Are we really what we eat? Look in the mirror to find out!!

Thanks for stopping by!! I am sitting outside on what is going to be the hottest day so far this summer and at 8:30am on a Wednesday morning I could not be happier. It isn't always easy trying to figure out the path in life you want to take, however after almost 40 years on the planet I can say that being a husband, a dad, a chef and hopefully soon enough an author is pretty damn exciting.

I am not what some people would call a 'healthy' eater. If you fall into that category then I applaud your choices and determination. I want to say right now before you read any further, that I am not a dietitian or a nutrition expert. Having been a Chef for many years, working with an elderly population for several of those years, I do have some insight in what eating healthy is all about. The sobering fact is that inside of the United States we are not healthy and much of that comes from how we eat. Here is a listing of some of the more scary facts that are associated with where we are now...

The Healthy People Goal for 2010 was not met by any state. The goal was to have obesity rates at or below 15%. The failure of this can be magnified by the fact that the closest state to achieve this goal was Colorado with a 21% rate of obesity.

 

In 2000, not one state had an obesity rate over 30% by 2009, 9 states went over the 30% mark with several more states at or over 28%

 

Here in the northeast, we range around 24%, in MA we fall slightly below that at 23% and if you live up north in NH you fall slightly higher at 25%

Obesity can lead to several health problems not limited to Type 2 Diabetes, certain kinds of cancer, heart disease, stroke and even death.

How about walking in these?

Are all these problems just because we went out and ate that cheeseburger and didn't run a pair of 5K's each day? Absolutely not!! It doesn't matter if you count calories, add more proteins or cut your carbs down. The secret is eating in moderation, controlling portions and yes...getting some real exercise, even if it means just going for a 20 minute brisk walk each day. For myself the first step was going from a few 20oz bottles or more of soda, down to 1 or 2 12oz cans each day. It meant giving up the Dunkin Donuts drive-through and eating a bowl of cereal. The biggest change I have

made is the addition of walking almost everyday. It is hard for me to admit, at my heaviest, I weighed 267 pounds. Back in my high school and college days, I had a 29 inch waist...I didn't have that when I was 267!! Happily I have lost over 20 pounds by being smarter and I have set a goal for myself to be back below 225 pounds by the time I go on vacation this coming October. People in my life have been equally successful at losing weight and being healthier, like I said...do whatever will work for you to be healthier. I know that my wife and kids want nothing more than to keep me around for years to come. Beginning Friday, the 22nd of June I am going to post a daily food journal, this way you can see that it is not always easy to eat better while preaching about doing it. I am also going to be writing about some ways that you can improve on your own eating habits.

Coming on Friday...Chef Seans Food Journal along with some tips on how eating fresh fruit helps you be healthier, including a pair of delicious fruit recipes that are super easy to make as well as being wallet friendly!!