Semper Fidelis Milkshake

Listening to NPR the other morning I was officially horrified.

Over 25% Americans in their late teens and early twenties are now so overweight, they have been deemed to fat to fight as members of the armed services. Too fat to join the army. The weight limit for girls is 241. For men 259. Additionally body fat percentage limit for women 36% men 30%. Twenty-seven percent of teens are over this threshold.

This should be shocking to you, especially since only 15 years ago the percent of teens who fell over this threshold was 12%. Moreover 1,200 persons a year are already members of the armed services are now being discharged because they can’t maintain this fitness standard (an expensive issue). So, coupled with other issues like lack of high school education and drug use or criminal records only 1 in 4 teens are eligible to enlist and stay enlisted.

The problem, not mentioned in the report, is worse still among minorities. Minority teens who want to take advantage of the educational opportunities of the military (including college and graduate programs like law school and professional military careers) are now not able. Great, now our youth is getting fatter, less disciplined and dumber.

You might be asking: Shouldn’t 18 year olds be responsible for their own weight problems. Don’t they have no one to blame but themselves if they can’t drop the weight to joined the armed forces and take advantage of the opportunities there?

No.  Not in my opinion.

I’m all for personal responsibility and I expect it from older individuals, but the fact is 80% of obese children end up being obese adults and it is no mystery to me why. Do we expect young children who are stuffed full of 700 - 1000 more calories a day than they need from the age of toddler to young teen suddenly divert from the diets ingrained in them their whole lives and embrace eating habits with fruits and veggies half the calories NONE of the trans fats, one quarter of the high fructose corn syrup and half the salt? Most adults can’t do that, how do we expect teenagers to be able to?

Get the fried meat and pizza out of the schools (and homes), ditch the chocolate and strawberry milk and teach kids that eating healthy isn’t an option - it’s a necessity. I know sugar drinks and breaded food tastes better than the healthy options, but it shouldn’t be up to kids to be able to choose junk food as a meal on a regular basis because it's not only holding them back IT’S KILLING THEM.

DAMN this topic gets me angry.

Click Here for the Army Weight Calculator

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Next Time on Popular Excuses: By request - Antioxidants
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Reading List
NPR Article: Too Fat To Fight
“Food, Inc.” by Karl Weber - Article “Childhood Obesity” Robert Wood Johnson Foundation p.259
CNN Blog: Are Fat Soldiers a National Security Threat

Super Food: Vitamin C

I grew up hearing lots of old wives tales and superstition about Vitamin C so it was difficult for me to write this entry. Difficult because everything I read in my research enforced what I had been told about Vitamin C as a child. I thought I was going to go digging and find that everything I thought I knew about Vitamin C was a joke and that dietary supplements are about as useful as a magnetic bracelet, but apparently – the old wives were right.

Vitamin C, (or Ascorbic Acid) is a kick-ass vitamin, and you need it in your diet every day.

Vitamin C aids in collagen structures and therefore is good for the skin and cellular health including wound healing and ocular health. Since it is an anti-oxidant it is said to help the body remove the free radicles that cause cancer from outside toxins including cigarette smoke.  Vitamin C is even shown to reduce the risk of stroke in some studies. During sickness and stress the levels of Vitamin C in white blood cells is depleted, which is why your mother always gave you orange juice when you got sick as a child.  I wouldn't recommend juice, but if you get sick, avoid further complications (like pneumonia) by loading up on your Ascorbic Acid intake!

I imagine our hunter gather ancestors had their fill of Vitamin C because high amounts of it can be easily incorporated into a diet high in vegetables. Check out these common fruits and veggies and how high in Vitamin C (given their low calorie content) they are.

Spinach 51 mg (20 calories a cup)
Red Pepper 190 mg (50 calories a piece)
Kale 186 mg
Broccoli 113 mg
Parsley 9mg (2 tablespoons)
Green Peas 27 mg
Tomatoes 23 mg (60 calories a piece)
Strawberries 59 mg (100 calories a cup)
Carrots (raw) 9 mg (surprisingly low - but still healthy)

Delicious!

Other foods that contain Vitamin C: famously; limes but also garlic, blueberries, cabbage, apricots, shiitake mushrooms, avocado, corn, yam... the list goes on

Some words of warning: Vitamin C is destroyed when exposed to air, so if you cut up oranges for your kids, beware that about 40% of the Vitamin C is gone by the time they go for them at lunch. If you are a Whole Foods salad bar person, understand that the early morning slicing of the fruits and veggies they set out for you greatly reduces your Ascorbic Acid intake by the time you get there for your late 2:00 lunch. If you eat too much Vitamin C you are likely to get some pretty severe cramps. Vitamin C needs vary greatly from person to person, so you’ll have to use some self analysis to see how much is too much. The rule of thumb is 1500 to 2000 mg a day, but the RDA is much lower than that, closer to 60 mg a day.

So - enjoy your Vitamin C (but please without the juice).

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Next Time on Popular Excues:  Too Fat to Fight
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Reading List:
"Healing Foods" Michael Murry N.D p. 112
WHFoods: Vitamin C
VitaminCfoundation.org/
Web MD Vitamin C

Farm Fresh to You

Recently, I was introduced to a magnificent service provided by Farm Fresh to You; a California based co-op of farmers who deliver to your door your choice of seasonal, organic and locally grown produce.  Awesome.

At first I was skeptical, but what sold me most about the service was the variety (I feel obligated to eat food that I have paid for). I haven't written about this yet, but variety in your diet provides an important mix of vitamins and micronutrients which are essential in helping the body thrive. Variety is hard for me to incorporate into my daily diet and any chance I am forced to "mix it up" I go for it. Additionally there is no commitment, and I can cancel any individual order as long as I give two days notice. I can choose the size of my delivery (small, medium, large, extra large), I can choose a box of all fruits, all veggies, mixed fruits and veggies, "fast" mixed (fruits & veggies that can be eaten raw), I have a list of "no" items I wish to never receive . Finally, I can swap fruit for fruit, or veggies for veggies.

So far so good.

I signed up for the medium sized box of fruits and veggies delivered every other week. The cost is roughly $31 with delivery included the following:4 Navel Oranges, 2 Braeburn Apples, 2 Murcot Tangerines, 2 Minneola Tangelos ½ lb Strawberries, 1 Eureka Lemon, 1 lb Asparagus, 2.5 lb Cabbage 1 Red Chard, 1 Cauliflower, .5 lb Mixed Lettuce, 1 Green Leaf Lettuce, 1 Bunch Carrots, 2 Yellow Onion, 4 Small Potatoes

I received my first box of groceries a few days ago. This is what I saw when I opened my door Wednesday Morning:

Now – was it worth it?

Emotional Factor: My husband and I love eating what feels like fresh clean food. I feel good supporting California Farms, and it is nice to know that our food probably isn't touched by much more than 2 or 3 people (picker, packer, delivery man), rather than a supermarket full of grubby nose picking hands.

Food Review: Carrots are out of this world.They are sweet and crisp and clean. The apples were great also and the oranges were- according to my husband, better than the apples. I made a stew out of the potatoes and onions (it was hearty!) The rest of fruit and veggies will be sampled this coming weekend.

Cost Review: To compare the cost I went to Whole Foods market and priced out organic and locally grown produce. In order to come up with the price I weighed fruit of similar size and if food came in packages larger than what I was delivered, I divided the Whole Foods cost to come up with quantities that looked comparable (for example, the strawberry container was about 2x the size of what I was delivered, so I divided the cost of the strawberries in half). The result - at Whole Foods - for the same or similar product I would have paid: $30.84. Now - I wouldn’t usually buy organic lemons or tangelos, but if you ARE inclined to purchase those fruits and veggies locally and organically - Farm Fresh To You is almost a break even.

3rd party review aka Mom Review: "I was delighted as I unpacked my Farm Fresh box. Initially I was pleased to see that the size of the box was ample and, indeed, filled to the brim with a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits. In addition to varieties that I am familiar with, there were a few vegetables that I wouldn’t have been inclined to purchase if I were shopping at the grocery store or farmer’s market. I will try to incorporate them into our dinner this week and if I find that we don’t enjoy them or that I avoid trying them, I know that I can have any particular fruit or veggie omitted in the future. Plus – it’s worth noting that the convenience of having this great selection of food arrive on my doorstep is a bonus!!"

My Conclusion: Farm Fresh to You is the embodiment of everything I believe about living a healthy lifestyle with a hectic schedule. The food is good and there is plenty of it.  These farmers are my people and having found them my joy knows no bounds.

To Contact & Order:

http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/

Phone: 800.796.6009

If you are inclined to order mention me: "Jessica Danger Bohn" – in Encino and I get some free stuff, I think.  If not, don't worry about it.

Use this code for $5 off your order: 6164

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Next Time On Popular Excuses:  Super Food - Vitamin C