Any Fast Food Lately?

May 13th, 2010

fast foodNow let’s be honest here, when was the last time that you had a fast food meal at work? Because the reality for most shift workers is that it forms a huge part of their diet every single day, which is pretty scary stuff.

Like millions of other people around the world, shift workers form part of the growing legions of fans who flock to the ‘Fast Food Fan Club’ because that’s exactly what they are – fast!

And ‘fast’ they might be, but they certainly lose credibility when it comes to being healthy.

You see most people eat fast food because they’re suffering from constant fatigue and tiredness, and are basically too tired to cook. But when you actually eat fast food, it ends up making you even more tired so you are on this constant treadmill of feeling tired and exhausted.

Sounding familiar?

Well let me share some facts with you that might scare you off eating so much fast food.

1. $120+ billion is spent every year on fast food today, compared to $6 billion in 1970.

2. Large portions, value meals, and super sizing create serving sizes that are double and triple the recommended daily allowance.

3. Every time you eat fast food, you significantly increase your carbohydrate and fat intake as well as the calories that you eat.

So how does one get off the ‘fast food treadmill’?

  • By getting more organized. Plan your meals ahead of time so that you know what you’re going to have to eat for the entire week, that way there’s no “what am I going to have for dinner?” scenarios taking place.                

  • Make the transition gradually by switching just one fast food meal per week into a more healthier alternative. (Need some help finding healthy recipes? Yuri’s Eating for Energy book is jammed packed with recipes that will leave you boosting with energy!)

  • On days when you do eat fast food, ask for the smaller size.

  • Never super size your meal! The price and value may be tempting, but it’s your health that ends up paying the greatest price.

  • Pack your healthy breakfast, lunch or dinner (depending on your shifts) the night before, that way your meal is already planned and there will be no reason for you to go anywhere near a fast food outlet.

So start getting organised and plan your healthy meals in advance. If you’re serious about wanting to improve your health and beat fatigue whilst working shift work – then you need to give fast food the flick.

Fast food may save you minutes in your day, but it’s taking years off your life!

Interestingly enough, most fast food chains don’t advertise that on their “value” menu …

Best wishes,

Audra Starkey
[The Healthy Shift Worker]

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Posted in Client Journeys, Food For Thought

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Beginner’s Guide to Going Raw

April 16th, 2010

The idea of “going raw” might sound odd to some, confusing to others, and downright terrifying to the rest. In the day and age in which we live, there are fewer and fewer options available that are truly raw. We survive and subsist on a diet that is made up of processed foods, whether it be fast foods, prepared meals or even home cooking. So the thought of giving all of that up, and going back in time to a more archaic and uncooked diet might sound less like an adventure or challenge, and more like foolishness and delusion.

But for those brave enough to take the raw plunge, it can still be a rather confusing and somewhat off-putting process. How does one transition to a raw diet? Do you simply dive in, head first, forsaking all cooked and processed foods? Can a person truly survive and thrive on a diet change so drastic and unusual?

If you are interesting making the switch to a raw food diet, or simply want to add more raw foods to your daily intake, there is no need to fear. There are some simple steps you can take to make your transition relatively smooth.

First, don’t think of this as a drastic change that needs to be undertaken overnight. If you are like most people, you have a very low percentage of your regular daily intake that is raw. For some, it is as low as a piece of lettuce or a tomato on their fast-food hamburger. If you are in that group, the thought of doing a 180 degree turn in your eating patterns can be unnerving at best, and debilitatingly impossible at worst. Instead, look at eating a raw food diet like you would any other lifestyle change. You don’t have to do it all at once. What you need to do is work at it, a little bit each day, and build up your body and prepare it for eating more raw foods.

In this way, it is a lot like weight lifting. If you are working out with heavy weights, you don’t simply walk in to the gym and try to bench press a few hundred pounds. Instead, you start off with a light weight that you can comfortably handle, and as you progress, adding more heft to your bar. The same principles apply to eating a raw diet. Instead of throwing yourself into it, try easing your way in. For starters, try replacing at least one meal a day with a raw food option.

This might take you several weeks to get used to, but it will give you a way to get your body used to an increase in raw foods, without shocking your system and making you crave the old, cooked foods from which you are now estranged. After the shock wears off, you will notice just how good you feel after your raw meal as compared to your regular cooked meals, and the transition will be easier to manage going forward.

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Eating for Energy Recipes

April 3rd, 2010

Do you own a cook book these days? Most of us can remember from our childhood, when our parents owned a whole shelf full of cook books, with everything from baking for the holidays to recipes for the slow cooker to that tacky 70’s version with all of the fondues and gelatinous salads included.

But in the modern era, the shelf that used to hold the cook books is now, more often than not, used to hold the microwave. Recipes, if we use them at all, tend to be ones that come right off the box of ingredients, or are replaced wholesale by a slew of fast food menus.

But if you want to eat for energy, maybe it’s time to consider updating your recipe collection. Eating for energy can be a little harder if you don’t plan ahead, and if you try to just “throw something together” at the last minute. That sort of disorganization can lead straight into some very unhealthy – and energy-draining – meal selections.

So, where can you find the best recipes if you want to truly eat for energy? Sure, you can try your local bookstore, for one. The science of food is progressing at an amazing pace, and you should be able to find dozens of how-to books and old-fashioned cook books, albeit with new and exciting ways to prepare a meal. The only downside to a trip to your local book store is that they tend to frown on you bringing along some ingredients, and trying out a recipe or two right there in the store.

So, before you go browsing for books, take a quick look online, and see if you can find some reviews from other people who have read – and tried – the recipes.

But while you are online, there are two other things you might want to take a look for.

There are some great e-books online about eating for energy, so don’t be afraid to read the web sites that sell the books, and see if you find yourself nodding as you read the description. If you do, there’s a chance that the recipes they offer might be a good fit for you. Many times, these e-books can provide newer and less mainstream ideas than a traditionally published book.

Another option is to look into many of the online communities devoted to nutrition and particularly eating for energy. There will usually be a conversation, or “thread”, devoted to sharing recipes – you may find some that are highly unusual, but incredibly effective, and downright delicious! And be sure to share the raw food recipes and ideas that you’ve found with your new health-conscious online friends in exchange.

The key to eating for energy is planning, and recipes are a big part of that. Effective recipe collections will allow you to utilize your favourite energy-giving food items in new and interesting ways, and that will ensure that you don’t get bored, but don’t have to subject yourself to foods that you despise, either. So grab yourself some recipe cards, and start collecting and sharing your ideas.

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Raw Food Smoothie Recipes

March 23rd, 2010

iStock_000003025292SmallIf the last smoothie that you had came from the mall, I have big news for you. While it might have been made fresh to order, and it might have contained all sorts of delicious fruits, it was probably about as healthy for you as a big, heaping bowl of chocolate ice cream – with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Yes, those smoothies from the fast-food joints are not smoothies that are going to do you any good. If you want a true smoothie – one made only from raw ingredients, and one that is going to make you feel great inside and out, then there is only one place to go – your own kitchen.

Not only will a smoothie made at home cost you pennies on the dollar as compared to what you can buy at the mall, you can control the contents in a way that will really benefit you.

For instance, let’s say it is early in the morning, but not early enough. You have five minutes to get out the door and head to work – no time to brew a cup of coffee, and certainly no time for a properly prepared breakfast.

You could stop somewhere and pick something up, but this recipe will take less time than even the most efficient drive-through window. All you need to do is toss a handful of leftover greens from last night’s dinner – be that spinach, kale or lettuce – into the blender, along with a cored apple, a drizzle of honey, and a cup of ice water. After less than a minute of blending, you have a great, healthy green smoothie that you can pour into a travel mug and enjoy on your way into work. It is nutritious, delicious, modifiable and incredibly easy. What more could you ask for in the morning?

But what if it’s not the morning? What if you’ve just come in from a hard workout, and you need to replace all the fuel you’ve just burned in your system?

You could grab a glass of pasteurized and otherwise dead milk, mixed with a dose of chocolate-flavored syrup. But why not replace the fuel with something of a higher octane than that?

Grab your trusty blender, and toss in a handful of your favorite fruits and berries, along with a few ice cubes, a cup of water and some nut milk – almond tends to work best for flavor, but go with whatever you prefer here. There are other milks available, including raw soy milks, so experiment a little, and find out what works best for you.

If you like a little more sweetness than the berries and fruit provides, add a bit of raw honey or agave syrup. Blend until smooth, and drink while it’s still cold. You’ll get a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals, fluids to replace what you’ve sweated out, and some protein to help those tired muscles to recover. And you’ll do it without all the added processed sugar and the hard-to-process milk products that your regular smoothie stop will usually toss in.

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