Old Habits Die Hard - Or Do They?

Step One

The driving force behind my passion for health and wellness? My dad. From insisting that we don’t leave the table until the broccoli is gone to encouraging us to get off the couch and go ride our bikes, he was constantly pushing a healthy lifestyle. When my brother and I started rummaging through the cabinets for Chewy Chips Ahoy to cure our snack attack he would say “how about an apple?” Are you kidding Dad? How could an apple compare to those magical, chemical-tasting treats – with an apple you can’t even remove all the chocolate chips and save them for the end (I know, I was a strange kid). Our early evening enjoyment of “Saved by the Bell” was constantly interrupted when the lights of my dad’s car came up the driveway as we frantically trampled from the living room to the kitchen to stash away all our snacky-snacks. As much as I resisted though, it stayed with me. Here I am now, a health counselor. And my dad is the perfect beacon of health, right? Well, let’s just say he doesn’t always “walk the talk”. As I got older I began learning of his little secret habits – daily indulgences while outside of the house, of course. A daily muffin doused in butter – DAILY! Seriously dad? I imagine that started around the time when the word “muffin” automatically meant healthy. Sure, a healthy version of cake. Just as a milkshake can instantly become healthy when it is labeled “smoothie” and a candy bar can become healthy with the label “energy bar”. In fact I believe the “reduced fat blueberry muffin” at Dunkin Donuts is 450 calories while the glazed donut is only 220. Not that I’m suggesting either is a good choice for breakfast, but it’s funny.

Anyway, back to you Dad! When I began my training at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, my dad and I would have mini “coaching” sessions where we would talk about his health goals and what he’s eating, just as I do with any client. Naturally, we started with breakfast. Sure enough, he tells me that each morning he goes to his little coffee shop to read the paper and have a muffin. "Dad you have high cholesterol, why not try making some oatmeal?” I suggested. "There are loads of great toppings you can mix in to make it delicious."

"Ohhh no, I like my routine and I’m not giving it up. I’m just not going to make breakfast at home."

There I was, defeated. A few weeks later I said, "Are you sure you don’t want oatmeal? Come on Dad, oats! You’re Scottish – you people like oats!" Nope. Another couple of weeks went by and while driving in the car I told him how we tend to gravitate towards the foods that our ancestors ate and that I think my heritage has something to do with why I can't possibly go without my steel cut Irish oats in the morning. And he said “You know what, my grandfather in Scotland would always have an oat porridge for breakfast.” Bingo! Thanks Paddy, I think that might have done it. Four months later, Dad has oatmeal at least three times a week and he, and I quote “can’t even LOOK at a muffin anymore.” Fifteen year muffin habit – kicked.

Step Two

Next project? Chewing. Yes, we’re taking baby steps here. You might think it sounds ridiculous but I bet you anything you are terrible at chewing too. Pay attention next time you eat and you’ll see. My idea to push chewing as Phase 2 was after I had to sit alone at lunch last week while my dad walked around the café awkwardly bending and coughing and twisting to move the rice he inhaled out of wherever it was stuck. That was fun.

We all inhale our food. Since when did life become such an emergency? When we don’t take the time to chew our food, we are missing out on so much. For one thing, we aren’t really paying attention to when we’re full. Look around you. Does it look like people know when to stop eating? We inhale our food at our computers, in our cars, in front of the TV, walking down the street, etc.

It is SO important to chew our food, especially grains. Digestion of grains and other carbohydrates begins in the mouth as they are broken down by our saliva. Thorough chewing releases the full nutritional value of the food and makes the nutrients available for maximum absorption. When you properly break down the food in your mouth, you give the poor stomach a break – it doesn’t have to work as hard to digest and assimilate the nutrients into your bloodstream. That means more energy and less digestive distress!

Give it a try: focus on chewing each bite 30 times. I’m not joking. Those who practice Macrobiotics must chew each bite 100 times! By learning to slow down you will begin to notice things, like how the food really tastes, how it smells. Think about where it came from and what type of energy was put into getting it on your plate. You will notice that your body will begin to feel wonderfully light as your digestion becomes more efficient. Not only that, but you will probably eat less. Do you know what happens when you eat less? Yep, you lose weight my friends. When I visited a yoga retreat a few weeks ago, I was required, as was everybody else, to have breakfast in silence. So I got my usual steel cut oats and topped it with some delicious walnuts and raisins and sat alone with my food and a cup of hot tea. With nobody to talk to and no stress of finding somebody to sit with I just sat and slowly chewed and savored every bite of my food. I ate one third of the amount that I normally eat when having my oatmeal in front of my computer every morning! And I stayed full all the way until lunch. So please, chew your food and you’ll be amazed by what happens.

GINGER OATMEAL
With all this talk of oatmeal, I must share with you my favorite breakfast recipe. Do yourself a favor by going with the highest quality stuff – steel cut oats, or Irish oats. The problem for most of us is that it takes much longer to cook than instant oatmeal, but fear not – I have a trick:

1 cup of steel cut Irish oats (like McCann’s)
4 cups of water
¼ cup chopped nuts of your choice (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds)
¼ cup dried fruit of your choice (raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, goji berries)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1 tbsp gentle sweetener (maple syrup, raw honey)
1 tbsp dark chocolate chips (if you’re feeling naughty)

Night before: Bring water to a boil, add oats and stir. Turn off the heat and cover. Go to bed.

Next morning: When you get up the oats will have been slowly cooking all night - all you have to do is heat it up and serve! Add a cup of oats to a bowl (or Tupperware to bring to work). Mix in any toppings you desire. My favorite combination is toasted hazelnuts, raisins, grated ginger and maple syrup. On Fridays I treat myself by adding in the dark chocolate – it instantly melts into the hot oatmeal and is to die for. Enjoy!

Serves 3