Week 3 Round-Up

Week 3: July 13-19

Week 3 done! Each day seems so long but each week is so short.

I am ready to start Paleo next week- I'm looking forward to starting the Experiment fo' realz. I am looking forward to eat salmon steaks for breakfast, testing out new recipes, and losing a little weight. I'm looking forward to reporting on some results, too.

The Fitbit has been a great success- it's already given me some interesting insight, and it's motivational. I'll do a full report when I have a little more experience with it, but so far, I love it.

A lovely weekend to everyone!

Top Story of the Week

The article: Weekends in the Kitchen with My Fat Dad. Dawn Lerman, NYT, July 19, 2012.

What it says: The author has written a series of articles about growing up with a morbidly obese father. She spends a couple of weeks with him at a weight loss spa, and taught herself to cook as a way to deal with her fear and conflicting feelings about him.

Why it's interesting: Lerman explores the impact of growing up with her father's self-destructive behavior, her family's unhealthy food habits, and establishing a healthy relationship with food for herself. It's a really interesting discussion of how our families impact the way we see ourselves and our world, and about learning from your history and using it as a tool to set your own path, rather than allowing it to trap you. 

A Few Other Gems

The articles: Sitting Might Lessen Life Expectancy. Jennifer LaRue Huget, WaPo, July 12, 2012, and The Couch Potato Goes Global. Gretchen Reynolds, NYT, July 18, 2012.
What they say: The WaPo article details a recent study published in the British Medical Journal that found that "limiting sedentary time to less than 3 hours a day would add about 2 years to life expectancy. And limiting TV-viewing time to less than 2 hours a day would add about 1.4 years to life." (Too bad I'm watching TV as I write this- damn you, "Downton Abbey"!) The story in the NYTimes describes the spread of the American backsides lifestyle around the globe; as countries develop and their middle class grows, people are becoming more and more sedentary.

Why it's interesting: First of all, I don't know whether I'm more dismayed or relieved that sitting at my desk all day is a factor in making me fat. Maybe I should set up one of those treadmill desks, like A.J. Jacobs did in "Drop Dead Healthy". As a public health person, and also just a person person, the news about the growing obesity problem overseas is concerning. The US has been a positive global influence and a force for good in a lot of ways. I wonder if we decided to clean up our own acts, if we could influence the food culture for the better. McDonald's doesn't have to be our legacy.

Oh yeah. I got you riiiight where I want you.

 The article: Debate on Food Links Ancestral Appetites With Modern Meals. Helen Greenwood. Sydney Morning Herald, July 14, 2012.

What it says: Michael Pollen, the author of "The Omnivore's Dilemna" and one of my favorite food writers, visited Australia and was encouraging local chefs to focus more on local products- including kangaroo and wallabee meat.

Why it's interesting: It had never occurred to me that it is weird that Australians DON"T eat kangaroo, but of course it is- and the people living on that island must have at one time. I think it's an interesting example of our dichotomous treatment of "pet" animals and "food" animals- kangaroos are cute, so we don't eat them. Pollan also wrote a book called "The Botany of Desire", which looked at the history of humans' relationships with 4 plants- tulips, pot, potatoes, and apples. He theorized that all of those plants were genetically successful at propagating because they adapted to meet our human desires (for beauty, intoxication, satiety, and sweetness). I wonder if animals like the kangaroo have found a niche for themselves by exploiting our weakness for cute things?