Healthy Lifestyle

Hydrogenated Oils (Trans Fats)

2009-10-05T20:35:00.001-04:00

In an effort to increase awareness I have decided to start a series of posts about the ingredients we see in our packaged goods on a daily basis. The first post was about high fructose corn syrup. This post centers around hydrogenated oils.

Hydrogenated oils, aka trans fats, are just as prevalent as HFCS and can be just as bad for your body. The process of hydrogenation involves the addition of an extra hydrogen atom to various types of oils (most common I have seen are cottonseed, soy, and corn oils) to help give them a higher smoke point and increase shelf life.

Over the past few there has been an onslaught against trans fats causing many restaurants to keep artificial trans fats out of their food and prominently advertise the fact. Many packaged foods have gone with the majority and decided to stop using trans fats, or say they say.

Remember, trans fats are hydrogenated oils, or more commonly seen, partially hydrogenated oils. Looking at nutrition "facts" you may see 0g trans fat, but if you look closely it is still possible to see some sort of hydrogenated oil. How can that be?

The FDA allows up for rounding to the nearest whole number in nutrition facts labeling. So, companies can put up to .49g of trans fat per serving and say they have 0g. Deception is being used. Now, make serving sizes small, and the consumer may end up consuming quite a bit of trans fat while believing you consumed 0g.

The moral of this story is to avoid hydrogenated oils as much as possible. By avoiding the ingredient you are working to keep trans fats out of your diet.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

2009-10-04T21:05:00.000-04:00

Reading a product label these days and understanding exactly what each ingredient is can be a daunting task. One extremely common ingredient a large percentage of products found in the chain supermarkets is high fructose corn syrup.

High fructose corn syrup is a product of modifying corn syrup to make it sweeter. This sweeter product means less can be used to provide the same effect as the real stuff. In turn making it a cheaper sweetener. You see the stuff in sweet things such as cookies, cakes, pies, ice cream, cereals, and candy. It is also put in things such as breads and crackers. Read the labels carefully.

Why is high fructose corn syrup bad for you? The main reason is because it is not natural and your body does not know how to properly process it and ends up storing it as fat. Beware, there is an advertising campaign to say high fructose corn syrup is good for you. It with most of the advertising within the food industry is BS.

My stance on this is to avoid high fructose corn syrup at all costs and any product that uses it. I personally try to keep things as simple as possible, fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meats, fresh dairy, and minimally processed whole grains. If you stick to these things and avoid all the other junk, you will be full of energy and live at a healthy weight.

Crossfit Workout of the Day

2009-10-02T17:10:00.001-04:00

These workouts are definitely not for beginners or the faint of heart, but they sure challenge a person mentally and physically. Check out this site to get a spectacular daily workout.

http://www.crossfit.com/

The Greek Taverna in McLean, VA

2009-10-02T17:07:00.000-04:00

I am not a food critic by profession, but I love food and am constantly in search of the perfect restaurant, one where I could eat lunch and dinner at every day. One that comes close to that, in my opinion, is a great family-owned restaurant named "The Greek Taverna" in McLean, VA (http://www.thegreektaverna.com/). I have been there twice for lunch and would be there much more often if I did not have the willpower. This place is great.

Not being completely familiar with Greek cooking, first glance at the menu had me saying "meh, nothing special", but when I looked at the menu closer I was amazed. Everything looked awesome from the Greek Salad with chicken and Salmon stuffed with feta cheese, I found my mouth watering at every item.

I went with the chicken Souvlaki both times, but tested some of things my colleauges ordered and they all were great. The Souvlaki pita bread was fresh, the chicken was perfectly seasoned and the tzatziki was refreshing. A perfect lunch with just the right amount of food when you include the soup and bread that comes with the meal that leaves you not stuffed, but satisfied.

I mustn't forget, the olive bread provided complimentary with the meal is possibly the greatest bread I have had, so fresh and great with olive oil.

Other recommendations based off other people I have talked to are the Taverna Special (though a bit lacking from a portion size perspective) and the lamb in a clay pot (came highly recommended by the server).

I highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a great lunch or a quaint dinner with loved ones or friends.

"Unthink"

2009-10-02T04:52:00.003-04:00

Is it me or does it seem that companies, politicians, etc. prey on ignorance and fear people that can form their own thoughts? I am disgusted by KFC's latest ad campaign telling people to literally stop thinking and trust that their new laboratory concocted chicken is actually healthy for you just because it is "grilled". What shocked me a tad is this time the company is bold enough to come out and say what all the other companies what you to do and stop thinking for yourself and making informed.
The fast food advertising irks me enough as it is with someone spewing adjectives or healthy people having fun or a skinny clown. Now it seems they are just cutting to the chase, if you will. Almost as if they are saying "forget all the BS we have fed you before, you know it is crap, just come in and eat because you have some space to fill in your stomach".

KFC's nutrition facts show a lot of ingredients the normal griller would not use. Is it "grilled" chicken with that many ingredients? Where do you buy hydrogenated oils and what the heck are "Secret Kentucky Grilled Chicken Spices"? KFC sure loves Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), it is used twice.

If you don't understand what all the ingredients mean, Natural Bias helps provide a bit of the breakdown. In essence, things like hydrogenated oils, MSG, maltodextrin, and "natural" flavor should be avoided.

In sum, I think I will continue to do my own thinking KFC and grilling, for that matter, thank you very much. Or, maybe I will "unthink" and decide that fast food is crap and should not be consumed by any animal, not even rats and roaches.

Waaay Better Than Fast Food

2009-10-01T21:40:00.001-04:00

Have you ever wondering what that really means? I do and that is why I started this blog.

Welcome to Healthy Lifestyle (http://avoidmcdonalds.blogspot.com), a blog about all things healthy living. In this blog I will talk about what it takes to live a healthy life and provide helpful advice to make sure you can live a healthy.

As I build content, people will be able to find full workouts, individual exercises, healthy recipes, meal planning, foods to avoid and restaurants to avoid. As an added bonus I will provide my average, but highly critical, person's reviews of restaurants I have tried. Oh, and not to forget, the occasional picking a part of restaurant advertising aimed at deceiving the common consumer.

Stick around and we can create an environment to learn what it takes to live a healthy lifestyle.