the sponsored body

"Wardrobe by Ralph Lauren. Body by Phentermine."


Who Cares?

Am I the only one who is getting sick of these pretentious advertisements that feel the need to tell us what clothes some Hollywood debutante is wearing, or what miracle drug she took to squeeze into them?

Why does America care so much? Haven't we been around marketing spin long enough to realize that buying the same products as the rich and famous isn't going to transform us to their level? Who are these morons that prefer to live vicariously through some airbrushed model on the sun-tempered coast?

I'd like to say that I have hope for the future; that our own children will evolve from this state of self-loathing and try to live up to their full potential, unshackling themselves from the ridiculous chains of high fashion and "taste". But I'd be lying. When I look around, I see children who are nothing more than clones of their confused parents. Their mommy wants designer clothes, so they must have them too. Daddy buys the latest techno-crap, and will eventually pass it down to his son. A true (micro) chip off th old block.

Sorry, I guess I'm in a mood today, but occasionally I see an advertisement that just sets me off. Somebody pass the soma. I promise to behave...

the diarrhea diet

I was recently reading about a new "miracle" diet pill that basically forces the body to have diarrhea all the time. I don't know about you, but I what I ant to know is what is the point of losing weight, if you're stuck in a bathroom stall and nobody can see it? Honestly, I think this stuff is ridiculous, and a perfect example of what is wrong with our image-obsessed society. Rather than trying to lose weight via miracle diet pills or whatever is being hailed this week as the quickest fat burner, why the heck can't people just take a walk? Why can't people try and eat a little healthier?

I've heard all the excuses..."I don't know how to cook something healthy. I don't have any time to exercise. I drink diet soda." When all it really takes is some moderation and light exercise. Now I understand that some individuals may be predisposed to retaining weight, due to genetics or even environmental factors. But that doesn't mean that they have to totally give up on the idea of eating healthy. And there's no reason why anyone should have to opt for some mega-vitamin dietary supplement to get their intake of popular "super-foods".

I'm a guy. I'm not supposed to be the one who cooks in my family, if you believe in traditional gender stereotypes. But I do. I cook more than my wife, and (for the most part) I think I do pretty good at it. So I see it as my responsibility to provide something healthy for my family to eat. It beats depending on a bunch of flavor-of-the-week dietary supplements to take care of potential weight problems.

weighing one's options

We've been living without a bathroom scale for some time now. And honestly, we don't really miss it. The only times we do is when I'm looking to ship a big package in the mail, and my small postal scale can't handle it. I used to use our bathroom scale to weigh heavier packages by weighing myself with the box, then without, and computing the difference.

One of the reasons that we got rid of our bathroom scale in the first place was that we were tired of assessing our self-image based on a number. My wife has struggled in the past with fluctuating weight gain and loss, and a scale would only intensify her anguish. Instead, we do our best to exercise as regularly as possible, and determine weight changes based on the fit of our clothing.

The other reason why we ditched our scale was because we didn't have room for it, and didn't really like the way that it looked. That may seem petty, but when you strive for a certain decor, the last thing you want is a bug ugly scale sitting in the corner of the bathroom that looks like it fell out of a time machine from the late eighties. The only "nice" looking bathroom scales at the time were expensive, and we couldn't see ourselves spending more than $20 for one. These days, you can find them in nearly any color, shape, and style from specialty shops like Scales Etc. but you're still going to pay more than $20 for it. Of course, the technology has changed quite a bit and many scales now provide more than just weight information. Some can even equate body fat and water percentages. And they do look better.

Knowing one's weight can be useful as long as you don't get obsessed about it. I just don't like the idea of living by a number on a scale.

no definitive diet

I've been reading Thoreau's Walden and it turns out that he is another supporter of the vegetarian movement. We tried vegetarianism for about a year, and eventually returned to eating meat. Although we're not the biggest steak eaters, I can't seem to live without seafood and chicken. Part of that is my Southern upbringing. I grew up on lots and lots of seafood, so you could say that it is part of my heritage.

Even if you don't believe in vegetarianism for ethical reasons, there are lots of arguments that have been presented on the case of meat being very unhealthy for us. Let's face it - it is probably the largest source of fat intake for us. What's strange is that most of the dietary information that has been presented is often debated. In this day and age, you would think that there would be scientific evidence by now that could inform us of the best diet possible for longevity and fitness.

Sure, there's always the four food groups, or what is now the food pyramid. But if these are the best cases of nutritional guidance, how do we explain the cases of old age in other countries? I have heard of numerous accounts of 100+ year-old women from Mongolia or China, for example, who claim that their secret is a cigar and a glass of vodka each day. How do we explain these seemingly contradictory examples? The Asian culture is not only known for their longevity, but also for their age-defying appearance. Marketers have been attempting to tap into these secrets of Oriental youth preservation for years. From green tea to anti wrinkle cream, the Western world is obsessed with looking their best, while we fill the insides of our bodies with fast food, junk food, and fat food.

So we do we continually try to invent and mass-market health band-aids, instead of pinpointing the best diet that will lead to both longevity and our best looks? My guess is that the answer to that riddle lies within natural moderated food intake, which doesn't jive with our American lifestyle and doesn't offer as much profit as the steroid-infused produce and supplements that form the bulk of our current diet.

of heritage and health food

Last year, we tried to go vegetarian. We were getting frustrated with the rising cost of meat, and had seen a rather disturbing DVD presented by PETA. We had also found ourselves stuck behind a number of Tyson chicken trucks on the highway while commuting around town, and decided that we didn't want to part of the maltreatment of animals problem. Our meatless binge lasted about a year.

What really brought me back to being a carnivore was seafood. I could handle not eating hamburgers and steak very often, but fish and other forms of seafood have always been a favorite, if not a staple of my diet. Since I grew up in the deep-fried South, my diet consisted of deep-fried seafood at a young age. Although I have traded the deep-fried for boiled as I have grown older, I still can't seem to let it go. This got me thinking...

Does our heritage influence not only our cultural beliefs, but our health (by way of diet) as well? Do natives of Kansas City (and other BBQ meccas) find it impossible to abstain from ribs and brats? Can Texans switch to vegetarian tex-mex cuisine? Can Southern New Orleanians ditch their spicy seafood specials in lieu of wheat germ and alfalfa sprouts? I'm convinced that there must be a better way.

One trend that I ran across recently is the "superfoods" trend. These are natural ingrediants that provide more than just basic nutrients. They've got essential anti-oxidants and metabolic benefits unknown in other food groups. Some of the more accessible (and affordable) superfoods include garlic, barley, and cayenne pepper. So I've been trying to include them in my recipes when possible. Garlic is a no brainer that can be added to most ethnic cuisines, from Italian, Indian, and Mexican meals to almost any Asian stir fry. The kids don't seem to mind it either. barley can often be substituted for rice or beans in certain dishes. Cayenne is a bit trickier, since a little bit goes a long way.

For the cooking-challenged, there are supplement products like Orovo, which combine ingredients from the superfoods into yet another miracle pill.

Personally I'm going to stick to my home-cooking and try to be more creative to include more superfoods into my recipes. I'm also going to try and cut down on meat intake when possible, although my Southern heritage prevents me from eliminating seafood entirely. It's not that I simply don't want to give up seafood - I also want to pass the recipes and culture down to my own children. These things are very important to me, especially in the ephemeral society that we now live in.

tools for a calorie arsonist

It's not everyday that I rave about a fitness site, as most of them are pretty cheesy and they charge you for information that is freely available in many places on the net. (They are also generally geared towards women.) However, one site that I recently ran across has got me excited. The service is free, and only requires a simply sign-up to get into the "members" section. They offer a free calorie counter and guidelines on starting and maintaining your very own personal fitness program. Honestly, I don't know if I will get that involved, but there are two tools that I wanted to point out that I am playing around with right now, and they are super-cool. You don't have to sign-up or sign-in to use them, either.

The first is a calorie, carb and nutrition search tool that you can access by clicking on the "Search Foods" tab. You simply pick the type of food in question and it gives you the info you need.

The other tool that I was even more excited to see provides you with calorie burning details for different types of exercise. It too me a second or two to figure out how it works. Click on the "Calories Used" tab, then select a type of exercise from the list. Then enter the amount of time you plan on performing that exercise in the lower right hand corner, and it will estimate how many calories you will burn. I thought it was neat that they even had things like backpacking and skateboarding listed.

Since I spend so much of my time sitting at a desk, I haven't been getting out as often as I would like to exercise. using these tools can give me an idea of my calorie intake, and help me to select certain types of exercise that i have time for that will burn the amount of calories that I need to in the limited time that I have.