choosing the best of the worst

im back! =D



*hehe* i just had to blab about something for a bit. sunday i had a bit of a dilemma! hubby and i have been going to subway for lunch almost every sunday afternoon this year. its just our thing. i almost always got the oven-roasted chix breast on honey wheat, baked lays, and a cookie (no meal w/pop). okay, obviously a super-carby/sodium-packed meal, but DEFINITELY better than cheeseburger and fries!!



well obviously my dilemma was, what in the heck do i get at subway now that doesnt contain wheat? they have salads, but they're a bit pricey and pretty much the same as what i'd make at home. so we thought, how about mcd's salads? with grilled chicken, they're pretty darned healthy really. and with newman's own as the dressings they use, they're much better than most. and their website claims no trans fats in the salads with grilled chicken! well...soooo...for fun i did a little mcd's salad research! *nerdy look*



part of my goal is to also avoid high fructose corn syrup, or corn syrup of any kind, preservatives (MSG and the like) as much as possible, and obviously trans fats. and the trans fat thing is tricky since the FDA only requires labeling to show over .5g of trans fat per serving. otherwise, companies can claim zero. sucks, cause if its something you eat more than one serving of, you could still be getting a decent amount of trans fats thinking you're getting NONE! that's why its a good idea to become label-savvy and look for the word "hydrogenated." if you see that, there's trans fats in it no matter what the nutrition info says!!



anyhoo, i wanted to have mcd's new southwest (grilled) chicken salad. i had it a few weeks ago and loved it, so let's take that one for our example! here's the main ingredients found on this page:



Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken:
Salad Mix, Grilled Chicken Breast Filet, Southwest Vegetable Blend, Cilantro Lime Glaze, Shredded Cheddar/Jack Cheese, Limes, Chili Lime Tortilla Strips, Liquid Margarine



okay, so the things that alerted me to possible bad stuff are "glaze" (possibly sweet--corn syrup?), the tortilla strips (seasoned with what and fried in what?) and obviously the margarine. so here's the ingredients for those ingredients *hehe*: (i hilited in red the stuff that i knew was either in my no-no list or looked shady/didnt know what the heck it was. my motto is if ya cant pronounce it or dont know what it is, its probably not health-promoting. *lol*)



Cilantro Lime Glaze:
Water, corn syrup solids, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, distilled vinegar, olive oil, soybean oil, freeze-dried orange juice concentrate*, cilantro, salt, freeze-dried lime juice concentrate*, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservatives), garlic*, propylene glycol alginate, spice, onion*, citric acid. *Dehydrated



Chili Lime Tortilla Strips:
Corn, vegetable oil (corn oil and/or soybean oil and/or sunflower oil), salt, maltodextrin, sugar, dried tomato, dextrose, spices, onion powder, green bell pepper powder, citric acid, autolyzed yeast extract, malic acid, paprika extract (color), disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, natural flavor (vegetable source), lemon extract, spice extractive.



Liquid Margarine:
Liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservative), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene (color). CONTAINS: SOY LECITHIN



i also happened to look at the grilled chicken ingredients, which obviously people choose to stay away from trans fats...note what it is "prepared with"...



Grilled Chicken Breast Filet:
Chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, seasoning (salt, sugar, food starch-modified, maltodextrin, spices, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed [corn gluten, soy, wheat gluten] proteins, garlic powder, paprika, chicken fat, chicken broth, natural flavors (plant and animal source), caramel color, polysorbate 80, xanthan gum, onion powder, extractives of paprika), modified potato starch, and sodium phosphates. CONTAINS: SOY AND WHEAT. Prepared with liquid margarine: Liquid soybean oil, water, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (preservative), artificial flavor, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene (color). CONTAINS: SOY LECITHIN


then the dressing:



Newman's Own® Creamy Southwest Dressing:
Water, corn syrup solids, soybean oil, distilled vinegar, egg yolks, corn vinegar, corn starch, whey, salt, cilantro, sugar, spices, paprika, onion*, garlic*, apple cider vinegar, sour cream* (cultured sour cream, skim milk solids, whey, sugar, citric acid, lactic acid), natural flavors (animal and vegetable sources), xanthan gum, lactic acid, parsley*. *Dehydrated. CONTAINS: EGG AND MILK



soooo...whew! what a lotta work!! so i guess on studying the ingredients of the ingredients in the southwest salad, i was a bit disappointed! i naiively figured since it was a salad, and the chix was grilled, that it was nearly perfectly healthy for you! WRONG!



HOWEVER!!! the salads are definitely the BEST of the WORST choices. that should be pretty obvious. you're getting greens and there's no refined carbs (aka buns!) at least...and the dairy is at a minimum (shredded cheeses).



the chicken isnt fried and breaded at least, which is certainly muchmuch worse for you than the grilled.



the calories are lower and even the salad dressing for the southwest salad has a "readable" label--i knew what every single ingredient was at least!!



so, to end my little dilemma-filled story, i ended up having the salad! haha! ;)



my reasoning is, obviously we cant avoid every single bad thing for us unless we grow our own food organically and never cook anything! the foods i eat at home are trans fat-, HFCS-, and preservative-free...so i dont feel too badly eating one or two meals a week that contain that junk.



my point in sharing this experience is to be smart when you make what you're thinking is the better choice in eating out!! there's always the potential of a lot of hidden crap in even the healthiest foods offered at restaurants. the more educated and aware we are of what companies and restaurants put in our foods, the healthier we will be in the years to come!!



here's a few links you may find interesting regarding some of the stuff i mentioned in this post. they are all from mercola.com, and to view some or all of them, you may need to sign up for the newsletter.

• MSG info (the part that is most useful i believe is the listing at the bottom of the article)

• BK takin a step in the right direction

• good info about corn and HFCS

• see and hear "The Merc"--that's what i call him *hehe*--in action about trans fats

i hope you found this post intriguing, and i hope it makes you think about what you order next time you eat out!! good health is something we all deserve, and for goodness sake, its tough to be healthy in today's world once you learn what you "grew up eating" wasn't very good for ya!!



take care and eat your veggies today! heheh!



~josey~

movin' on up! (mooooovin' on up!)...

heyyyyyyyyyy! (how do ya like the old-school chiropractics? hehe!!)



yep, i'm movin' on up (mooooovin' on up!)...to the eaaast side *lol* hehehe okay, well i'm not moving to a deluxe apartment in the sky ...but, i feel like i'm finally making some headway in the health department, and that's somethin i am sure celebratin!!! the last 6 months, and especially the last few, have been some of the roughest emotionally and physically i've ever had. fortunately, i've had the support & prayers of my husband, family and a few close friends to drag me thru it all!! cause believe me, i've been kicking and screaming!



...yep, kicking and screaming, like a little baby! *LOL* well i digress, i wasnt THAT bad, but if i was, it would be my hormones to blame. really. im just all messed up inside!!



before my laparoscopy, i happened upon a wonderful website which helped me understand i had other options than drugs for the treatment of my endo. then someone recommended this AWESOME book to me by Dian Shepperson Mills & Michael Vernon called Endometriosis: A Key to Healing Through Nutrition.



talk about a revelation!! if you or someone you know has endometriosis, this is a MUST READ. not only will you learn SO MUCH, but it is written so compassionately and many times i've just sat there and cried while reading it, saying to myself, "that is me...that is what i've been feeling and experiencing..." and it has felt SO GOOD to know that someone understands!! and most of all, to know i'm not going crazy. or being a hypochondriac. or clinically depressed! because some days have been horrible!



that book, coupled with the website, has given me oodles of hope and inspiration, and more knowledge than i ever imagined to take control of my own health.



in fact, a few weeks ago i went back to my family doctor and had blood tests done to check everything, including my cholesterol and thyroid. she said my thyroid was fine, but i had my doubts because of the way i've been feeling and some symptoms i've had (thinning hair, dry hands/legs, foggy memory, fatigue, moodiness...), and in addition, thyroid issues run on my mom's side (mom, grandma, and great grandma all have/had problems--great grandma even died of goiter!!).



so...where am i now? well, after coming to the conclusion i wanted to try a drug-free approach to treating my endo, i decided to see a naturopath.



so last week, i had an appointment with the naturopathic practitioner. interestingly enough, one of the first questions she asked me was if i've recently had my thyroid checked. according to her observations, (which i most definitely agree with!) my thyroid IS on the decline (but to a general doctor, if its within the levels, even if its low, they wont offer treatment or suggestions...), and guess what? the thyroid gland is one of the reproductive hormone glands! GO FIGURE!



so that directly works into my hormonal imbalances and the endometriosis. its hard telling which problem came first--but either way, im working on balancing it all out again. it will take several months--not as quick as a drug--but it will be something that makes me healthier all around and that i can live with with NO SIDE EFFECTS.



im on a couple herbal tincture supplements (one to jump-start my thyroid and one to "clean up" the endo), and i also am taking magnesium and a special B-vitamin complex. those two will help my body recover from all the stress ive been under--lots of stress whacks out hormone levels, too! so sheesh, it's all related.



and one more thing--i have some major diet changes. no dairy, no wheat. fortunately i've been cutting wayyyy back on them anyway (esp dairy), so hopefully it wont be too bad.



and losing weight is the #1 priority to normalize the hormones--especially because i found out from my blood tests that i am pre-diabetic!!



so God is really piling it all on right now, telling me to take care of myself!! SO I AM!! hehe! i have already been taking fish oil, evening primrose oil, a black cohosh supplement and a good multivitamin, so as long as i really really stick to the good diet, i am DEFINITELY gonna see some results.



i know, it seems like a lot of pills and junk, but i dont care because i know they are healthy for me--not a drug with side effects, just treating symptoms! and the pills and supplements are only part of the equation for holistic treatment!



OH and also, she told me i MUST MUST MUST get out of the house more and be around other people. my stress levels from just sitting around, worrying about myself, etc... are a major factor in my hormone imbalances. when you are stressed, your adrenal glands produce a lot more cortisol, which lowers progesterone, which means estrogen is dominant.



the B-vits im taking will help my adrenals recover since they are sucking up the little bit i get in my diet, but i have to put some effort into lowering my stress levels too, or i wont get any better. so, im looking into taking a yoga class once or twice a week. im pretty excited!



soooo anyhooooo...sorry for all the babbling! i actually SPARED you a lot of details, if you can believe it. (im sure you can--you know how talkative i am LOL)



for me, it is a wonderful feeling to understand how are bodies are created to heal themselves if we provide the right nutrients and support. now that i know a lot more, i realize my poor immune system has been sooo abused, probably for the last decade especially. i know im young, but people are getting chronic and even terminal illnesses much younger these days.



our world bombards us with toxins and chemicals that we arent made to deal with long term--and its not just in our air, its in our water, food and all the junk we put on our bodies. it takes a lot of open-mindedness to understand and even believe that the things we have come to know as commonplace arent always the healthiest or created with our longevity in mind. most companies are out to make money--not make us healthy!



(i wont even go there! LOL *hides the soap box from myself* heheeh )



if you get a chance, visit my the blog of my friend melissa. she recently posted some AWESOME info about convenience foods that may open your eyes!



seeing her posts made me happy that there are parents who are not only trying to improve their own health, but taking responsibility for what their child eats as well. its a super tough job raising children these days, let alone making sure they eat for wellness! that's another soapbox of mine! hehe!



i truly believe what our children eat affects their behavior, grades, and a host of other things. along those lines, last summer i watched jamie oliver's school lunch project series on TLC, and it intrigued me!! check his site out. its a very VERY important subject!



okay, im realllly gonna go now! we're having soft tacos for supper, and im starving. it'll be my first time trying brown rice tortillas!! LOL!!! (no wheat, remember!?)



take care and be well!!!



~josey~

when it rains, it pours

hey!!



yes, im still here! and YES I KNOW, i didnt post my food log friday! im sure you can guess why. it sucked. just like saturday. BUT...BUTBUTBUT! :) sunday was pretty good. and yesterday was better...and today was, too!! YAYBERS!



*HUGEMONGOUS SIGH* <---that's what i feel like today! just beat up. LOL! well, that's what i felt like EARLIER today. im better now. a lot of health issues have been piling up on me in the last year. geez-o-pete im only 32!!!



i wont pile my woe-is-me story on you (yes, this is the shortened version! haha)...but on top of my endometriosis, i have a tooth that needs pulled/replaced and anxiety to get under control--and just today i found out that i have to see a podiatrist about some foot/ankle issues i've had for several years AND that i am considered pre-diabetic!



SHYEAH!!! talk about frustration. :| i mean, anyone who knows me well knows i've been trying to get healthy for a while now. why is this all piling up on me NOW??? *LOL!*



ANNNNDDDD on top of ALL that, i found out my cholesterol is up 16 points from this time last year. its still in a healthy range, but DANG! i guess i havent done anything right in the last year :(



i am STILL set on 2007 being my year to get my health on track. i suppose i am just going to have to take things one day at a time. *sigh again* more on all that junk another day.



SO. enough depressing stuff for today!!



well shoot, actually i need to go. im gonna go fire up the mini-charcoal grill so we can have some chicken and veggies on it for supper! its gloomy out, but i dont care. i NEED to smell GRILL! *LOL!* you know what i mean. that's always a sign of spring and i could use a good feeling about right now. i'll write more soon!



ttfn.



~josey~