Calories are Good!

There is so much focus now in our society (and even in my most recent post) about how we need to limit out calorie intake. Count your calories. Count your points. Count your intake. Calories in = calories out.  But is all of this focus on calorie counting really a good thing?

Yes....and no.  Counting is good.  But when it becomes a race to the bottom line, we can really send our bodies for a loop.  So the real question becomes, when does counting become a bad thing?

For starters, it's a bad thing to count calories when you goal is to eat as little as possible.  In a sense, calories are good.  Think of it as fuel for your body.  If you don't have enough fuel in your tank you risk being "stranded" halfway through your day.  This can make for good short term results, but in the long term your body won't like you very much.

Another drawback of eating as few calories as possible is the risk you run of your body going into survival mode.  If your body feels like it is being shorted on "fuel", it will actually start to convert any extra calories into stored fat.  If you think you're going to lose weight by skipping breakfast and lunch and then eating a 1000-1200 calorie dinner, think again.  You are setting yourself up for failure.  Most dietitians agree that the minimum calorie intake should be around 1200 calories per day (consult your doctor or dietitian for their recommendation).  This will provide you with enough fuel for the day while maintaining a low enough intake to help maintain or reduce your overall weight.

In the end, just remember that it's all about a healthy balance.  To many calories can lead to weight gain, and so can too few calories.  Find a balance that works for you.  The more you know about your body, the better your can strike that perfect balance and find success!

Healthy Allergies - a remedy

For those of us who suffer from spring allergies, the phrase "Spring has sprung", has a very different ring compared to non-allergy sufferers. Growing up I never had allergy issues. I would go outside as a kid during any season with no adverse affects.

However, my life changed one spring day after I had graduated from college and moved to southern Indiana. Spring was stinging like a bee...especially in my eyeballs. I could barely open my eyes for work through the first few weeks of early spring. I hadn't changed my lifestyle, so the only thing that seemed to be causing the issue was a move to a slightly warmer and earlier spring in southern Indiana (compared to my north central Indiana college days).

Fast forward to this spring. After 6 years of suffering through spring allergies and trying to figure out what the real problem was, I had a thought. Maybe something in my diet had caused my allergy issues and the combination of high pollen counts and a certain food were together causing me to have bad allergic reactions. What to do?

My first focus was on relieving the pain in my eyes. I can deal with a some sneezing and a runny nose. I had noticed over the past few years a thick mucus would build up in the corner of my eyes that almost certainly would perpetuate the collection of even more sticky airborne particles. With this information, I decided to go to work. What foods am I eating that would cause a mucus build up in my eyes? No clue. My first thought was milk.

I love milk, but when I drink it before I'm physically active I notice that my mucus tends to be thicker than normal. So, this spring I've been diligent to not ingest any milk. I have allowed anything with the word "cheese" or "cream" to be eaten. Just strictly no milk.

The results:

I can finally say after 6 years of suffering from severe respiratory and eye allergies, that I am doing MUCH better. Spring has really sprung over the last 2 weeks, and I only notice some small sneezing spells and very very very mild redness in my eyes (but typically only at the end of a long day).

In short, for the time being my allergy problems have been reduced greatly this season and I'm hopeful that I'm onto something.

Has anyone else tried a "home remedy" that worked for your allergies or someone you know?