Everything In Moderation?

People often fall back into the comforting arms of the old saying "everything in moderation." On first blush it seems reasonable, but on further examination it makes little sense. I won't be ridiculous and talk about eating really nasty stuff, but if you liked to eat laundry detergent no amount would be OK.

Most of the stuff you need to avoid in any amounts are the "foods" from fast food places, processed crap, and fried foods. Most of these include an out of proportion amount of saturated fats. You need some saturated fats for normal body operations, but if you are the average woman on a 1600 calorie diet that amount is less than 10 grams per day. One chicken breast fried with the skin on averages 5 grams of saturated fat and 18 grams overall not to mention 850 milligrams of sodium.

If you choose chicken fried with the skin off it is about half the fat but the sodium remains over 700 milligrams. Unfortunately even the rotisserie chickens have 3.5 grams of saturated fat per serving because they are cooked with the skin on.

If you bake the chicken breast with the skin removed the saturated fat drops under 1 gram. That is the way to moderate your intake.

I like to grill my chicken with the skin and bone removed. To save time cooking you can also pound it to 1/2 inch thickness then grill it for 3 minutes a side then let it rest covered in foil for a couple of minutes before serving.

I now only buy organic chicken. That way I avoid hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and genetically modified feed.

Exercise:

So far this week Athena and I have been out twice on our 6.7 mile route and have been over 4.8 MPH average both times. When we were in Yosemite I found a wide mesh belt. I loop her leash onto the belt and wear it a little higher than my waist. That way I get to move my arms and she can keep a little pace pressure on the entire time.

Recipe:

I made a bunch of pesto and portioned it and froze it. The other day I steamed some short grain brown rice and cooked some of the Truroots Sprouted Bean Trio. I mixed the rice and beans in pretty equal amounts, added some red onion and a medium tomato and then tossed it all with the pesto. It was really good and works as a bowl of warm food or added cold on a green salad as well.

It's nice when things that are good for you are great tasting as well.

More soon...