Red and Blue Lines Blur

I intern at Street Sense, Washington, D.C.'s homeless newspaper. We rarely break news. But we did on September 26, when we wrote about the federal government's plans to cut food stamps, the program commonly known as SNAP, across the board.

"In the District, more than 144,000 people participate in the program, up 3,353 beneficiaries (or 2.4 percent) from the previous year," reported Ramanda Lazaris, my friend and coworker.

More than a month later, the Washington Post picked up the idea that we first broke, in Brad Plumer's article:

First up is a big automatic cut to SNAP scheduled for Nov. 1. This is happening because the food-stamp program was temporarily expanded in 2009 as part of the Recovery Act. That bill spent $45.2 billion to increase monthly benefit levels to around $133, on average.

Homeless advocates (many of the people I work with at Street Sense) and the urban poor are quick to blame the GOP for these cuts, painting the political right as haters of the homeless and the poor.

I didn't really know how to deal with this as a defiant of political stereotypes. I'm a Christian, who was homeschooled--stereotypical of a Republican. I'm also half-black, lower-middle class (just a half step above receiving food stamps), and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area--stereotypical of a Democrat.

I don't align myself with either political party, but I'm wary of hasty blame tossing. My skepticism was confirmed by the news that Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign may be a reason that food stamps are being cut.

Andrea Peyser reported November 11, on the New York Post:

The great food grab began in 2010, when President Obama, with Michelle and US Department of Agriculture honchos at his side, signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. At the time, he admitted taking cash from one pocket to feed the other. "Some of the funding [for the lunch program] comes from rolling back temporary increases in food-stamp benefits," he said, starting in the fall of 2013.

The kids who qualify for lunch programs in schools are usually from families who receive SNAP discounts. Essentially, children's dinners are being taken away so as to give them a "healthy" lunch.

This might be justifiable if the overall health of American kids were improving as a result, and Michelle's "Let's Move" campaign was achieving its desired goals. But one report from Bizpac Review indicates otherwise:

Students complain they are still starving after the small lunches and say the food is just downright disgusting. "They say it tastes like vomit," one board member, Myra Mosley, said, according to the Enterprise. "Kids can't learn when they're hungry!" parents reportedly shouted to the assembled board (from Janeen Capizola's article "School kids to Michelle Obama: Our lunches 'taste like vomit'").

So let's keep this straight...families now have less money to spend on groceries, and healthy foods are being wasted in schools because kids can't stand them. No matter where I turn, I see evidence that the government cannot fix all the problems of our nation or make choices for its citizens--we need the freedom to make those choices for ourselves.

Advocates will point to the heartbreaking stories of people who are going hungry because of the SNAP cuts, instead of the abusers using food stamps to purchase contraband and commit fraud.

There are two sides of the coin, and I don't claim to have an answer to the question: how do we feed people without wasting millions of taxpayer dollars?

It's complicated. Is this a Republican problem? Is this a Democrat problem? No, but it is an American problem. And all voting Americans need to put some thought into the food stamp dilemma before passing more legislation or electing someone who makes big promises with hidden drawbacks.

Cartoons and pumping or eating iron

Anyone else watch Popeye as a kid? His daring feats, made possible by strength-enhancing spinach (in a can, mind you) thrilled my young mind.

However, you're not going to get anything close to Popeye's results from a canned vegetable. The nutrients just aren't the same or as potent after being processed.

What you really want are some of these guys. Fresh spinach is rich with the vitamins and antioxidants that you need.

Did you know that spinach can help cure acne? Neither did I!

It also strengthens your bones and prevent cataracs. This little superfood can do a host of other things for your health as well.

I wish spinach would give me superhuman strength like Popeye, but alas, I don't live in a cartoon world. However, spinach is high in iron which is known to improve blood flow and muscle strength on a small scale.

So hey, it could make you strong after all.

Do you even?

Too precious not to share!

Well do you?

Following the Fads

If a celebrity is seen doing it, everyone else wants to as well. From fashion to food-choices, we are a people who follow trends.

When it comes to diets, celebrities endorse the latest fad, and people flock by the thousands to imitate.  Some of these fad diets do legitimately work for those who faithfully stick to the regimen.

The less faithful (guilty as charged) will jump from diet to diet claiming they're just big-boned, or genetically unable to lose weight.

We've heard it a million times: everything in moderation.  And it's almost as if healthy, or clean, eating has become its own trend to counter the fad diets circulating the world.  The Times of India reported about a study by Alpro, a manufacture of soy-based food and drink products:

Out of half of the respondents who regularly diet, Alpro found that two out of five dieters quit within the first seven days.  One out of five people are able to sustain it for a month, and the same number make it to the three-month mark, while the remainder stay dedicated for at least six months.

I would argue that this is largely because we (at least in America, I can't speak for the rest of the world) live in an instant-gratification culture.  We fall prey to infomercials and advertisements that guarantee our happiness with just the swipe of a credit card.

I'll be the first to admit that I approach weight loss and fitness with this same mentality.  I'm always motivated and dedicated to cut sweets out of my diet, or go jogging five times per week, until I don't see the desired results within a few days and I give up.

I'd argue along with Janet Lee's article "Should you try these fad diets," as reported by Fox News, that many of these diets can actually be very effective for weight loss...if only people would find the determination to stick to them.  This article explains the health benefits of nine fad diets or food items with expert opinions. 

Some of these fads are unnecessary.  For example, the gluten-free diet.  Gluten is dangerous for those with celiac disease, and it doesn't agree with some people's stomach's, but it isn't necessarily the evil that so many people believe it to be, as Michael Boyle of Bloomberg reported on Nov. 12:

Less than 1 percent of Americans have the disorder that requires a gluten-free diet, yet almost one in three now eschews gluten according to trend watchers NPD Group, influenced by bestselling anti-gluten books and celebrity endorsements. The U.S. market for gluten-free foods will climb from $4.2 billion in 2012 to $6.6 billion by 2017, according to researcher Packaged Facts, as bread bakers, craft-beer markers and eateries from Hooters to Michelin-starred Hakkasan embrace the trend.

If you have the self-control to cut out gluten, you have my respect, and you're probably a healthier person for it.  But gluten-free alternatives often have just as many calories, and are usually twice as expensive.  Going gluten-free may not help you lose weight in the long run because there are so many alternatives on the market.

Caution and research are wise additions to any new diet.  The Atkins low-carb diet got a lot of attention when I was a kid.  My dad was an avid Atkins-preacher, but like most people, he didn't lose much weight because the limit of 20 grams of carbohydrates per day is nearly impossible!  It even cuts out many healthy fruits and vegetables.  Madeline Gordon reported on Collegiate Times that this diet may actually be dangerous:

In fact, according to the American Dietetic Association, people need a minimum of around 150 grams of carbohydrates for our bodies to function efficiently. In addition, according to WebMD.com, it may actually promote heart disease.

Despite the medical evidence opposing this diet, it recently gained attention as Kim Kardashian used it to help her lose her baby-weight.

Despite the many failures of the "fad diet" trend, I have one.  My go-to is the juice fast.  No, I didn't pick it up because celebrities like Colin Farrell like to juice.  I was convinced after watching "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead."  Granted, I'm not a scientist, and it hasn't really been around long enough for there to be pages upon pages of research on it yet.  On top of that, you'll hear that supposed experts oppose it.  But Joe Cross's results are hard to beat.  My dad's results are hard to beat.

I juice fasted over spring break, losing 10 lbs. in 10 days.  It was rough.  My body was detoxing from all the junk I've dumped into it my whole life, and especially during my college career.  I couldn't maintain it because dorm life, the abundance of junk food and crazy class schedules are not conducive to the time-consuming process of juice preparation.  Yes, I gained the weight back within a few weeks because I didn't eat salads and clean food, I ate pure junk.

Knowing that it works if you have the self-control and a variety of ingredients, I cringed when I read what Sara Lepley wrote in Collegiate Times:

I settled for a quasi-juice cleanse by drinking only Naked juice, all natural Ginger-lemon juice, plain chicken broth (yes, plain) and copious amounts of tea and coffee. Because an overwhelming amount of the juice diets demanded that participants eat at least one solid thing at night, both nights I had half a cup of steamed broccoli, and they were glorious.

Well no wonder she was exhausted, tired, and headache-ridden!  She wasn't getting nearly enough nutrients from her limited sources of juice.  By the way, an easy label reading of Naked juice will reveal that it's mostly fruit, meaning mostly sugar, not a source of sustaining energy or weight loss.  When your body detoxes from sugar, you'll crave it and have mild drug-withdrawal symptoms for the first few days.  Once that passes, it's a piece of cake...or a piece of kale (that's probably a more appropriate cliche).

Eating well in winter

The winter months are not especially conducive to healthy eating.  During summer, my cravings usually lend more towards salads and fruit smoothies.  But when it's cold out, all I want is noodle soup, baked goodies, and hot chocolate.

The problem is not that we don't know what foods are healthier than others, according to Jana Frawley of Taste.com in her July 2 article "How to get the most from winter vegetables":

The problem lies in breaking old habits. Sure, our dinner vocabulary these days is not limited to meat-and-three-veg, but when one of the kids asks "what's for dinner?", chances are the response will be chicken, lamb, steak, fish, pork or sausages... Risotto or pasta may get a look in, but it would be a rare night when you'd breezily answer cauliflower or eggplant.

A big concern, every time, is the cost of the food you buy.  Generally speaking, veggies are cheaper than meats.  If you can only afford one, the veggies are your best bet.

Despite the cold weather, there are plenty of options in most super markets.  Check to see if there are any farmer's markets open year-round near where you live. From my apartment in Northeast D.C., I have access to Eastern Market's weekend farmer's market as well as the inexpensive grocery store Aldi and therefore, I have no valid excuse to eat unhealthy.

Yanjun of NaturalNews.com said it well in a concise post, "Nine healthy winter foods to include in your diet," on November 8:

Being able to get fresh fruits and vegetables, even in the dead of winter, is a great advantage in today's world. Fresh fruits and vegetables are available year round, and these are the foods that are most likely to ensure health and wellness, as they impart vitamins, minerals and other beneficial substances to the body.

The nine foods that Yanjun thought important enough to base the post on are: Brussels sprouts, leeks, beets, kale, pomegranate, kiwifruit, persimmon, guava and pomelo.

One important addition to this list that I (and Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Nutrition Editor of EatingWell Magazing) would make is all things citrus:

Citrus fruits, including lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit are at their juiciest in the wintertime and can add sunshine to the dreary winter. Citrus fruits are loaded with vitamin C--one medium orange delivers more than 100 percent of your daily dose (from the article "5 of the Healthiest Winter Foods").

This is precisely the time when your body needs as many vitamins and nutrients as it can get to fight off those inevitable bugs that spread like a winter wildfire.

Soups are a fantastic go-to in the winter.  They are warm, comforting, filling, simple enough to prepare and just perfect for those chilly days.  A variety of recipes will clear out all those unwanted or old (but not yet rotten) veggies in the bottom of your fridge.

Don't neglect good health simply because it seems so much more fitting to bake cookies.  You and I both can begin winter healthy, happy and satisfied--and sustain that through the months ahead.

Food Spotlight: Sweet Potatoes

Not the pie, baked to sugary perfection and topped with marshmallows around the Holidays.  As good as those taste, they won't do much for your health. Sweet potatoes, in and of themselves, taste fantastic and add some incredible nutrients to your body.

In a time pinch, I bake my sweet potato in the microwave for a few minutes (depending on how big it is), top it with ground cinnamon (also great for your regulating your blood sugar), and enjoy it by itself or on the side of a protein source.

Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, filling you up and giving you sustained energy through the day.  They contain magnesium to relax you, and potassium to reduce swelling.  You can get iron and many essential vitamins like B6, C and D.  On top of that, they might even prevent cancers from taking up residence in your body.  The health benefits are seemingly endless!

By no means a boring vegetable, the sweet potato can be consumed in many forms, including chips (a personal favorite).  They can be purchased at some stores, or made at home.

Squat Til You Drop

Unless you have loads of time on your hands, when you need to work out it had better be quick and effective.
Ladies and gents:

Squat.

Squats work all of the muscles in your legs simultaneously, giving you more bang for your buck.  Because you're bearing your whole weight while you perform the squat, you're also burning calories.

Studies have been done to dispel the convincing myth that in order to lose fat you have to do hours upon hours of cardiovascular training (i.e. running, cycling, swimming).
So if you don't have hours upon hours (really, who does?) then just take a few minutes and do this squat challenge:

The song is slightly annoying...the instructor is slightly annoying...but the 3 minutes and 13 seconds of squatting will tone your legs, burn calories, build muscle, and all those other wonderful things that keep your body in good health and good shape.

If you want to be a nerd about it, you can even calculate a close estimate of how many calories you burn while you're squatting.