Erik's Journal

Some notes from my third weekend at Integrative Nutrition

• America learns about dieting through the publishing industry
• Nutrition is the only science where people can prove things diametrically opposite
  
• Remember - there is no correlation between being thin and being happy
• From "You on a Diet" - the most important measurement you can take is your waistline
• Build in healthier alternatives for "temptation foods" and avoid restaurant foods
• Some gain weight to protect themselves from their sexuality
• Individuals have a lot of fear over their health
• Doctors don't look at what turned a healthy person into an unhealthy person - just what it takes to fix the problem
• Cravings can be due to water, lack of primary food, yin/yang imbalance, "inside coming out", seasonal (winter - fats, oils, summer - sweets, fruits, etc), lack of nutrients, hormones, de-evolution

John Douillard - Ayurvedic Medicine/Diet

• "The mind is trying to constantly balance equations"  Ayurvedic medicine is about balancing the body.
• "Be the director of your own movie"  List fears and passions
• Lymphatic System - "It's always about the drains.  What do you fix more in your house?  The faucets or the drains?"
• Blocked drains: GALT - Gut associated lymphatic tissue, intestinal problems, blocked lymphs - allergies, circles around eyes, headaches, sore throats
• 100 years ago - dandelion root tea was very popular.  Diuretic.
  
• Vatta, Kapha, Pitta body types and seasons.  Changes through life.
  
• "Fat is non-emergency fuel" analogous to what's in "the back of the fridge"
• Fat is burned while we sleep.  Important not to let body get out of sync.  12-hour daily cycles: 6-10 (Kapha), 10-2 (Pitta), 2-6 (Vatta)
  
• The more stress - the more body stores fat
• "There are no bad foods unless they come in a wrapper"
• "It's not about what not to eat.  It's about what to eat more of"
• Discourages many smaller meals - 3 meals a day important
• Breakfast - large enough to get to lunch w/out snacking
• Lunch - largest meal of the day
• Supper - soup or "Supplemental"  Make supper smaller and earlier (before 6pm)
• For weight loss - 3-7 days/week no supper
• Drink 3-6 liters of water from lunch to breakfast.
  

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See here and please spread the word....thanks =)

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Just to wrap up on more from my first weekend at IIN - the last half of yesterday involved a talk by David Wolfe who is considered one of the world authorities on raw diets.

David started by explaining his background and introduction to the world of eating raw foods.  He also stressed this is not the sort of diet for everyone and that he respects completely everyone's individual dietary choices, but he prefers to always eat the absolute best and highest quality foods he can.

At an early age he realized something in his diet was not making him feel "right", so he started with the process of elimination, removing things from his diet until he could figure out which foods were best for him.  He then stumbled into raw foods, and says "I now eat what I want, where I want, with who I want, without guilt or shame."

Some basic points from my notes

• It takes the same amount of human power to eat an apple as it does to eat  Big Mac.
• Water is our #1 commodity and dehydation will get you before malnutrition ever does.
• Raw food has "less chaos" doesn't break down fibrous cell walls and keeps the cellular "water bags" intact
• "The universal zip file we are all born with is 'you are what you eat'"
• The food we eat everyday effects our consciousness moreso than "you are what you think" (such as in What the Bleep)
  
• The Doctrine of Signatures - foods generally look like the organs they will heal
• Berries are one of the most universally-edible foods.  Their pigment represents their antioxidants.
• Goji berries are one of the best berries you can eat
  
• Green leafy vegetables are great for the lungs and one of the most useful foods (especially juiced)
• Seaweed and kelp help block out radation - try powdered kelp instead of salt
• Ocean water grown wheat grass has almost every known nutrient present
  
• Garlic, flaxseed, wheat grass and hemp seed all excellent
• Less is more - "The less you eat the longer you live, so the more you get to eat"

All in all it was a fascinating discussion, but not quite enough for me to plunge headlong into a completely raw diet.  That said I will definitely try "crowding out" some cooked/processed foods with more raw foods.  Also really, really want to try Pure Food and Wine here in NY now!


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So far the first weekend of IIN has been absolutely amazing.  Marion Nestle, chair of New York University's Department of Nutrition, just wrapped up an amazing talk detailing the history of changes in the American diet over the past 30 years, linking increased obesity rates with changes in food production, serving sizes, subsidies, marketing, and the related overabundance in calories linked with decreasing food costs - to the point now where Americans spend the lowest percentage of income on food in history and also in compare to any other nation.

Yesterday we reviewed the carbo-phobia that took over a few years ago, and how ridiculous this really is considering the fact that carbohydrates have been the staple diet of humans for thousands of years, from corn and quinoa in the Americas to wheat and pasta in Europe, millet in Africa and rice in Asia.  The real problem is the type of carbohydrates we have started consuming, namely refined, bleached and foritifed wheat, which causes havoc on blood-sugar levels.  There are so many fantastic (and easy to prepare) whole grains that can be used instead that taste great and provide excellent nutrition.  "It's not about low carb/no carb.  It's about slow carb."

We touched briefly on macrobiotics and balancing ying/yang and how this applies to food and exercise.  Some fascinating examples such as how alcohol is very yang (loose, relaxed, cool) and salt is very yin (tightness, energy) which is why bars provide free nuts and pretzels to patrons.

The Institute encourages that nutrition is about more than food.  There are also "primary foods" such as career, relationship, joy, finances, that play a big part in food choices and overall health.  It also realizes that there is bio-diet-diversity and every body is different with different requirements.  There is no "one size fits all" with diet and nutrition.

Great quotes from the weekend:

• We've been sold on doctoring.  We must take care of ourselves.
• One man's food is another man's poison.
• Look at nutrition from the inside out.  Animals have natural tendencies towards foods and nutrition has become overly-cerebral.
• Food is not a religion - there is no need to unnecessarily stick to diets.
  
• Around time everyone is made equal.  (discussing organizational skills and time management)
  

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Tomorrow, I'm going to my first session at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and needless to say I'm totally stoked.  IIN takes a holistic approach to diet and nutrition, realizing "one size does not fit all" with dieting while examining different dietary approaches, from the past to modern day, from the East and the West.

This weekend's session will be focusing on food politics, whole grains & raw foods, and high carb diets among other things.  The speakers are:

Marion Nestle, MPH, PhD is a professor of Nutrition at New York University. Her research focuses on analysis of the scientific, social, cultural, and economic factors that influence the development and acceptance of federal dietary guidance policies. She is the author of Food Politics, and most recently, What to Eat.

David Wolfe is considered by peers to be the world authority on raw food nutrition. He is a passionate and informative speaker and the author of the bestselling books Naked Chocolate, Eating for Beauty and The Sunfood Diet Success System. Wolfe works to locate and distribute some of the world's highest quality raw and superfoods, and leads raw retreats across the world.

Andrea Beaman is a successful health counselor, Integrative Nutrition graduate, and author of The Whole Truth. She teaches the art of cooking whole foods in a simple, fun and quick way. Beaman was featured on Bravo's Top Chef.



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Interesting thoughts from Kathy Sierra:

The real deal-killer is when a new or beginning user asks a "dumb" question. Most supportive, thriving user communities have a culture that encourages users to ask questions, usually through brute-force moderation with a low-to-no-tolerance policy on ridiculing a question. In other words, by forcing participants to "be reasonably nice to newbies", beginners feel safe posing questions without having to start each one with, "I know this is probably a dumb question, but..."

continued...

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Ah, dear journal, how I have neglected you!

Things have been absolutely hectic since the acquisition, but still very excited to be a part of the About family and extremely busy putting together some very exciting stuff that should be released in the coming months.  It's really great to be able to focus on core services we provide here, and not having to worry about the more mundane aspects of running a business - invoices, accounting, paperwork, etc.  Instead, it's been a heads-down all-out effort to build and improve CC services, and really I couldn't be any more excited - they are giving us the freedom to do our own thing but at the same time bringing the resources and expertise we need to do it the best way possible.

New York is definitely a change from Boston.  I'm not entirely sure I'm a fan yet, but perhaps I was spoiled when we were based in Kendall square and I could walk to the office, hang out with some near and dear old friends, and visit the family.  I used to curse Boston for being too dead and quiet, but now ... well, now, I sort of miss the luxury of not fighting the constant throngs of people and the more leisurely life.  Grass is always, greener I suppose, eh?

In a week we'll be off to Las Vegas and I'm really looking forward to some time away and especially the Calorie-Count Meetup!  Both Igor and I are really excited and I'm sure we'll be further motivated and inspired to build out and improve things here and really take it to the next level.


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Having read a few journal entries recently, I get this impression some of you view me as this disconnected and unapproachable 'administrator', which couldn't be farther from the truth.  I'm here improving myself just like everyone else.  Please feel free to drop a line anytime with your questions, suggestions, or frustrations.

I was a painfully shy child.

I was shy because I was overly self conscious.  When I first entered school I had a minor speech impediment (which I was able to overcome with special coaching that involved being separated from the heard in 1st grade for hours to stare at mirrors holding my outstretched tongue repeating words like 'thief' and 'robber').  As I got older, I gained weight.  I sucked at sports.  To compound things, my family moved around alot and I constantly found myself in new towns, on my own (I'm also an only child), reading books or programming computers.  Other kids tormented me.

If I was called upon in class, my heart would race and my stomach would drop.  My voice would shake.  I was nearly paralyzed.  I remember my internal dialog was always one concerned about the impression I was leaving.  "What are other people going to think?"  This, would unfortunately make me even more nervous.

It was horrible.

Eventually, I broke out of my shell.  I can't really pinpoint how or why it happened, but in general I think it was a general revaluation of my self expectations and fears.  I was being too hard on myself.  I was taking myself too seriously.

All this, I believe shaped my personality today.

As a result, I don't like to get involved in negativity.  I consider it counterproductive and a waste of time - I've already spent too many years of my life being too hard on myself and letting my mind fill with negative thoughts.

And that brings us up to date, here today, on this site, Calorie-Count.com.

This site was built to help people change themselves.  To make their lives better.  As I found out being that shy, awkward, and scared child - this can only happen when you accept yourself and adopt a positive attitude.

*******************

Enjoy the little things in life
Like the smell of a flower
The sound of a bird
Or the shape of a cloud

Do something different today
Smile to a stranger on the street
Take a different way home
Or go buy a CD
With music that you wouldn't have normally bought

Try not to be too hasty
In your judgment of other people
And take life
Less seriously

What you give will always comeback double
Some people spend their whole life waiting for the storm
And never enjoy the sunshine

Inhale positivity, exhale negativity
Inhale positivity, exhale negativity
Inhale positivity, exhale negativity

Take a deep breath
By taking five deep breaths everyday
It will help remove the build up of toxins in the body
It also lowers your cholesterol in the blood
And strengthens your mind
As you breathe out think only positive thoughts
Like what a great day this is going to be

Surround yourself with successful people
Don't feel threatened by them
Challenge yourself
And learn from them
Success has a mysterious way of attracting success
Like negativity attracts more negativity

Lazyboy - Inhale Positivity


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New 50min Funky House DJ mix available at www.funktasia.com

• Cpan - Spanish Robot
• Kid Icarus - The Revolutionary Dreamers (Rise Tool & Bryan Cox Rmx)
• Those Guys - I Walk Alone (Haji & Emanuel Rmx)
• Rasmus Faber feat Melo - Get Over Here (Axwell Rmx)
• Future Funk - Wildberry Tracks (Trophy Twins & Funkagenda Rmx)
• Loleatta Holloway - Love Sensation 06 (Freemasons)
• ATFC feat Inaya Day - Reach Out To Me (Haji & Emanuel Rmx)
• Blaze feat Barbara Tucker - Precious Love (Ian Carey Rmx)

Nice and uplifiting and great for workouts!  Please vote =)


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A record number of new signups today here at Calorie-Count.com! Looks as though people are giving those New Years resolutions a shot and glad we can help :)

As for me I've been trying to stick to it, but haven't made it down to the gym yet. I needed to buy new sneakers which I finally got around to today, so now I'm ready to go sweat with the best of 'em down the street. Woohoo.

As for my situp / pushup routines...haven't been strictly doing this in the morning, but instead pulled out an exercise mat into the office and am breaking up the work routine with a lil workout routine. It really helps with concentration (as well as getting in shape)!

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