Carole Carson

The Bareable Lightness of Being a Thinner Me

When I stepped on the bathroom scale, I saw the numbers racing upward—153—168—174—before stopping at 183 pounds. I was shocked at the number. The word “flabbergasted” took on new meaning.

Then the scale broke. My options were limited: either I was way too short (5 feet 1 inch) for my weight or I was fat and seriously out of shape.

I interpreted the broken scale as an unmistakable message from the Universe. Alone, naked and mortified, I looked up at the ceiling and said aloud, “I get it.” In that instant, I knew it was time to get fit and lose weight. Little did I know that in the six-month process of losing 63 pounds, I would lighten my spirit far more than my body. The more weight I lost, the more self-respect I gained. In the course of getting fit, I found thinner peace.

When I dropped the surplus pounds encasing me, I slipped out of the chains that were holding me back and raced toward my life’s work. Stepping out in an entirely new way, I began writing, speaking and encouraging others to adopt healthier habits. When I offered to help neighbors and friends get fit and lose weight in my small northern California community, I was surprised when over a thousand people showed up for our first meeting. Even more amazing, we lost four tons in eight weeks.

Having found my voice, I’ve since written four books and hundreds of articles on fitness (the Wall Street Journal dubbed me “An Apostle for Fitness”), and I serve as the coach for the AARP Fat 2 Fit online community. How ironic that the lighter my body is, the larger my presence.

When I decided to lose weight and get fit, could I have imagined what the future would hold? Never in my wildest dreams!

Given this life-transforming experience, I was eager to talk to Dr. Judith Rich, a well-known teacher in the field of transformation and consciousness. I wanted to quiz her about the relationship between spiritual and physical well-being. My questions and her responses follow.

Q. Does caring for our physical bodies trigger an impulse to care for our spiritual self?

A. Here in the West, we tend to think of body, mind and spirit as three distinct entities. The mind is the seat of thought that resides in the head and functions separately from the rest of the body. Yet Eastern traditions teach that the body is the mind and vice versa. I tend to see the concept of self this way. In this context then, taking care of the body is one way of expressing love for one’s higher or spiritual self.

Q. Is getting fit and losing weight a challenge and difficulty that we can use to help us grow?

A. Undoubtedly! Anytime we stretch ourselves beyond our expectations, we grow. In the process, we empower ourselves by building courage, gaining self-confidence and learning to trust in our abilities.

What is Your Dangerous Idea?

What do you believe but cannot prove? What is your dangerous idea? What are you optimistic about?

These intriguing questions are the subjects of books whose author, John Brockman, challenges our thinking about almost everything. Each is a collection of essays from some of the smartest people on the planet. When exposed to the innovative thinking in the essays, I remind myself that ideas once considered radical, even heretical, in one century are widely accepted in the next. If nothing else, reading the essays stretches my imagination.

So what’s my dangerously radical idea?

My idea is that just as obesity is contagious, so is getting and staying fit. Becoming fit can be a fun-filled, lifelong adventure. I cannot prove this idea, although I can offer evidence in support of it.

When I chronicled my own fitness and weight-loss efforts and told the stories of others who had undertaken similar efforts, residents in our small community took notice.

When I issued an invitation in the local newspaper to join a weight-loss program, over 1,000 people showed up. Each week attendance grew, until we had over 200 teams. We lost nearly 4 tons in 8 weeks. From my perspective, that phenomenon demonstrated the truth of my idea.

Our local experiment triggered the next question: Will this idea spread? The increasing number of community weight-loss programs springing up across the country is a good sign.

According to an article by Michael Shermer in the September 2007 issue of Scientific American, several elements are needed for a movement or an idea to gain acceptance:

1. The idea takes a stand for something, not against something, and is based on a positive assertion.

2. The idea uses an intelligent, rational approach to tackle myths and raises consciousness and awareness.

3. The idea embraces the uniqueness of self and others, and it requires us to respect each other.

4. The idea encourages exploration, experimentation and a sense of adventure.

If I look at my idea for these characteristics, I think it passes the test.

First, my idea does not argue against obesity, poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles; rather, it asserts that getting fit can be fun, educational and enjoyable.

Second, my idea challenges the myth that losing weight involves dieting, deprivation and boring exercise—all requiring heroic amounts of willpower and discipline. It also challenges the myth that weight is inevitably regained. Instead, my idea is based on rational decisions about what and how much healthy, satisfying food to eat each day and how many hours to devote each week to fun-filled exercise.

Third, my idea acknowledges that the path to fitness is unique for every person, depending upon his or her age, size and time of life. Given that “one size does not fit all,” my idea requires respect for others’ choices.

And fourth, my idea asserts that the pursuit of fitness involves exploring new foods, experimenting with different exercises and learning new, healthful habits. The journey to fitness is a personal adventure.

Is my idea taking hold? I don’t know. But what I do know is that I’m having lots of fun promoting fitness and hope that more people will adopt the radical idea that getting fit is contagious and fun! (539)

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Dubbed “An Apostle for Fitness” by the Wall Street Journal, Carole Carson is the author of From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction, which chronicles her own 62-pound weight loss and the Nevada County Meltdown. Visit www.fromfat2fit.com for more information.

Breaking Out of Our Spiritual Jail: Weight Loss Lightens Our Spirits as Well as Our Bodies

When we make changes toward a healthier lifestyle—losing weight and exercising regularly—not only do our bodies respond positively in measurable ways (reduced blood pressure, lowered cholesterol, greater strength and increased flexibility) but our spirits soar as well. We break out of a spiritual jail. These feelings are the little "proofs" that we are headed in the right direction when we focus on becoming FIT:

F = Free: We are able to fly through life because we are free from the dead weight of remorse. When we feel bad about excess weight or about being a slug, our spirits are grounded. When we lose weight and become fit, we sprout wings and become more creative, energetic and positive. Unencumbered by guilt about not taking care of our bodies, we give up swimming in peanut butter. We have a lot more fun and feel fortunate that we found the key to our personal jail.

I = Inspired: We are inspired to become our unique selves—more centered and more confident of who we are and of what our purpose is. We become more intuitive and, at the same time, more informed as research on the impact of healthful eating and exercise confirms our decision to lead a healthier lifestyle. Our enthusiasm inspires others.

T = Transformed: Those of us who have lost weight commonly become unrecognizable. That is, we have transformed ourselves or reinvented ourselves as different people. We have triumphed over earlier limitations; our joy is apparent in our walk, talk and manner. Like an addict who has broken free of a destructive habit, we have escaped spiritual slavery and rejoined the productive members of our society.

Having been blessed with a second chance at life, we eagerly share that opportunity with others. Instead of dying with our potential untouched, we allow our lives to take off in the direction they were always intended to go.

Buff on the Outside, Genetically Altered on the Inside

From time to time, I find myself struggling to maintain my weight loss. I can gain five pounds without even trying. When this happens, I must quickly resume my careful regimen so I can drop back to my target weight range.

After five years of conscious effort, I confess to a certain longing for a magical solution.

Isn’t there a pill we could safely take that would help us shed pounds? Or curb an unmanageable appetite? Isn’t there a way to turn fat into sleek muscle without the time and effort of exercising?

You know the expression “Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it”? Perhaps to our detriment, our wish may come true as a result of genetic tinkering.

Nicholas D. Kristof, a New York Times columnist, reported on a research breakthrough that could change the form of warm-blooded species, including humans.

Kristof writes about recent advances in genetic engineering of cattle in which scientists have genetically blocked the production of myostatin, a substance that curbs muscle growth. The result is overmuscled cows without a speck of fat—all without exercising.

The cows look like what Arnold Schwarzennegger would look like if he were from the bovine species. For your own peek at the future, you can look at Belgian Blues here. The photograph would be laughable if the implications weren’t so serious.

When the same genetic engineering was tried on mice, an increase of 15-30 percent in size was noted. Also importantly, the middle-aged, overmuscled mice didn’t lose strength as they aged.

The genetic research was originally intended to help two groups—persons suffering from muscular dystrophy and seniors suffering from weakened muscles as a result of aging.

But once genetic engineering becomes available, do any of us believe it will be limited to those two groups? If steroids are a problem, imagine how the availability of genetic engineering would affect sports. Monday Night Football would become a contest between giants.

Wouldn’t it be tempting to undergo a painless procedure and bypass a lifetime regimen of eating carefully and exercising regularly?

Wouldn’t men find the magic solution hard to resist, given our culture’s emphasis on masculine strength? I’d like to think I wouldn’t succumb to a quick fix, but I’m not certain that I wouldn’t.

The implications for future generations stagger the imagination. Would overmuscled athletes be the norm and people who refuse to change their genetics be freaks? With two-thirds of us being overweight, we currently suffer numerous medical problems. Would those medical problems lessen if the majority of us were trim giants? Or would we create other problems?

Kristof describes a boy who, through an accident of nature, has the human form of the Belgian Blues genetic mutation. At age four, the boy is already setting records for weightlifting with his extraordinary muscling.

Where will the genetic tinkering stop? Probably not with the human race. Wouldn’t we want supersized chickens so eggs would be larger? Wouldn’t we want bigger pigs so hams would double in size? Wouldn’t sheep be supersized so farmers could harvest more wool?

We all know what happened to the tomato when it was reengineered genetically. Commercial tomatoes are thick skinned and frequently tasteless. Would human genetic engineering produce the same unsatisfactory result?

Spared by advancing age the opportunity to tinker with my own genes or alter in utero the genes of my offspring, perhaps I am better off than I know. Given my ambivalence, I don’t even have any useful advice for the next generation.

At least for the foreseeable future, for better or worse, I’m stuck with eating carefully and exercising regularly. To quote Popeye, “I’yam what I’yam.”

New Rx for Fitness—Diet, Exercise and Prayer?

Is faith a factor in promoting good health? Is prayer good medicine? Research scientists are confirming the formerly radical notion that prayer positively affects health, although the reason why remains a mystery. Researchers are not seeking to verify a deity. Instead, they are measuring the impact of prayer on patients in controlled studies.

In studies at numerous medical centers, prayer and faith have been shown to speed recovery from depression, alcoholism, surgery, drug addiction, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, heart attacks and bypass surgery. Studies have also shown that persons who pray have lower blood pressure and healthier immune systems than those who don’t pray.

In one study at Dartmouth Medical Center, one of the best predictors of survival among 232 heart-surgery patients was the degree to which the patient drew comfort and strength from religious faith and prayer.

In another six-year study of 4,000 men and women at Duke University, researchers found the risk of dying for persons who frequently attended religious services was 46 percent lower than for those who did not. Taking care of our physical selves by eating carefully and exercising combined with caring for our spiritual selves by praying regularly seems to be the current prescription for good health.

Maybe Reverend Paul S. Deever of Kansas was right when he said: “Prayer may be the Internet of the soul reaching around the world.” (198)

Sources: Dr. Larry Dossey, author of Prayer is Good Medicine; Dr. Dale Matthews, author of The Faith Factor; and Dianne Hales, “Can Prayer Really Heal?” Parade magazine, March 23, 2003

Soul Food—The Weigh to Thinner Peace

When we’re focused on waist management, sooner or later we must address the question of why we consume more calories than our bodies burn on any given day.

Our environment is a minefield. We have continuous access to quick meals from fast-food restaurants. Refrigerators at home and vending machines at work are stuffed with a variety of temptations. Adding a sedentary job and a disinclination to exercise regularly could explain those extra pounds.

I don’t think, however, our environment is the underlying reason so many of us are overweight. As Shakespeare wrote, “The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars but in ourselves.”

Were I to categorize my overeating, I’d begin with recreational eating. How fun it is to dine out with friends and enjoy a special meal. And I found that vacation eating is a kissing cousin to recreational eating.

“How can I resist,” I ask myself, “the hula pie?” I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve researched which restaurant serves the best. I’ve spent hours hiking, ocean bobbing and playing tennis, so I should be able to eat what I want, right?

Another favorite is convenience eating—as I’m running errands, I realize I’m starved and buy whatever is handy at whatever store is nearby.

Comfort eating is also high on my list. Items in this category include my favorite foods, like garlic mashed potatoes and homemade bread.

Preventive eating is also important—that is, I’m about to go out the door and realize I won’t be home for several hours. I’m not hungry, but I think I’d better eat something just in case I get hungry. How crazy is that rationalization?

Craved foods represent a particular temptation. Nothing calls my name as loudly as chocolate-covered raisins sitting in a jar on top of the refrigerator do. And I can’t forget starvation eating which occurs when I exercise heavily, go too long between meals and become hungry enough to “eat a horse.”

My most common mistake, though, is to eat for energy. Geneen Roth, a regular contributor to Prevention magazine, asserts that “rest is a basic human need, like food and sleep and touch.” I run myself ragged, thinking I’ll rest when I get everything done. That moment, of course, never comes. Instead, to keep going, I fight fatigue with food.

Geneen recommends an alternative approach—to become a “steady rester.” Her approach requires us to give up the notion that each moment must be spent accomplishing something worthwhile.

Geneen also suggests borrowing the McDonald’s slogan You Deserve a Break Today. But she suggests a nonfood break-taking time to relax, putter, experience stillness or gaze out the window. A successful break renews our sense of self and well-being. Inner peace, rather than a piece of chocolate cake, is what we crave.

                I must learn to be a human being instead of a human doing. Otherwise, my next book will be titled From Fit to Fat: How I Turned Myself into a Weapon of Mass Expansion.

Exercising the Gratitude Muscle

Being the optimist that I am, I’m drawn to anything that promotes happiness. So I read with particular interest an article entitled “Cultivating Happiness: Will Positive Psychology and Gratitude Intervention Teach Our Kids How to Be Happy?” The article reported research results on the effect of gratitude intervention—for example, keeping an appreciation journal or writing letters expressing thankfulness—on the happiness of individuals, including families with children.

The impetus for studying what makes people happy is fairly recent. Nearly 10 years ago, Martin Seligman, now director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center, wrote several books, including Authentic Happiness and Learned Optimism, on what brings satisfaction and fulfillment. Later, as head of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Seligman was in a position to steer interest and research to the subject of happiness.

Today, teaching happiness has spread to universities, and some of the classes are the most popular ones on campus. The trend doesn’t stop there.

Emotional literacy is cited as a valuable skill parents can teach children. A leading group researching and promoting parental intervention to teach gratitude and optimism is the Greater Good Science Center in Berkeley, California.

You may be wondering why I am writing about positive psychology in a space normally reserved for conversations about fitness.

First, I am convinced that when some of us have pesky feelings that we don’t manage well, such as boredom, anxiety, worry and despair, we tend to stuff ourselves with food. If we eat our fill from the bowl of happiness, we may find it easier to resist other bowls, such as ones filled with chocolate sundaes. Moreover, if we teach the skill of managing mind-sets to our children, they will be less likely to medicate unpleasant feelings with food.

Second, practices that improve our emotional health also improve our physical health. Christine Carter, a researcher at the Greater Good Science Center, strongly believes that “families should have dinner together,” notwithstanding conflicting schedules, differences of opinion about what to eat and teenagers’ moodiness. Her studies, she says, have shown the benefits of this ritual in improving the emotional health of children.

Despite the demands of her own career and the complications of her husband’s schedule, Christine tries to practice what she preaches. Not only does her family try to eat together, but before each meal, family members say a prayer of gratitude. They also take the time to review the day’s events by savoring the good moments and extracting lessons from the more difficult ones.

The same practices can be used for those of us seeking to get fit and lose weight. As part of each day’s ritual, we can take time during our evening meal to express appreciation for the gifts we’ve received and to draw lessons from any difficulties. In practicing this ritual, we finish the day—whatever the events—in a state of appreciation.

Third, if I were to pick one factor that predicted whether someone could succeed at losing weight and becoming fit, I would pick outlook. Pessimistic, self-doubting persons have inadvertently stacked the odds against themselves. But confirms what I intuitively feel—that whatever our age, a positive, appreciative mind-set can be learned and must be sustained if we are to succeed in getting and staying fit.

According to Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University, almost all children start out positive and optimistic. Sadly, about half of them inadvertently lose that mind-set as they get older because of either feedback from others or self-criticism. To succeed in our fitness efforts as adults, we have to recover that youthful optimism and remember to take childlike delight in the gifts we receive.

Mike Carville, a friend of mine and owner of the South Yuba Fitness Center, begins his fitness classes by reminding students that the muscle they must exercise most consistently is the one between their ears. The best way to exercise it is to take lessons from whatever difficulties we encounter and give thanks for the good that comes our way.

     Plus, it takes 11 muscles to frown and 12 to smile. Given a choice, we might as well make the effort and use one more muscle. Every little bit of extra exercise helps, right?

How Heavy Is Your Fitness Footprint?

When I hear strident voices arguing about options for healthcare reform, I picture passengers arguing about the arrangement of deck chairs on the Titanic.

 

You don’t have to be a math major to figure out that the majority of American adults who are overweight (66 percent, or 200 million citizens) are inadvertently putting themselves at risk for life-threatening, expensive-to-treat medical problems. Surplus pounds increase the risk for diabetes, certain cancers and stroke. And having even one of four factors commonly referred to as the deadly quartet (obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high triglyceride levels) increases the risk of heart disease. Combined, they are a likely predictor of premature death.

 

The number of supersized children is also worrisome: nearly one-fifth of our nation’s 4-year-olds are obese. Since 1980, the number of overweight children has doubled; for adolescents the number has tripled. The long-term effects of childhood obesity (elevated blood pressure and cholesterol, joint problems, type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, asthma, depression and anxiety) will require intensive medical intervention. Researchers predict that this may be the first generation in the past two centuries to have shorter lives than their parents.

 

Given this context, those debating the merits of various payment plans to reform our current “disease management system,” as Dr. Andrew Weil labels it, seem to be ignoring the reality that the ship is sinking.

 

Granted, we need to make medical care more accessible and affordable and reduce unnecessary costs. But far more importantly, we need to place people in lifeboats. We need to figure out how to reduce lifestyle-related diseases that trigger the need for expensive medical care in the first place. We need to lighten our fitness footprint.

 

I coined this term to describe the impact of our personal lifestyle on health and life expectancy, along with the global impact on the environment. A healthy body on a healthy planet is the goal. But this goal can be achieved only if we reverse the unchecked epidemic of obesity. As waists become thicker, footprints become heavier.

 

Measuring and taking stock can be life-saving. When I stepped naked on the bathroom scale one morning and it broke, I knew I had to lose weight. What I didn’t know was that 183 pounds on a 5-foot-2-inch frame placed me in the 90th percentile for heart disease, cancer and stroke—plus a few other conditions that had yet to show up on tests. (Evidently, most of the calories I burned were ones spent digging my grave with a fork and spoon.) After changing my lifestyle and losing weight, my forgiving body scored in the normal range, and I (and my insurer) avoided thousands of dollars in medical expenses.

 

Until that point, I failed to connect the dots. I failed to see the connection between my lifestyle and the very real complications that would eventually play out as life-threatening medical problems requiring expensive medical treatment. I also failed to see the connection between my food choices and their impact on the environment. My ignorance could have cost me my life, hence my passion for encouraging others to take stock before it is too late.

 

Measuring your fitness footprint is the first step in achieving a healthy body on a healthy planet. Here are three areas to assess:

 

• Health Risks: How does your lifestyle influence your blood pressure, body mass index, body fat and risk of a heart attack, a stroke or diabetes? Are you increasing your risk of life-threatening medical problems by indulging in a sedentary lifestyle or too many burgers and fries? Are your medical bills contributing to the estimated $147 billion Americans will spend on weight-related medical care? To calculate your risk for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and stroke, go here.
• Longevity: How does your lifestyle influence the length of your life? Do you eat fresh fruits and vegetables daily? Are you connected in a meaningful way to others? Do you exercise on a regular basis? How much alcohol do you drink? Do you smoke? To calculate your physiological age and how long you can expect to live given your current lifestyle, go here.
• Food Choices: How does your choice of food impact the environment? What we choose to eat is critical because the production and consumption of food may account for one-third of the total global carbon emissions. According to ecological measures, we need all the farms we have now plus many more on nearby planets if we are to sustain our current habits. To calculate the impact of your food choices, go here.

It’s not difficult to lighten your fitness footprint. You can begin by making a few simple, ecologically friendly food and lifestyle choices part of your daily routine.

Follow the seasons when choosing foods and, when possible, purchase produce from local growers. Make creative use of leftovers so food is not wasted. Pick one day a week to enjoy a meatless meal. Stop eating when you are no longer hungry rather than when you are full.

Integrate movement into your day, whether that means pacing the floor when you talk on the phone or taking the stairs instead of an elevator. Support community groups that are working to create foot-friendly communities through the construction of trails, parks and bicycle paths. Recycle your tennis shoes and carry a reusable water bottle. When possible, go outdoors and exercise with a positive friend. Stay socially connected and laugh a lot.

It’s been over 97 years since the Titanic sunk. I hope the acrimonious debate about medical care doesn’t take that long. Fortunately for us, we don’t have to wait for its conclusion before we begin our own healthcare reform. While there’s still time, we need to lighten our fitness footprint so we are nimble enough to scramble into a lifeboat.

Should You Become a Vegetarian?

A delightful part of my job as coach for the AARP Fat 2 Fit Community Weight-Loss Challenge is interviewing experts who share their insight on issues involving fitness. One such expert is Ellen Kanner, the author of Edgy Veggie: Better Eating, Blissful Living and the Broccoli State of Being (See her full biography below.)

I asked Ellen questions about vegetarianism so I could decide (and help others decide) whether to become a vegetarian. My questions and her answers follow:

 

Q. We consumers are bombarded (and in some cases overwhelmed) daily by the promotion of the latest and greatest diet. We are also confused by conflicting reports that state a particular food is bad for us (eggs, for example) and then state the following week that it is good for us. Is vegetarianism just another fad diet? Does it demonize meat, for example?

 

A. Vegetarianism has been around since Pythagoras, so it’s hardly the latest fad. There are meat-demonizing militant vegans, just as there are veggie-vilifying angry carnivores, but these lifestyles are choices of the individual. At its core, vegetarianism is about compassion, so I hope my veggie peers will keep that principle in mind.

 

Q. What are the benefits of a vegetarian diet? Are the benefits supported by research?

 

A. Compared to our meat-eating comrades, vegetarians experience a 50 percent lower rate of heart disease, a 40 percent lower cancer rate and a lifespan of 6-10 years longer, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

 

Maybe vegetarians enjoy health benefits because we are  health conscious in general. We exercise, and we smoke and drink less than other groups. We’re leaner, too, and we experience fewer obesity problems because we follow a diet  starring vitamin-rich produce, fiber-mad legumes and whole grains—food from the earth rather than food that is overly processed. Eating these foods results in lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood lipids—health factors that can mean a healthier and longer life.

 

Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food and T. Colin Campell, author of The China Study, agree: “There are virtually no nutrients in animal-based foods that are not better provided by plants.”

 

Eating a plant-based diet has proven to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity—America’s biggest killers. A July study by the American Dietetic Association concludes that “appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.” The study also states that “the results of an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians also appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than nonvegetarians. Furthermore, vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates.”

 

Q. Does vegetarianism carry implications for the environment?

 

A. Huge ones. Einstein found that a plant-based diet feeds more people because it requires fewer resources to produce than a meat-based one. And this theory has since been proven by others. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists reported in the United Nations Chronicle (Vol. 42, March-May 2005), an acre of land can yield 165 pounds of beef or 2,000 pounds of potatoes.

 

Sustaining cows takes a lot of land and results in deforestation, particularly in Latin American countries. In the United States, significant evidence suggests that we’re not raising animals in ways that are healthy for them or the environment. Some of these farming techniques have been associated with E. coli outbreaks.

 

In addition, cows are big methane producers—the 2006 United Nations report called the meat industry “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale, from local to global.” Nobel economist Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, who chairs the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says to slow the effects of global warming, go meatless one day a week.   

 

Q. Do vegetarians walk around hungry all the time? Can energy be sustained on a vegetarian diet?

 

A. If vegetarians went hungry, there would be no vegetarians. Complex carbs, like whole grains and legumes (lentils, chickpeas, black beans), are wonderfully filling. (Animal protein contains no fiber.) Heart-healthy fats in nuts provide satiety (a feeling of fullness), and most fresh produce is full of flavor and low in calories, so you can eat as much as you want with no guilt and no hunger. These foods also have a low glycemic index, so your body burns them slowly and efficiently to give provide you with good energy throughout the day.

 

Q. Is there one standard vegetarian diet? Or are there significant variations? If so, what are they?

 

A. Vegetarians come in many flavors:

• Vegans consume plant-based foods only and abstain from all animal products.
• Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat eggs and dairy products.
• Pescavegetarians, or what I call a fishaterians, abstain from all animals except fish.
• Flexitarians normally maintain a vegetarian diet but  occasionally eat meat.

Any change you make that deviates from the Standard American Diet (also called SAD or, as I call it, the Silly American Diet) is good for you and good for the planet.

 

Q. In the past, being a vegetarian was seen as being part of an extreme fringe group. Is that the perception today?

A. I’d like to think the tree-hugger image vegetarians endured half a century ago has been put to rest. Celebrities of all ages live a vegetarian lifestyle, from Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel to Paul McCartney and Dustin Hoffman.

 

Q. How is a vegetarian diet useful in preventing or helping individuals with cardiovascular problems? Is a vegetarian diet useful in addressing specific medical conditions?

 

A. If you give up meat, you’re giving up a very big source of cholesterol. In addition, produce, whole grains like oatmeal and certain nuts like almonds have been proven to reduce cholesterol. As a result, according to the American Dietetic Association, “a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians also appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than nonvegetarians. Furthermore, vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates.”

 

Q. Can you be a vegetarian and be overweight?

 

A. Studies, including a recent one by the American Diatetic Association, show most vegetarians tend to be lean. That said, your weight depends on what you eat (and how much). Chocolate is vegetarian, and french fries are vegetarian. A steady diet of this kind of food won’t help you lose weight and classifies you as a junk-food vegetarian.

 

Q. Must I take an all-or-nothing approach? That is, must I choose between a 100 percent vegetarian diet and a carnivorous diet? And if I were to adopt a vegetarian diet, would I start tomorrow? Or would I take a gradual step-by-step approach?

 

A. While some people prefer to give up meat cold tofu, so to speak, going flexitarian is the easiest, and I think the most sensible, way to start. Take the change one meal at a time. It is easier to change your life partner than to change the way you eat, so gentle starts are the best. One way that’s attracting interest is Meatless Monday. This program starts you out thinking right for the week and helps you contribute to the good of the planet, lighten your carbon load and take positive steps for your own health.

 

Personally, I love being vegan because it supports all the issues I care about—going meatless is multitasking at its very best. Vegetarianism connects me to the environment in a compassionate way. It is kind to animals, inexpensive (especially welcome these days), madly healthful and fabulous.

 

I’ve been posting Meatless Monday recipes each week to encourage members to experiment with vegetarianism one day a week. Having adopted this approach, I have found that meatless meals are wonderfully satisfying and less expensive, and they leave me feeling as if I’ve done something positive for my health and the environment. Are you ready to experiment?

 

About Ellen Kanner

Ellen Kanner is the syndicated columnist the Edgy Veggie. She also blogs at www.edgyveggie1.blogspot.com, writes the Huffington Post’s Meatless Monday blog and contributes to Tasting Table, Relish, EatingWell, Vegetarian Times, More and regional magazines, including Pebble Beach and Palm Beach Illustrated. A fourth-generation Floridian, Ellen lives la vida vegan in Miami.

What Is the Relationship between Lifestyle and Medical Problems?

As coach for the AARP Fat 2 Fit online community, I ask experts to share their insight on issues involving fitness. One such expert is Dr. Maxine Barish-Wreden, the comedical director of the Sutter Downtown Integrative Health program in Sacramento, California.

 

I asked Dr. Max (as her patients call her), “What is the relationship between lifestyle and the medical problems your patients come to you for?” Her answer follows:

 

As a practicing internist, I see many patients in my office who are dealing with medical symptoms and diseases that are the result of unhealthy lifestyle choices—poor nutritional intake, excessive caloric intake, sedentary lifestyles, tobacco abuse, chronic stress, ongoing unhappiness and social isolation.

Over time, these choices have led to a costly epidemic of many chronic medical conditions, including obesity, heart and vascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia, arthritis and cancer. The good news is that the human body has a phenomenal capacity to heal, even after many years of poor self-care.

 

When we clean up our diets by eating less meat and more plant-based foods; when we exercise, cut calories and lose weight; and when we slow down and savor our lives more, we give ourselves the opportunity to heal, and our bodies often respond miraculously. It's never too late to begin. Healing is yours when you focus your intention, attention and action on what you want for yourself.

 

As her comments convey, Dr. Max strongly believes in the capacity of the human body, psyche and spirit to heal, given the appropriate environment. Through treatment of her patients and through her writing, Dr. Max guides and informs individuals on the positive effects of lifestyle choices—including nutrition and exercise—on health and wellness.

 

Maxine Barish-Wreden, MD

 

Dr. Maxine Barish-Wreden is the coauthor of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Secrets of Longevity and also coauthors a syndicated newspaper column with her medical partner, Dr. Kay Judge. Dr. Max holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from the University of Maryland and graduated from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. She has a long-term interest in complementary medicine, particularly the mind-body-spirit connection.