Social Eating

I was reminded as I was spending time with my roommates how easy it is to just eat aimlessly while socializing. This is an interesting thing to think about because much of our eating habits have turned into something that is centered around being social. What I mean by that is that we plan specific activities around eating, such as going out to dinner, dinner parties, holiday parties complete with buffets and many more.

Now I am not saying that we should avoid going to the previously mentioned events but rather have an awareness of what we are putting into our mouth while we are catching up with friends.

Cynthia Sass wrote the article Overcome Social Eating Temptations in Shape magazine that discussed why social eating can be such a big problem and how to practically combat that. Sass argues that, "when it comes to social eating, the bad news is that it can be one of the strongest negative influences on the way we eat."

She then lists three strategies, specifically for women, that can be implemented in order to control the urge of social eating:

1. Consciously become the pacesetter
2. Break the "eatertainment" pattern
3. Turn to the web for support

Social eating is a problem not only for people in their twenties but springs up in all ages of life. Next time you are going to a social gathering where the main event is eating, consciously think about your limits before going and it will be an enjoyable time. 

Practical Healthy Living

It has now become obvious that health encompasses both nutrition and exercise. Those two have been determined to go hand-in-hand and that is important to realize when striving to maintain that healthy lifestyle.

Janet Robbins, an AFAA certified fitness instructor and personal trainer, believes it is important to "watch what you eat! Think of your body as a furnace and food is the fuel. You only need to stock the furnace to keep it burning and working."

Robbins has been in the fitness industry for over 24 years. She has spent all of those years being a Group Fitness instructor and 5 of those years as a personal trainer. She is also Power pump certified and a certified Zumba and Spin instructor.

She provides suggestions of how to be healthy both nutritionally and physically.
Nutrition:
5 things that should be eaten everyday:

• 2 eggs
• Protein shake
• 1/2 cup of vegetables
• 1/2 cup of fruit
• Oatmeal

Physical:

• Workout 5 days per week to lose weight
• Workout 3 days per week to maintain weight
• Have a balance between cardio and weight training
• Interval training and weight training is the best way to lose weight

Robbins summed up why she keeps doing what she's doing, "I love encouraging people and helping them achieve their goals. It's great to get paid to workout!"

One avid runner, Cady Kievanaar, weighed in on her workout and eating habits. She typically works out 5 days per week and burns a range of 250-750 calories per workout depending on the type of exercise.

Kievanaar, who will have her masters in Exercise Physiology in December from the University of Northern Colorado, notes that "if you want to lose weight you should burn more calories than you take in, and make those amounts equal if you want to maintain weight."

Her passion for running led her into studying the more complex reasons why the body works the way that it does. She wants to use that knowledge to eventually help athletes.

Another student here at Colorado State University is trying to put much of this into practice despite her busy school schedule. Rachel Welch, a Senior Business major, says that she works out on average 4-5 days a week, usually for one to two hours each time.

She gave a list of items that she eats for her meals that is practical for other college students.
Breakfast:

• If she has time, eggs and fruit
• If crunched for time, a whole grain bar

Lunch:

• Whole wheat pita pocket filled with turkey, spinach, and cheese with baked crackers as a side

Dinner:

• Chicken sausage with spinach (could also add whole wheat pasta)

"I do my best to try not to eat carbs after 5, but it's really hard so it takes a lot of effort," commented Welch on one of the aspects of her daily routine.

Losing weight and eating healthy is not meant to be a crash diet, but rather an entire change of lifestyle.

Realizing that eating healthy and being active is not an overwhelming task is the first step to take in pursuing a healthy lifestyle. Take it one day at a time and eventually these things will just become part of your daily routine.

Our View of Our Body

Focusing only on one side of the eating spectrum would be just plain ignorant, and would miss a big demographic of the American population. Eating disorders are another aspect of eating that grips many Americans and has just as many negative effects as obesity. 

In my opinion, it is often women who struggle with things like anorexia, bullimia or excessive dieting. Most of the time this immense pressure comes from media and the fact that skinny women tend to be the beauty ideal that we as women look up to. 

This video titled Eating Disorders--Attitudes Toward Ourselves need Changing/Educational Video PSA is an example of the way women view themselves because of societal pressure. 

One nonprofit organization called Girls Inc. works to empower and inspire girls despite all the negative influence they receive from society. Their goals are to "equip girls to achieve academically, lead healthy and physically active lives, manage money, navigate media messages, and discover an interest in science, technology, engineering and math."  

It is so important on both sides of the issue of weight to educate people that they don't have to fall on one side of the spectrum, there can be a middle ground and that can be embraced. Beauty does not have a worldwide definition. 

Money and Eating Healthy

While thinking about encouraging people to eat healthier, it crossed my mind that often money can be a hindering factor to be able to do that. Sometimes I have the desire to buy organic foods or more fruits or vegetables, but because those products are more expensive I am prohibited from doing so.

An organization in Denver had the same thought regarding money as a disabling factor in being able to eat healthy foods. The organization is called SAME Cafe and was founded by Brad and Libby Birky in October 2006. SAME is considered the first nonprofit restaurant in Denver, CO.

According to their website, their mission is to serve good food to the greater good intending to build a healthy community by providing the basic need of food in a dignified manner to any person who walks through the door.

The Birky's saw the need in the Denver area to reach out to those less fortunate to meet the basic need of meals. They don't want people to feel that they have to settle for non-nutritional foods because they cannot shop at stores such as Whole Foods.

Eating nutritional food should not feel like a burden. SAME, which is probably one of many organizations, sees that issue and is working to overcome that feeling. Organic and healthy food is unfortunately on the pricey side, and will stay that way, so efforts need to be made to counteract those prices.

Healthy living should be enjoyable and a way to build community through enjoying that health.

Thanksgiving Aftermath

While it has been three days since the Thanksgiving holiday, some of us still might feel like we are in a food coma. This past Thursday was all about gathering with family and friends to enjoy delectable foods while celebrating the journey of the Pilgrims to America. The feast accompanied with this day offers wonderful foods such as mashed potatoes, turkey, ham, green bean casseroles, and yams. However, all of these dishes may raise a concern: Is it okay to indulge in these somewhat unhealthy foods for one day?

My answer is: YES, please go for it! This is one day out of the year. I understand that some people are on diet plans or try to closely watch their calorie intake, but to be fair I think this day is viewed as a treat and a celebration, so it is not necessarily bad/unhealthy to make an exception for one day.

Author Cameron English wrote an article on Polymic discussing how indulging on one holiday, Thanksgiving or Christmas, is not what leads to people becoming obese. In fact, he encourages readers "to eat the food we wisely avoid (or should avoid) the rest of the year" not only because it's only one occasion but also because it helps to maintain a healthier diet.

When talking about enjoying these foods, he suggests that," instead of thinking of occasional splurges as lapses in judgment, you treat them as manageable parts of your lifestyle, and you learn to control your eating habits more effectively as a result."

English ends by arguing that it is not these one-time things that contribute to the obesity of Americans, but it's instead their eating habits the other 364 days of the year.

Holiday celebrations are meant to be fun, not something to be dreaded. Don't let the worry of weight-gain take over, but focus on what can change in your eating habits either before or after the holidays.

It is too hard to sit down at a Thanksgiving dinner and stare at all the delicious foods that have been prepared, let yourself and your kids enjoy this day for what it's worth but then be more disciplined in your eating habits on the normal days of the year.

TV in Relation to Children's Health

Two recent articles published by The National Post and USA Today focused on the negative effects watching television can have on kids.

The National Post article specifically honed in on the effects of eating meals in front of the TV and why that has a link to overweight children.

Dr. Catherine Birken, a pediatrician and researcher at Toronto's hospital for sick children, found that counseling parents on effects of TV-watching hasn't yet proven to be effective, but what they are discovering is that there are some positive effects stemming from not allowing kids to eat in-front of the TV.

When being distracted by other factors while eating, it often causes us to lose track of what we are consuming and how much. Sometimes a TV is put on in a home to distract kids while their parents are doing other things around the house, and if that is combined with food then there is no supervision over what is being consumed potentially leading to overeating.

The study published by USA Today proves that TV doesn't just have an effect on physical health. The study concluded that there was a link between number of hours of television watched and lower-attention during playtime, low-quality interactions between parents and children, and lower performance on cognitive activities.

Both of these articles just prove that children's health has so many facets and can be so easily influenced due to their young age. Television exposure is an easy aspect to fix and alter so there just needs to be that realization and change of action because of that realization.

Bullying: It Can Be Stopped

October was not only a month celebrated with costumes and candy, but also one of bully awareness. National Bullying Prevention Month, according to PACER, is a "time when communities can unite nationwide to raise awareness of bullying prevention through events, activities, outreach, and education."

I took a look into the Fort Collins community to see what schools do currently or did during this particular month to discuss bullying in their classrooms. My focus was on Dunn Elementary, an IB World School located at 501 S Washington Avenue.

Dottie Mark, a counselor at Dunn Elementary and Fossil Ridge High School, said, "We take it very seriously" when asked about dealing with bullying at Dunn.Mark discussed that there wasn't anything specific they did for the month of October to focus on bulllying, but the school constantly follows the guidelines of the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports Initiative (PBIS). PBIS wants to help schools in Colorado to have effective school settings through academics and behavior.

Mark says PBIS teaches kids to "Stop, walk and talk." The guidelines and strategies of PBIS are taught to staff and students each year at Dunn.

Pictured: Main entrance at Dunn Elementary

One parent, Brian Reed, feels like bullying isn't even an issue for his kindergartner who attends Dunn.

"They pretty much don't put up with that there. I take my kid there everyday and I've never seen any problem," Reed stated on Monday after picking his daughter up from school.

Haley, who will be turning 6 on Wednesday, shared her opinion from her first-hand experiences.
"One time, Connor was so mean to me after school. He got so mad at me, so mad. Him is always mean to me," she uttered as she animatedly told her story.

However, when asked what she was taught to do if she was ever bullied, she referred to the 'Stop, walk and talk' phrase. Evidently Dunn's bullying system is having an impact.

While Dunn did not do anything specific for the month of October to raise awareness on bullying, they place a high priority on not tolerating bullying year round. Educating the staff/faculty along with the students of what to look for in a bullying situation and how to address it is what makes Dunn's approach to bullying so effective within the school community.