#GrilledVeggies #GetFitChallenge #HealthyBBQ

Six Rules For Eating Wisely by Michael Pollan

Can anyone use some #Positive #News? We unearthed this Gem written in 2006 by one of our favorite Authors about Six Rules For Eating Wisely. Please Share this with Everyone You Care About. Courtesy of #TIMEMagazine. #GetFitChallenge #BBQRESCUESFoundationInc

http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/six-rules-for-eating-wisely/

Six Rules For Eating Wisely

Once upon a time Americans had a culture of food to guide us through the increasingly treacherous landscape of food choices: fat vs. carbs, organic vs. conventional, vegetarian vs. carnivorous. Culture in this case is just a fancy way of saying “your mom.” She taught us what to eat, when to eat it, how much of it to eat, even the order in which to eat it. But Mom’s influence over the dinner menu has proved no match for the $36 billion in food-marketing dollars ($10 billion directed to kids alone) designed to get us to eat more, eat all manner of dubious neofoods, and create entire new eating occasions, such as in the car. Some food culture.

I’ve spent the past five years exploring this daunting food landscape, following the industrial food chain from the Happy Meal back to the not-so-happy feedlots in Kansas and cornfields in Iowa where it begins and tracing the organic food chain back to the farms. My aim was simply to figure out what–as a nutritional, ethical, political and environmental matter–I should eat. Along the way, I’ve collected a few rules of thumb that may be useful in navigating what I call the Omnivore’s Dilemma.

Don’t eat anything your great-great-great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. Imagine how baffled your ancestors would be in a modern supermarket: the epoxy-like tubes of Go-Gurt, the preternaturally fresh Twinkies, the vaguely pharmaceutical Vitamin Water. Those aren’t foods, quite; they’re food products. History suggests you might want to wait a few decades or so before adding such novelties to your diet, the substitution of margarine for butter being the classic case in point. My mother used to predict “they” would eventually discover that butter was better for you. She was right: the trans-fatty margarine is killing us. Eat food, not food products.

Avoid foods containing high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It’s not just in cereals and soft drinks but also in ketchup and bologna, baked goods, soups and salad dressings. Though HFCS was not part of the human diet until 1975, each of us now consumes more than 40 lbs. a year, some 200 calories a day. Is HFCS any worse for you than sugar? Probably not, but by avoiding it you’ll avoid thousands of empty calories and perhaps even more important, cut out highly processed foods–the ones that contain the most sugar, fat and salt. Besides, what chef uses high-fructose corn syrup? Not one. It’s found only in the pantry of the food scientist, and that’s not who you want cooking your meals.

Spend more, eat less. Americans are as addicted to cheap food as we are to cheap oil. We spend only 9.7% of our income on food, a smaller share than any other nation. Is it a coincidence we spend a larger percentage than any other on health care (16%)? All this “cheap food” is making us fat and sick. It’s also bad for the health of the environment. The higher the quality of the food you eat, the more nutritious it is and the less of it you’ll need to feel satisfied.

Pay no heed to nutritional science or the health claims on packages. It was science that told us margarine made from trans fats is better for us than butter made from cow’s milk. The more I learn about the science of nutrition, the less certain I am that we’ve learned anything important about food that our ancestors didn’t know. Consider that the healthiest foods in the supermarket–the fresh produce–are the ones that don’t make FDA-approved health claims, which typically festoon the packages of the most highly processed foods. When Whole Grain Lucky Charms show up in the cereal aisle, it’s time to stop paying attention to health claims.

Shop at the farmers’ market. You’ll begin to eat foods in season, when they are at the peak of their nutritional value and flavor, and you’ll cook, because you won’t find anything processed or microwavable. You’ll also be supporting farmers in your community, helping defend the countryside from sprawl, saving oil by eating food produced nearby and teaching your children that a carrot is a root, not a machine-lathed orange bullet that comes in a plastic bag. A lot more is going on at the farmers’ market than the exchange of money for food.

How you eat is as important as what you eat. Americans are fixated on nutrients, good and bad, while the French and Italians focus on the whole eating experience. The lesson of the “French paradox” is you can eat all kinds of supposedly toxic substances (triple crème cheese, foie gras) as long as you follow your culture’s (i.e., mother’s) rules: eat moderate portions, don’t go for seconds or snacks between meals, never eat alone. But perhaps most important, eat with pleasure, because eating with anxiety leads to poor digestion and bingeing. There is no French paradox, really, only an American paradox: a notably unhealthy people obsessed with the idea of eating healthily. So, relax. Eat Food. And savor it.

#GrilledShrimp #Salad #HarvestOrganicGrille #Houston

To Shed It For Life- Keep Your Goals in the Forefront of Your Mind

By Larry Bertrand

Courtesy of http://www.BBQRESCUES.com/ShedItForLife

I am officially going into my second week of the BBQ RESCUES! “Get Fit Challenge”. Now the crazy part is that I began my challenge right before the National BBQ and Grilling Association’s (NBBQA) I Am BBQ 2017 Conference. Not only that, but also right before my 30th birthday celebration in Las Vegas. However, I kept my diet in mind and stuck to it to the best of my ability- even in Vegas. I passed up the Pizza and Hamburgers and ordered Salads, Chicken, Grilled Steak, Steamed Vegetables, and various Fruits- and I still enjoyed every bite of it. I believe the trick is to still eat things you enjoy but add Fruits and Veggies to it.

#getfitchallenge #sheditforlife #bbqrescues #chefmickbrown #LarryB
Larry B filming the #GYMM BBQ Charity event hosted by Chef Mick Brown of BBQ RESCUES! in Houston in late April, 2017.

Of course when you cut back on Gluten and Dairy products you start being tempted with Cream Cheese Bagels, Donuts, Pizza, and other foods that are going off of your diet. The first thing to remember in getting started is to stay strong. Keep your goals and your reasons for entering into your challenge in the forefront of your mind. Keep those people who are encouraging you close for motivation. Most importantly, at meals try to get yourself so full of fruits and veggies so you barely have room for the unhealthy food items.
>
For me personally when I was getting started I went to the gym my very first day to work out. Now I was out of shape and haven’t worked out in a long time. So as I was working out I talked to myself and motivated myself by keep saying “You got this!”  or “Ok one more time!”. Even when my phone died and I was unable to listen to my music as I worked out, I still kept going saying to myself “I’m in here so I can’t stop.”
>

#getfitchallenge #bbqrescues #sheditforlife #harvestorganicgrille #houston
Salad and Mixed Grilled Meats and Veggie plate at Harvest Organic Grille in Houston, TX.

When getting started on your get fit challenge- make a list of fitness goals you wish to accomplish. If your goal is to lose weight then imagine your ideal size. Imagine yourself being able to go to the store and purchase clothes in that size. Imagine how good you will look in those clothes. If your goal is to tone up and gain abs imagine yourself walking along the beach in your bathing suit. Make up in your mind that you are going to achieve your goals no matter what. And everyday of your challenge remember you are one day closer to your goal of Shedding it For Life. Best of Luck!

__________________________________________

As an Assistant Director for the new BBQ RESCUES! Foundation, Larry Bertrand has recently joined the #GetFitChallenge to become more healthy and to inspire others to join him in getting fit as well. He is founder of Our Children Our Future (OCOF) and has received local Awards from the Cities of Houston and Baytown because of work he has done with Non-Profit Organizations. Larry B also practices Criminal law in the Texas area. He hopes to promote healthy eating to inner city youth by showing them that BBQ Grilling is not only delicious, but also can be nutritious. Larry B would like to invite those who have Fitness Goals to join him in the BBQ RESCUES! Get Fit Challenge. Also, anyone who is interested in sponsoring the Get Fit Challenge can reach him via email at LarryB@BBQRescues.com. Please include your contact information and Larry would reach out to you directly to go over sponsorship opportunities. Or use Contact Form: