Fun with five... km.

It's been a while since I've posted anything to do with fitness, but as we all know - activity is an essential part of healthy living!

From my previous posts about running, you will know that I have a sort of love-hate relationship with running.  I do like to run, really I do.  I like that it gives me time outside, that I don't need any special equipment or need to spend any money doing it, and I like the feeling of a body-mind connection that I feel when I run - I can refocus my run and feel lighter in motion by concentrating on deep full breathing and letting go of distractions in my head - much like the reasons that I enjoy yoga!

However.

Running and I don't always get along.  My knees have taken a beating over the years - in fact, before I took my first step in a running shoe, my left knee was already having some trouble (which had improved while I was losing weight, but never fully recovered).  The knee trouble has radiated out to other foot and hip instability, including plantar fasciitis and SI joint jamming (wheeeee).  However most definitely the thing that I dislike most about running is my own self-judgement.  I do like the competitive spirit and love it when I can beat my own time or pace from a previous run, however, I tend to get very judgmental of myself when I don't achieve a goal.  We may recall the time when I ran the TYS10K, had really nasty GI issues and knee pain, and ended up running my slowest 10K ever.  The mental bad-talking that resulted from this epic fail put me in a downward spiral and feeling really crappy about running.  I didn't want to do it again for a very long time.  I canceled my half marathon scheduled a few months later, because I stopped training altogether.  

I did eventually talk myself out of that funk and got back to running, and ran the Oasis Zoo Run 10K later that year (in a faster time than I had run the TYS10K, thank you very much).  But I realized that running wasn't fun when it was making me depressed about my body's limitations when they became limitations.  I wanted to feel good about running for all of the reasons that I actually enjoy running.

As a result, this year I'm running with a different intention in mind, and choosing events that will help me reconnect with my feet on the pavement rather than the time on the chip.  I signed up for a few 5k runs where I may or may not be timed, and where fun takes priority over competition.  I decided to reduce my distance from 10k to 5k, because I've noticed that once you get past 5k, runners tend to take themselves way too seriously.  The 5k runs are where all the fun stuff happens - crazy costumes, strange theme runs, and they tend to be more accessible to all age and ability groups.

Case in point: 

A few weeks ago, boyfriend and I ran Colour Me Rad, a 5k run in which every kilometre or so a squad of volunteers pummels you with coloured cornstarch, leaving you at the end of the run looking like you ran through a rainbow.  It rained.  A lot.  By the end, I was soaking wet, had green cornstarch stuck in every crevice, and was coughing colours.

I have no idea how long it took to run the 5k.

It was awesome.

My next upcoming run is the Midsummer Night's Run, also a 5k.  This run also has a 15 and 30km option, but I stuck with the 5k.  Why?  Because the 15 and 30k people are the hardcore runners, where the 5k people dress in fairy costumes and prance through the park and have a blast.  I want to be a person who has a crapload of fun prancing around the Toronto Island!

In the meantime, I've enlisted the help of the Running Room's 5k clinic to improve my endurance and form for my upcoming runs, because I want to be able to focus more on the fun than on feeling uncomfortable while running or dealing with achy knees/feet instead.

I do hope that this 5k/fun-run strategy gets me back into the spirit of running and reignites my interest in running longer distances, because the 10k runs I've done in the past were fabulous and I would love to do them again.  But, I want to return to them stronger in mind and body, and feeling like I am there to enjoy myself rather than to beat myself up.

Huevos

This topic seems to have come up a lot lately in my conversations with friends.  In the last few weeks, two people have asked me...

"What do you think about eggs?"

In one case, it came with the pretext of the person telling me that she thinks her friend's cholesterol is sky high because they often eat eggs for breakfast.  And well, eggs have cholesterol, therefore that must be the cause.

Let's talk.

Eggs have had a bad reputation for decades, but it seems that more recent research and education have started to reveal the many benefits of eggs, and changing our understanding of cholesterol in the body.  To understand what the deal is with eggs, let's first talk about cholesterol.

What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is produced in the body to perform many functions, including building and maintaining cell membranes in the body, transporting lipids around the body, and producing various sterol hormones (e.g. cortisol, aldosterone, and sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone).  Cholesterol is also required for humans to convert sunlight to Vitamin D.  It is also used to produce bile, the yellow-greenish fluid secreted by the liver and stored in the gall bladder, used to help digest fats from the diet. You do need to have some cholesterol in your body to perform these, and other, functions.  You obtain blood cholesterol in two ways: dietary sources, and  production from the liver.

HDL?  LDL?  WTF?
Not all cholesterol is created equal.  You've probably heard the terms "good" and "bad" cholesterol, or "healthy HDL" and "lousy LDL" cholesterol.  Sort of.

When cholesterol leaves the liver, it is in the form of VLDL (very low density lipoprotein), which floats around the bloodstream and delivers triglycerides to tissues.  As the triglycerides get picked off, the density of the lipoprotein gets higher, becoming IDL (indermediate density), LDL (low density) and eventually HDL (high density).  While having more HDL is, indeed, a better place to be in than having lots of LDL (people with higher levels of HDL than LDL tend to have lower incidence of cardiovascular disease) they are still both cholesterol.  A high level of total cholesterol, whether HDL or LDL, is still a bad thing.

When does cholesterol become a problem?
As I mentioned, we need some cholesterol floating around the body to perform functions we need to live.  But, having high total blood cholesterol is a problem because it can become trapped in the lining of arteries.  If damage occurs in the arteries (e.g. because of high blood pressure, or just due to normal breakdown with age), cholesterol can enter the lining of the artery and cause an inflammatory response, leading to the buildup of plaques.  Having a high level of cholesterol in the blood increases the chance of this happening and, therefore, increases your risk of vessel blockage.

So how does cholesterol end up in my blood?
The liver is responsible for making about 75% of your blood cholesterol, which is made from saturated and trans-fatty acids from your diet (note - not the cholesterol in your diet, but from the types of fats).  These types of fats are typically found in animal sources of protein, such as meats and milk, in processed foods, and in some plant sources such as coconut and palm oils.  The liver packages up the triglycerides from these compounds and creates lipoproteins, which go out into the blood.  The type of fat may have some influence on the type of lipoprotein created - saturated fats in general tend to increase both HDL and LDL, while omega 3 and medium chain fatty acids tend to increase HDL production.  Removing trans fats from the diet also tends to increase HDL production.
Dietary cholesterol alone, such as that found in eggs, accounts for only about 25% of your blood cholesterol level.  Many studies have suggested that reducing dietary cholesterol alone, without also reducing saturated fat or (especially) trans fat intake, has little effect on total cholesterol.  Dietary cholesterol is also not very well absorbed if consumed with other nutrients, like soluble fibre.  In fact, soluble fibre helps to soak up cholesterol from bile and excrete it in your poop so that it doesn't get reabsorbed into the blood.  Now that's good to know!

How come eggs make my cholesterol go up then?
They don't.  It's true that eggs contain dietary cholesterol, about 200mg, but not enough that it would actually make your blood cholesterol increase all that much.  Since most of your blood cholesterol comes from your intake of saturated and trans fats, it's far more likely that the other stuff you're eating with your eggs at breakfast are at least partly responsible.  Often morning eggs are accompanied by sausage or bacon, buttered toast, maybe some fried hash browns, and cream in your coffee.  That's spelled S-A-T-U-R-A-T-E-D   F-A-T

You mean, eggs aren't the devil after all?
Eggs-actly (HA!!!!!!!!!!!)!  Eggs are an excellent source of protein, and are amazingly inexpensive.  They are versatile, as they can be prepared in so many interesting ways, and they hold a load of nutritional qualities that far outweigh the cholesterol content.  How about 50% of the B12 you need in a day, and 10-15% of your daily Vitamin A, D and E (fat soluble vitamins)?  Eggs are also a great source of lutein, needed for eye health.

If you're still concerned about eating lots of eggs, consider using egg whites, which contain NO fat, only protein.  This, however, also means that you will not be getting all those other awesome fat-soluble benefits of eggs that are found only in the yolks (A, D, E and lutein, among many others).  I often eat one egg and one egg white at breakfast, giving me the extra protein while still getting that load of egg yolky goodness.




How do I eat eggs?
Really?

Well.  Eggs can be boiled (hard, soft), poached, fried, sunny side up, over easy, scrambled, baked, and lots of other options.  If you're concerned about cholesterol, cook your eggs using ingredients lower in saturated fat.  For example, instead of making a fried egg with butter, use canola oil in your pan instead.  Also, check out the other items that you're serving up.  If your eggs appear alongside bacon, sausage, ham, fried potatoes, etc etc etc, rethink it.  Make your accompaniments something with fibre, such as whole wheat toast, veggies, or a piece of fruit.
Among my favourite breakfasts is a veggie-egg scramble.  Take whatever veggies you have - peppers, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, whatever.  Chop it up, sautee, and add scrambled eggs (1 egg + 1 egg white).  Serve topped with salsa, a bit of hot sauce, and with a slice of whole wheat toast, lightly buttered.  Mmmmmm.

The moral of the story:
Don't be afraid!  Eggs can be your friends.  The people who need to be concerned about eggs and avoid them are people who a) are allergic to them, or b) have been advised by their health care provider to limit dietary cholesterol due to existing heart issues.  If your doctor or health care provider has never mentioned such a thing, and you don't have significant heart issues (i.e. you haven't had a heart attack, you aren't on multiple cholesterol meds, etc), then you really have little to worry your pretty little head about.

If you do have heart issues or high cholesterol, or are concerned about your risk, talk to your doc or a dietitian about eggs and your specific situation regarding dietary cholesterol.  Chances are that you can still eat eggs, but might just need to monitor how many you eat in a week.  Cardiac patients can usually still include 1-2 egg yolks per week in their balanced diet.

Want to learn more about eggs?  Egg Farmers of Canada has a lot of great resources, including dietary information, recipes, info for specific groups (e.g. eggs and your baby), research about eggs and cholesterol, and more.  Check out their website at www.eggs.ca/ *

*disclaimer: I have not been asked to support Egg Farmers or been sponsored by them in any way (I wish!).  I just really like eggs, and the Egg Farmers website has easy to read, accessible resources!

Vegetable of the Month

Hey, guess what?  This is Snack Sweat Spirit's 100th post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a great day to bring you another tasty Vegetable of the Month :D!




Drumroll please!


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It's RHUBARB!!!

Though this leafy plant is often associated with fruit, it is indeed actually a veggie!  Once revered for its medicinal properties, today rhubarb's fruity flavour is enjoyed during the springtime before most other fruits are available locally.  These ruby red stalks are just coming out of season in Ontario, so get them while they're still available!

According to the Canadian Nutrient File, 1 cup of diced raw rhubarb will yield...

• only 27 calories!  Almost 0 fat, only 5g of carbohydrate, and 1g of protein
• Over 2g of fibre, helping you feel fuller longer!
• About 11% of your daily calcium needs 
• About 8% of your daily potassium needs, an important mineral that aids in digestive and kidney health, and may help to lower blood pressure
• About 13% of your Vitamin C!

EatRightOntario, run by the Dietitians of Canada, and Canadian Living have great articles about the benefits of rhubarb, preparation ideas, how to choose rhubarb, and how to store and freeze it.  Here are a few highlights to help you enjoy this veggie as soon as possible!

Look for rhubarb that is still crisp, not soft or saggy (kind of like when you're looking for celery).  The stalks should be straight, brightly coloured, and (if the leaves are still attached) have bright unblemished leaves.  However, do not eat the leaves.  Rhubarb leaves contain a compound called oxalic acid, which can be harmful or even fatal to humans if consumed.  The leaves can be safely composted though, so no need to worry about tossing them in your pile.  Store your rhubarb in the fridge, or freeze by washing, boiling for about 2 minutes (blanching), chopping into small pieces and store in an airtight bag.

Most people are familiar with rhubarb paired with fruity preparations, like strawberry rhubarb jam, and of course strawberry rhubarb pie (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm).  But this veggie can be used in many different ways!  It can be baked into muffins or breads, fermented into wine, enjoyed in jams and compotes, and included in desserts like tarts, pies, trifles and cakes.  It also pairs beautifully in sauces and chutneys with pork or chicken.  The recipe below comes to you from Foodland Ontario:

Rhubarb Chutney

3 cups chopped rhubarb stalks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 apple, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup raisins
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb, sugar, water, raisins and ginger.  Cook at medium heat, covered and stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the fruit has softened. Stir in the salt, cinnamon and cloves.
If you wish to store this chutney, pour it into clean and sterilized jars (run them through the dishwasher) and refrigerate for up to 1 month.  Try this chutney over grilled pork chops or tenderloin for a tangy surprise!

What's your favourite summer veggie?  Leave me a comment, it could be next month's veggie!