I was browsing through the www.TOPS.org
website recently when I noticed they had stress balls for sale (I had never
noticed that particular item before). I
suffer from repetitive strain in my right hand and although a wrist brace has
done wonders for pain and mobility, I thought working a stress ball would help
as well. I thought the fruit inspired
stress balls were cute and at only $2 each, a good buy as well. Instead of just ordering one for me, I ordered
the whole set of seven thinking that I could use them individually as small
prizes for some of the contests we do in our group on a regular basis. Stress balls are foam or gel-filled balls
that provide some resistance to pressure – can reduce stress, with immediate
benefits. www.TOPS.org
is an amazing resource tool for TOPS leader as far as meeting ideas and
inspiration is concerned, and also a great site for members to check out
regularly for new, updates and encouragement.
When my June 2013 issue of TOPS News arrived it included an
article on using the stress balls for health.
The article is by Amy Goldwater, MS and contained some useful
information, so I decided to use it as the topic for my meeting this week.
“According to traditional Chinese medical theory, a person’s
fingers and hands are connected to all the vital organs of the body. Strain from repetitive actions – particularly
phone and computer use – can create muscular soreness and stiffness from the
fingertips to the shoulders” read the first part of the article. Tell me about it, I thought.
The article goes on to say, “Typing, test messaging, playing
sports, and even cooking and driving can wreak havoc on the small muscles of
your fingers, wrists and forearms.
Eventually, wear and tear may lead to more serious conditions like
carpal tunnel syndrome. Stretching and
exercises designed to strengthen these areas can help prevent injury and speed
recovery when damage does occur.
Many doctors recommend the use of stress balls for more than
just stress reduction. They are also an
excellent way to promote stronger wrists.”
I have heard of using stress balls and another foam tool
(one that looks a lot like a pool noodle) to do stress free exercises to help
thing like migraines, shoulder strain, back and hip problems and, leg
issues. Recently there was an author on
“Breakfast Television” promoting her wellness book discussing this very thing. I have been trying to come up with name of
the book, without much success, but if I find it I will definitely mention it
in a follow up post.
The article also quotes a July 2007 study in the Journal of
Hand Therapy focused on using stress balls to combat symptoms of
osteoarthritis. The study noted an increase
in grip strength and dexterity and also a decrease in pain, among those who
used stress balls in physical therapy.
“As always”, the article noted, “be aware, be sensible and
be careful! Hand or wrist strain with
swelling and inflammation, severely impaired basic function, or pain along the
entire side of the body may be signs of serious medical conditions that require
professional attention. As with any
exercise equipment, use stress balls in moderation.”
The article also suggested a meeting idea that sounded
informative and fun at the same time. It
was a simple
game of toss using one of the stress balls (or a tennis call would
do as well). Members would toss the ball
to each other and when someone dropped the ball they had to answer a healthy
eating question. And, WOW, they weren’t
fooling around, some of the questions were tough … especially with the
10-second time limit imposed. I threw in
a couple of general trivia questions, just for fun and to catch people off
guard.
Some examples of the TOPS suggestions were:
·Name five green vegetables
·Name five blue or purple fruits or vegetables
·Name five benefits of exercise
·Name four ways you can add more exercise to your
day
·Name four ways to get motivated
·Name four ways to cut 100 calories
·Name four things you can do to help a
discouraged member feel better
Some of the general trivia questions I added (for fun) were
along the lines of:
·What did Kate and Will name their new baby
·Name three current television reality shows
·Who made the song “Danke Schoen” famous
I’m sure you get the idea.
We are not a large group to begin with and since it’s summer
and some members are on holiday it was even smaller this week. My group did really well with both the toss
and catch (I think some of them definitely played softball in their youth) and with the questions (which was nice, since it meant they were actually listening at
meetings and reading their own TOPS magazines).
By the end, the two remaining members were standing across the room from
each other hurling the orange shaped stress ball through the air.
The winner was allowed to keep the stress ball as a prize.
If you organize any kind of meeting this was fun, and the idea
could certainly be adapted to all kinds of meetings, not necessarily only
weight loss groups. I am keeping one of the stress balls at my desk at work ... who know when I might need to relieve a little stress, and squishing a foam apple is better than eating a chocolate bar!
According to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and
Dietics lunch is the meal most likely to make or break healthy-eating
habits. Women who took the time to
bring a wholesome lunch to work lost an average of five pounds more in a year
than women who ate out (even just once) during the workweek.
Bottom line: Plan ahead!
Pack a lunch! Ditch the pounds!
I admit that my lunching habits are not the best. Since moving locations I do not physically
leave the office for lunch and (thankfully) take out options are limited. I have a kitchenette here and keep it fairly
well stocked with healthy food choices.
But – oh boy – sometimes it is soooo boring!
I came across this at www.chatelaine.com/healthyonthego
and it made my mouth water. Salads are
one of the things that I never bring from home. I don’t like the mess and bother of bringing dressing and if I
dress the salad beforehand it is nothing but a soggy swamp when I want to eat
it. I know there are all kinds of fancy
bowls and things for salads to go, but quite frankly, they all seem like a lot
of trouble.
This looks easy and yummy!
Balsamic Grilled Chicken Salad
Mix dressing:Whisk 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive
oil with 1/4 cup orange juice, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp Dijon and 1/8
tsp salt.
Layer it with:Button mushrooms, quinoa,
blanched asparagus, roast chicken, chopped tomatoes and chopped peppers. Top
with mâche or leaf lettuce. For a vegetarian option, use tofu instead of
chicken.
We've all heard someone say “I've really worked up an
appetite today!” but did you realize that the opposite is actually more
accurate?
A good workout can reduce hunger pangs and cravings. A new study out of Brigham Young University
proves that women who exercised for 45 minutes in the morning had little desire
for food after the workout. The
findings indicate exercise might change how “reward” networks in the brain
react to the sight of food.
As an added bonus, not only did morning cardio reduce hunger
and cravings, it also increased each woman’s activity levels throughout the
day.
Morning? Argggh! Not being a highly effective morning person
this is not good news for me. But the
conundrum is that maybe if I did work out in the morning I could be a better
morning person.
I have also heard conflicting reports on working out in
the mornings … so I am going to take this one as interesting information and
work out according to my own preferences.
You would think that by this stage in my life I would be
able to tell the difference between being really hungry and suffering from a
craving … some days – yes, other days … definitely not.
Hunger is defined as “the physiological need for
food”.
Appetite (craving) is defined as “the psychological desire
for food”.
As with all things in life it’s the desire part that causes
all the problems. The smell of bread or
sweet treats as you walk by your favourite bakery. My undoing (unless I walk really, really fast), the smell from
the Cinnabon® store at the mall. You
are in a social situation where food is abundantly available or an ad comes on
the television for your favourite brand of _____________ (insert name of
favourite snack). Those are all
examples of cravings – appetite caused by outside cues. These can happen at any time, even if you
have just finished a satisfying meal.
Hunger of the mind!
When you are hungry the signs are physical and do not need
any outside stimuli. Your stomach
starts to growl, you may feel light-headed or slightly dizzy, some people feel
weak or develop a headache. Your body
is telling you it needs nourishment.
This sensation will usually arise if you have not eaten for an extended
period of time. Hunger of the body!
For almost everyone, the difference between the two
sensations is difficult to differentiate.
The simplest test is also the most obvious answer. Wait it out.
Cravings will always disappear. To eliminate cravings you need to distract
your mind. Go for a walk, pick up a
book, or call a friend.
Hunger will get worse. Hunger originates in your stomach and then signals to the
hypothalamus in your brain indicating that your body needs fuel. The physical signs are the pangs, growls and
hollow feeling.
A craving asks the question “what can I eat?” For instance a craving for a chocolate chip
cookie can definitely occur even though your stomach is full from the large
salad you just consumed for lunch. No
one needs a chocolate chip cookie! But cravings do not concern themselves with whether you are full
or not, whether your jeans fits or not or, whether your calorie count if going
off the charts. A craving is about the
immediate gratification that comes from salivating, tasting, chewing and
swallowing.
Your environment often influences cravings; you indulge in a
snack while shopping, you are having a coffee with a friend and splurge on a
treat, popcorn at the movies or hot dogs and nachos at the
ballpark. Cravings can come about from learned
behaviour; to relax after work means a drink and snacks with friends, ice cream
is the only cure for a broken heart.
Hunger asks the question “when can I eat?” Hunger is your body telling you that you
need nutrition and nourishment. When
the physical needs are met the hunger is satiated and the feeling goes away,
allowing you to focus on other things.
According to Jennifer Elliot (www.fitnessrepublic.com)
“One of the easiest ways to distinguish between cravings and hunger is to take
a moment to discern whether the need for food is general or specific in
nature. If the need for food is general
in nature, such as you would eat anything so long as it is edible in order to
satisfy your body’s need for nourishment, nutrition and energy, it is true
hunger. However, if you can pinpoint
exactly what you want to eat, such as pizza or cake, or a specific taste such
as salty or sweet then you are probably experiencing a craving.”
Sometimes the line between hunger and cravings is clear and
other times it becomes extremely hazy.
If it is 6 p.m. and you are thinking about pizza for supper … it that a
craving or is it hunger? Are you hungry
because your body needs nutrition or are you hungry because habit tells you that
it’s dinnertime? The bottom line – only
you can truly tell the difference.
Listen to your body and think about some of the other indicators.
Some tips for the next time you have a case of the munchies,
ask yourself the following questions:
1.When was the last time I ate a meal? If it was less than three hours ago you are probably not really
hungry.
2.Could a small, nutritious snack tide you over until your next
meal?
3.Can you drink a glass of water and wait 20 minutes?
Then when you have had your meal, and you still want to
reach for seconds, or into the freezer for the ice cream, or into the cupboard
for a cookie, rate you hunger on the following scale:
0- Ravenously hungry
1- Hungry, tummy
growling
2- Mildly hungry, a
snack would tide you over
3- Satisfied, do not
need to eat any more
4- More than satisfied,
ate too much
5- Stuffed like a
Thanksgiving turkey
Sometimes an acknowledgement to our selves is all it takes
to avoid the temptation of succumbing to a craving.
One of the best pieces of advice I came across in my reading
up on this hunger/craving topic was the following:
“Don’t eat treats
(i.e. chocolate) when you are hungry –
it conditions you
to believe that only treats satisfy hunger”
Like most things when trying to start on a weight loss journey,
or a healthy eating lifestyle, we have to unlearn bad behaviours and adopt good
ones.
New research published in the British Medical Journal found
increasing potassium intake by just three to four grams a day lowers the risk
of stroke in adults by 2%. It reduces
blood pressure, a major factor in causing strokes, without negatively affecting
lipids, hormone levels or kidney function.
Of course, it helps to cut back on the salt too!
The study’s health advice is something you've probably heard
before:
EAT YOUR FRUITS
AND VEGGIES!
Among the many fruits and vegetables that make excellent
sources of potassium are tomatoes, bananas, sweet potatoes, oranges, beets,
kiwis, squash, spinach, avocados and legumes, such as lentils and kidney beans.
(source: The Saturday Sun April 6, 2013)
And guess what else?
You can use strawberries for a whiter smile! Once a week, mix 1 mashed strawberry with ¼ teaspoon of
baking soda, then brush! The
strawberry’s malic acid and the baking soda’s gentle abrasives will lift
surface stains, turning your teeth several shades lighter.
Experts suggest that whiter teeth can make you look up
to five years younger.
Have you ever “accidentally taken” a magazine from a waiting
room?
Come on, you can admit it.
I won’t tell anyone!
I hate to admit it but I did – just the other day.
I usually walk around with a book or my e-reader in my
handbag, but on this day (of course) I did not have either with me. I had occasion to be sitting in a waiting
room and was thumbing through a magazine (Chatelaine April 2013). As I came upon the article that was the
inspiration for this blog entry I was called in to my appointment (of
course). I held the magazine in my hand
as I walked into the office, sat down, rolled up the magazine and tucked it
into my purse as if it were my own. I
would feel guilty but as it turns out I have a return appointment next Tuesday,
so I am going to, just as surreptitiously, return the magazine to the waiting
room.
Hey, it’s better than tearing the pages out and leaving the
rest of the magazine there. I hate it
when people do that because invariably the “continued on” pages of the article
I’m reading was located on the opposite side of the page that has been torn
out.
By now you are probably thinking to yourself, “Enough
already. What was the darn article
about?”
It was titled “Walk While You Work” and it introduced the
idea of ‘treadmill desks”. The tag-line
read, “Melt off that muffin top, add years to your life and clear out your
inbox (without breaking a sweat!) on a treadmill desk – coming soon to an
office near you”. Honestly, it
probably won’t be coming to an office near me anytime in the foreseeable
future. A. My boss would never go for it and B. I am just not coordinated enough to pull that off.
Researchers at Brigham Young University recently linked lack
of exercise with poor work performance and lower productivity of up to 50
percent. (Then again, maybe my boss
would go for it if I showed him those stats?
Nah, I can’t even get him to invest in a new computer right now.) Researchers also linked the health risks
with our increasingly sedentary lifestyle, dubbing it “sitting disease”. Inactivity stresses the heart, clouds
critical thinking and messes with how our bodies process cholesterol, blood
sugar and gats. It can also lead to
diabetes, cancer and premature death.
The good news – a recent study found cutting the time spent
sitting in half can increase life expectancy by two years!
The article goes on to say that 70 percent of us spend six
or more hours a day in a chair. Even
weekly workouts are not enough to offset the damage due to too little
movement. Several studies show that
something as simple as standing for two minutes every 20 minutes can fight the
unhealthy effects of sitting. If you
take a walk break every 20 minutes, the results are immediate: blood pressure
drops, blood sugar stabilizes and the enzyme that helps break up fat in your
bloodstream fires up. After two weeks
you’ll even begin producing more brain cells, particularly those related to
memory and learning.
Now I am the first to admit that I complain about never
having enough time to do everything I have to do, much less carve out a little
bit of time for things I want to do.
But, a treadmill at my desk … I don’t know? … I picture being all sweaty
dealing with customers, being out of breath when I answer the phone, reaching
for something and ending up flying off the back of the treadmill … all sorts of
interesting pictures come to mind and none of them are too flattering.
Apparently the makers of these desk treadmills (www.lifespan.com $999) have factored in my
“klutz factor”. Unlike regular gym
models, treadmill desks max out at just over 6.4 km per hour, so they can run
all day without burning out their motors.
The suggested pace for walking and working at the same time is 1 mph
(1.6 km). This means, say the
manufacturers, that we can “run” a slow moving marathon without even noticing
we’re doing it. Light cardio exercise
boosts the production of feel-good chemicals and lowers levels of stress
hormones.
The result?
The Mayo Clinic says we can burn 800 calories or more a day,
which can translate to weight loss of 15 to 50 pounds in a year. It may also eliminate that afternoon sugar
craving. A simple 15-minute stroll can
cut chocolate cravings in half. The
article claims that because you are moving slowly, it does not interfere with
daily tasks, like tapping out emails or talking on the phone.
Before I go on I need to address that last line with a bit
of a personal note. I have a treadmill
at home and I do enjoy walking on it.
It’s down time – I do not have to think about anything or concentrate on
anything except putting one foot in front of the other. I prefer it to walking outside because it
forces me to maintain a consistent pace (of my own choosing) and there are no obstacles
to worry about (there’s that klutz factor rearing its ugly head again). There are also no weather concerns (okay
that’s a plus/minus point because it also means I can’t use ice and snow as an
excuse not to walk). I listen to music
while I am on the treadmill. I have
mentioned before that I need that thump-thump-thump to keep my feet
moving. I cannot concentrate of
listening to an audio book. I cannot
concentrate on a television program or a movie. Granted I walk faster than 1 mph on my treadmill at home, but if
I can’t even watch a television program how am I supposed to concentrate on
work, or carry on an intelligent telephone conversation or type an email while
I am walking on the treadmill?
I’m not trying to be a Negative Nellie, but for me (and it
is after all my blog) the treadmill desk would not work. It’s an interesting idea and for some (more
coordinated) folks it would definitely be an interesting idea for the
workplace.
My other main concern?
In all the pictures I looked at in the magazine and on line the people
walking/working has these wonderful, well-organized, tidy desktops and apparently no need, what-so-ever, for desk drawers and files.
Mine never looks like that while I am
working.
If, like me, you are not going to have a treadmill desk
delivered anytime soon there are a few other steps you can take to get in a
little exercise and burn off a few calories while at work.
-take the stairs instead of the elevator
-stand up whenever possible, standing burns an extra 56
calories per hour
-walking to a coworkers desk with communications instead of
emailing them burns an extra 12 calories
-if you must sit at your desk and/or in meetings for extended
periods of time try to get up every 20 minutes or so and have a stretch or do a
couple of squats
According to Chatelaine Magazine next year Lifespan plans to
roll out a cycle chair. It would
definitely be a little more stable but for many of the same reasons I stated
above, in my personal situation I don’t think this would work out any better
than the treadmill desk. Besides, with
both the treadmill desk and the cycle chair I have these thoughts of two people
(probably men – sorry!) deciding it would be fun to have a “race”. Under no circumstance would that ever be a
good idea in the office.
Remember a few years ago when fitness and health experts
were suggesting a stability ball instead of a chair at your desk to help
strengthen your core. That was a
non-intrusive addition to the work place.
However, maybe because in my line of work I have occasions throughout
the course of the day where I deal with the public walking in, I could never
get over the “dork” factor. I
envisioned all sorts of ugly scenarios if I tried to get up too quickly.
Yeah –
I think I will stick to doing my workouts in the
privacy of my own home, while constantly
Have I ever mentioned that I hate stepping on a scale?
When you are trying to lose weight the numbers on the scale
tend to become the measure of success or failure. Granted, it is a consistent – the scale is always there waiting
for me to jump on it. I don’t think it
realizes how my feelings about it are very ambivalent. Sometimes it is my friend and sometimes it
is my worst enemy.
Before I go any further I just want to point out that
getting on the scale daily is a routine some people find a good gauge of their
progress. Any more than once a day and
you are setting yourself up for disappointment. I know there are times when I want to jump on the scale every
time I walk into the bathroom, or in the morning just to see if the number is
significantly less than it was the night before. Your weight can fluctuate significantly throughout the day due to
any number of reasons. Having a cup or
two of coffee can make the scale go up as much as two pounds. Your body’s natural cycles, lack of
hydration, lack of sleep and so many more factors can cause a sudden jump in
the numbers. Restrict yourself to once
a day, preferably at the same time every day, but personally, I think once a
week is a more accurate way of weighing yourself. Again, on the same day at about the same time is a good
idea. That’s where the TOPS meetings
are such a good thing for me … same time, same place, same scale.
Yeah, that “same scale” thing is important too. Getting on and off every scale you come
across can make you just a little crazy too.
I know my scale at home, although it is consistent to itself, differs
from the scale at TOPS by seven pounds.
So, if I weigh myself at home I have to add seven pounds onto the number
to determine what the TOPS scale will say.
Needless to say, I like my scale better!
Belonging to TOPS, of course I cannot avoid the scale. Once a week I have to face my enemy and step
up. Granted, the scale is one way to
determine your progress or lack thereof.
But what happens when the scale stops moving or if the numbers start to
creep in the wrong direction.
Truthfully … I tend to get mad at the scale. Is that a sign of being just a little bit unhinged? Maybe I shouldn’t admit that in public? Or, and I hate even mention this or admit to
it, but you can get that “what the heck am I torturing/depriving myself
for when its not even working”. That is
the kind of thinking that leads to binges, which leads to apathy, which leads
to emotional, feeling sorry for yourself eating which leads to weight gain
which leads to the scale not moving at the next weigh-in, which leads to binges
… well you get my point … it’s a vicious circle. I’ve been there and it is a vicious circle I want to avoid!
If the numbers keep getting smaller we are happy and pat
ourselves on the back for doing such a good
job of making choices. If the scale stays the same week after week
(the dreaded plateau!!!) or worse, if the numbers start to creep up again
usually we know why. I admit, I try to
fool myself but usually I can account for it with some chocolate cake or a
total lack of regard for portion control through the week.
But what if you honestly cannot understand the reason for
the non-movement. If your choices were
excellent, you worked out regularly and the damn number still doesn't change?
Be honest, have you really been as good as you think?
If the answer is yes, then it’s time to get motivation,
confirmation and affirmation in other ways.
Of course the most obvious way is to measure. Make a chart, grab a tape measure and write
those numbers down. When you have been
working out and eating properly sometimes your body just needs time to
“readjust”. You may be gaining muscle
because of exercise. That will cause
the scale to stubbornly not budge, but will definitely cause the measurements
to be smaller. Set a day and time …
again same day, same time and same tape measure can be very important. And yes, I know that tape measures SHOULD
all be the same, but trust me … they’re not.
Maybe I just got a dud but I was very shocked once until I compared the
numbers on two different tape measures.
And use a flexible one – the one out of the toolbox won’t work.
So, those are what I’ll call tangible ways of judging your
progress. Ways that you can actually
see and compare in the numbers on the scale or the tape measure.
But what about the less obvious signs that despite the
number on the scale things are happening with your body … the less tangible
signs that you are still on the right track.
Sometimes it takes an “AH-HA” moment to recognize them. They are significant non-the-less.
Getting dressed one morning you pull on a part of pants and
notice that they are not quite as snug as
you remember them to be. Really – is there any better feeling than
that? Or you do up your belt and notice
that the buckle is going one notch further back. That must make you smile.
The best one is when you all of sudden notice that its
easier to put on your socks and tie you shoes.
One day instead of putting your foot up to accomplish those simple tasks
you are bending over to do them … and you didn't even realize it! That’s a time for the happy dance and a pat
on the back. I would go right into the
bathroom and make a rude gesture at the scale!
Those are perfect examples of less obvious signs that you
are doing something right! They are a
little less tangible than lower numbers but still pretty powerful in keeping
you motivated to continue what you are doing.
And then there are the even less noticeable rewards of
healthy eating and exercise. The ones
that truly sneak up on you without realizing:
You've
gone to a buffet dinner and without consciously thinking about it made
good choices and
avoided the dessert table.
You
were watching a movie and didn't indulge in any junk food AND you didn't
really miss it.
You
were shaving your legs in the shower and surprisingly noticed a strange
bump … your calf muscle when you flexed.
It’s
easier to walk up the stairs.
You
eat more vegetables and drink more water without thinking about it.
Your
rings fit looser.
You
feel the need to increase the reps or distance when you are exercising.
You
have more endurance.
You
wake up rested instead of still feeling tired.
Your
knees don’t hurt any more.
You've
lost most of your cravings for sweets.
The
seats in the movie theatre feel just a little less snug around your hips.
You
think nothing of walking to the corner store for the newspaper instead of
hopping in the car.
You
reach for a bottle of water instead of pop without realizing it.
And …
When
you are struggling with the scale and thinking that it’s all been a waste
of time, is there any better feeling than having someone walk up to you
and ask “wow, have you lost weight?”
Besides …
Think
of all the money you’ll save on your water bill. After all, when your clothes are smaller you can get that
many more into the washing machine to make up one load.
If you have really hit a plateau, change up your eating and
exercise habits. Maybe your body is in
a rut and needs a wake up call to get moving in the right direction again. The scale is an excellent tool for tracking
weight loss but if you can focus on non-scale victories (and you can no
doubt think of many, many more that I haven’t even mentioned here)
eventually that pesky scale will catch up to you.
The scale likes to think it is the end all and be all of
weight loss, but remember if its something as huge as walking 20 minutes longer
on the treadmill, as rewarding as one notch tighter on your belt or as simple
as one extra glass of water a day …
I received my weekly email from www.kraftcanada.com yesterday and they
had some recipes for Cobb salads highlighted.
With the weather being so warm these salads looked very appetizing and
refreshing. I didn’t have all the
ingredients to make one for dinner last night, but I am off to the grocery
store today and will definitely pick up what I need to make one tonight. The tough decision is going to be which one
to try first.
California Cobb Salad
8 cups torn Boston Lettuce
8 fresh asparagus spears, trimmed, blanched
½ lb. (225 g) cooked, cleaned medium shrimp
1 avocado, chopped
2/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
6 Tbsp. Refrigerated Pure Kraft Ranch Dressing
Cover the platter with lettuce
Top with the next 5 ingredients
Drizzle with dressing
Note: you should be able to get 8 cups torn lettuce from 1
head of Boston lettuce.
Probably because I am trying to be focused on dieting and
healthy eating any article promising to make the journey a little easier
catches my attention. Often the
articles are a worthwhile read and sometimes they are just too interesting not
to share. When I saw that experiments
were successfully being completed in the 3D printing of “designer food” I had
to read the article. It tickled my
funny bone and my imagination so of course I had to share. If nothing else, it certainly falls under
the heading of “random thoughts”.
In 1970 Alvin Toffler wrote and published a book called
“Future Shock”. The premise of the book
was basically “Too much change in too short a period of time”. People of my mother’s generation, for
instance, were more than likely born into households that did not have
electricity and quite possibly no indoor plumbing (my mother was 1920’s rural,
eastern European). Not only did these
people see running water, indoor plumbing and electricity introduced into their
everyday lives, but also the mass production of automobiles, air travel and the
moon landing. That’s a lot for people
to accept. Mr. Toffler maintained in
his book that the accelerated rate of technological and social change left
people disconnected and suffering from “shattering stress and
disorientation”. He popularized the
term “information overload”.
My mother is really the only meter I have to judge the
premise, and looking back, the changes and innovations that took place during
the 6+ decades of her life were truly astounding.
Although she readily embraced many modern conveniences she
also rejected many because, I believe, she just couldn’t wrap her thought
processes around them or the need for them.
She learned to drive when she was in her forties (so I know she embraced
automobiles), she enjoyed television and movies and welcomed the convenience of
keeping in touch by telephone so obviously she adapted well. To the day she died she would not admit to believing
that man walked on the moon. Me? … I’m
on the fence on that one. Some of the
smaller technologies, well, she steadfastly held on to her tried and true way
of doing things. Although loath to admit it, looking back now, I think she was
right in some instances. I, more often
than not, chop my veggies with a knife and cutting board because I KNOW it’s
faster than hauling out the food processor and fiddling with the damn
thing. It’s also a much easier
cleanup. One cutting board plus one
knife to be washed and I’m done – the food processor is a bitch to clean
properly! I do not own a bread
maker. I find it can be somehow
therapeutic to knead the dough and shape it into loaves that smell heavenly
when they are baking. Admittedly, I do
not make homemade bread on a regular basis (for those who do, no doubt the
bread maker is a god-send) so at my house the bread is a “treat” and worth the
extra effort.
When I look at the time frame of the original “Future Shock”
theory it rather amuses me. Mr.
Toffler’s book discusses future shock in terms of “super-industrial” change
that took place over the course of decades.
Decades!
Let me tell you I am in FUTURE SHOCK right now! Never mind change over the course of decades
… or even years. Every time I look at a
news article or magazine cover I see something that I can’t quite wrap my
simple little mind around. And, it
seems to be on an almost daily basis. Daily!
The first I heard about the concept of 3D printers was on
“The Big Bang Theory” … it was amusing.
Then I saw an episode of “Law and Order” (or possibly “CSI”)
in which someone printed a 3D gun … the thought was frightening! But I made that annoying “pfffft” sound and
went about my life thinking that 3D printers were well into the sci-fi future.
Pardon me while I take a little side path in my narrative
here (I promise it will all make sense in a minute).
I do not generally read sci-fi but I am rather invested in
the “In Death” series by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts). The books take place in the not too distant
future and to Ms. Robb/Roberts’ credit she has come up with some believable yet
futuristic inventions of the imagination; flying cars (which are now being
developed … you can Google it), privacy screens, lots of fancy police
investigation type stuff, really cool tech type stuff, household droids and my
favorite – the “Autochef”. Now the
Autochef is an appliance that I imagine looks much like a microwave/convection
oven that you can program for freshly prepared meals. For instance, if I have a craving for pasta, one daughter has a
craving for prime rib and one daughter has a craving for lobster tails (and
mine most certainly would) I could just program each meal into the AutoChef and
presto-chango out pops everyone’s meal, ready to eat. I would not mind have one of those gadgets around the house. But like the 3D printed gun I once again
made that annoying “pfffft” noise and thought to myself “yeah, right, not in my
life time”.
I really need to stop making that noise because the
3D printer is very much here, albeit probably out of normal household reach for
most people $$-wise, and it does print plastic replicas of yourself like it did
on Big Bang Theory – still amusing. And
it does print guns – still scary. It
also prints almost anything else that imagination can program into a computer. Things like car parts, bicycles, a YouTube
video claims it can print a house in 20 hours, prosthetic limbs (very cool!!),
artificial body parts (made from live cells, very, very cool!!) and, are you
ready for it? – Food.
The AutoChef has arrived!
Okay, I’m back on track now.
A company called Systems
& Material Research Corporation has just been given a $125,000 grant from NASA to create a “universal food synthesizer” for the 3D printing of food. NASA believes a machine like Anjan Contractor’s, a mechanical engineer, could help to feed astronauts on long space flights where traditional foods will not keep. In the future, this machine may also allow restaurants and dieters to customize food to meet certain nutritional counts and taste preferences. (www.huffingtonpost.com)
According to Huffington Post’s Bianca Bosker, instead of eating a quarter of a
donut to cut calories, you instead might be able to buy a whole pastry from the
corner deli, then watch the donut 3D printed before your eyes – with one
quarter the calories and just he right amount of fiber to bring you up to your
daily minimum. Now you’ve got my
attention!
Jeffrey Lipton is a
doctorial student at Cornell University’s Creative Machines Lab. He heads the Fab@Home project and admits that at this time “the commercial
technology lies in creating customized novelty food and, further down the line,
quick meals tailored to nutritional needs”.
Lipton goes on to state “I think the appeal will be, ‘Can I automate my
dinner at home? Can I make a birthday
cake with a name written across ever slice on the inside?”
“Novelty foods will be
where food printing starts”. With the
help of Chef David Arnold of the French Culinary Institute Lipton and his
colleagues at Cornell have experimented with printing food. So far, their project included a cookie with
the Cornell ‘C’ embedded within it and sea scallops shaped like the space
shuttle. (www.newsdaily.com)
The lab succeeded in
printing what Lipton calls “data driven cookies”, He and his colleague,
Hod
Lipson (those two names in the same lab must
make for some interesting conversations)each compiled
information about their height, weight, body mass index, daily schedule and
caloric deficit for the day, then used 3D printers to print two cookies that
each accounted for 10 percent of their respective caloric deficits.
“They are both the same
size cookies,” explained Lipton, “but composed of different ingredients based
on our nutritional requirements.”
Nutritionally correct
designer food!
In the future, Lipton
hopes this technology can make meals healthier while also keeping them simple. “The basic issue is enforcement of
diet. Somewhere between picking up the
kids at school and running around, your diet plan goes from making dinner at
home to ‘let’s get McDonald’s’” Lipton envisions a system that uses 3D
printing to quickly produce meals based on data that describes someone’s daily
activity, diet, metabolic requirements, medical conditions, etc. “Everything could be used to tweak the meal
to be a little better.”
To date four large food
companies are experimenting with 3D printed food to develop new edibles. The future of this technology will
definitely be geared towards people with strict dietary regimes such as weight
loss, pregnancy or the elderly.
There are a few drawbacks
to printing food. The printing process
works by building the food from the ground up, layer by layer. This means that the printer is limited to
using products that can be squeezed out through a syringe. The work focuses on developing flavors and
textures that work in the printer.
“Anything can taste like anything”.
Build a nutritionally correct and healthy cheeseburger and it may not be
ground beef, cheese and bread that you are actually getting. The mind boggles as to what it may actually
contain?
Since NASA is
funding a not insignificant part of the research they are looking for food that
will withstand the rigors of long-term space travel. This means food has to have an expiration date far, far, far into
the future. This results in some
creativity in developing those tastes and textures Lipton was talking
about. Could astronauts on future trips
watch a pizza being printed for their dinner?
Quite possibly, if they did not mind the “protein layer” (the cheese)
being derived from some form of ground up and manipulated insects.
At this point in time
Lipton admits, “It will be a long time before it is refined for wider
consumption.”
Of course, the food out of
the printer is not cooked in any way – you still have to take care of that part
of it yourself. It’s a pretty
intriguing concept for meal preparation, alas, it’s not quite the AutoChef I
was so excited about.
Cool refreshing drinks and staying on a healthy eating plan
do not always go hand in hand. But I
believe that one should not deny oneself the simple pleasures. When I came across this recipe in Woman’s
World (I think I owe them a nod since I bashed their covers so badly in a
previous post) I knew I had to try it.
Honeydew melons are available throughout the whole year, but
we all know that sometimes when you buy them “off season” they can be just a
piece of green, fleshy fruit without a lot of flavour. Honeydew can be the sweetest of all the
melons and honeydew is at its peak in July (as are most melons).
Honeydew (and most melons) is a good source of vitamins, a
delicious treat and great for calorie counting because they are naturally sweet
and have very high water content. I
generally like the satisfaction and gratification of chewing my calories, but I also like a smooth, creamy treat every once in a while. This Honeydew smoothie recipe seems to hit
the mark on all counts.
Honeydew Smoothie
2 cups of melon, rind and seeds removed
1 mint leaf, torn
½ cup vanilla yogurt
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup ice
Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until frothy.
A handy honeydew tip:
To pick the sweetest specimen, look for a golden rind
with freckles – that’s a sign of the sugar coming through.
Has multi-tasking always been a part of our lives? It seems to me that the more “conveniences”
we have the more we try to accomplish all at one time. I can remember my mother having certain days
to complete certain tasks. Laundry was
done on Thursdays … no ifs, ands, or buts about it. There was no “throwing a pair of jeans in the washer” because you
wanted to wear them the next day, mostly because we had a wringer washer and a
clothesline instead of a dryer. (Boy I
am dating myself here) Groceries were
done on Fridays and baking was done on Saturdays … I’m sure you get the
picture. And, my mother was a working
mom.
I know that my lunch hours at work are often not so much
about getting a real lunch as they are about getting a few errands done … a
trip to library to pick up a book, or running into the bank. I have often resorted to eating lunch in the
car on the way back to the office. Not
only is this a dangerous driving habit, but as it turns out, it is a dangerous eating habit too.
A recent study at Cornell University suggest that women who
stop puttering and truly focus on what they’re eating – even if they down their
meal in only five minutes – cut their calorie intake by 22%.
Concentrating on the taste and texture of food helps your
brain’s satiety center closely monitor how full you are getting, so it send “STOP
EATING” signals sooner.
