Should You Avoid Canned Foods?

Aug 192021

Should You Avoid Canned Foods?

Eᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʜᴀs ᴛᴏ sᴛᴀʀᴛ sᴏᴍᴇᴡʜᴇʀᴇ. The road to canned foods can be traced to 1795 when a famous fellow named Napoléon Bonaparte offered a reward of 12,000 francs ($258,758 in midsummer 2021 dollars). It was to be paid to whomever could invent a way to preserve food long enough to get it to Napoléon’s troops who, hard at work conquering the world, were spread far and wide.
In 1804, a Parisian chef and confectioner, Nicolas Appert, perfected a method to preserve fruit, vegetables, and meat that used glass bottles that were filled, sealed, and placed in boiling water for a given time.
The same year, English merchant Peter Durand obtained a United Kingdom patent from King George III using Appert’s technique but using tin cans instead of glass bottles.
Neither got the reward, but Appert was paid a similar sum by the French Bureau of Arts and Manufactures of the Ministry of the Interior (Couldn’t they have slipped a few more words into that title?) on the condition that he make his process public.

Are canned foods ok to eat?
There is a tendency today to disparage canned food. But canned foods can enjoy a prominent place in a healthy diet. And, while they provide nearly the same nutrient levels as fresh or frozen foods, they are often more convenient, an important consideration in our busy lives.
You may be surprised to find that people who consume canned foods regularly are apt to have a higher intake of fruit and vegetables—and nutrients—than those who don’t. This is likely because of their convenience.

So, what is the downside?
The biggest concern is over BPH, an industrial chemical that was employed extensively in the epoxy resin used to line food cans. The BPH is known to migrate into food and thus into those who eat the food.
While the toxicity of this has been studied extensively, the reportage is deeply inconsistent. In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, stated BHP, as used in the linings of food containers, is safe.

Some of us don’t believe everything the government tells us.
Luckily, as a practical matter the canned food industry basically quit using resins that contain BPH. Today, you might have to search to find a processor still using it.

Wait, there’s a little more.
Added ingredients come into play with canned foods as they do with prepackaged foods and, while many don’t have any added ingredients, you’ll find added salt and sugar in more than a few. Read the labels to avoid this or drain and rinse the food before serving it.

So, what is the bottom line?
Buy and serve fresh or frozen food when you can, but don’t be overly concerned if you find canned foods work better for you.

Remember, with The Sexy Beast Diet your goal is to reach and maintain a healthy weight while eating a healthy and satisfying diet. Whatever makes that easier is acceptable.

Historic Uses for Alcohol

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Jul 272021

— Historic Uses of Alcohol —

Quaff — verb: to drink a beverage, especially an intoxicating one, copiously and with hearty enjoyment.

|Like everything else they do, Sexy Beasts quaff with gusto.

Oᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀs, alcoholic drinks have played divers roles:

Many cultures drank alcoholic beverages to avoid water-borne diseases such as cholera.
Russians have long drunk vodka in the belief that it keeps them warm.
Ancient Egyptians building the pyramids were paid in beer. (See: Beer Built the Pyramids.)
Italians say a glass of wine improves the appetite.
Parisians drink wine and smoke cigarettes in outdoor cafes to appear sophisticated.
Biblical references suggest wine was one of the principal beverages of the Israelites.
In suburban America, teenage boys throw kegger parties to lower teenage girls’ inhibitions.
In Japan, sake is used in Shinto purification rituals.
Around the world, Champagne is thought of as the celebratory beverage of choice.

I’m not about to tell you not to drink alcohol, because I know, as a Sexy Beast, you’re likely to.
As am I.
Just be aware of the calories you’re consuming and drink safely.

Plan on employing one or more of these strategies to moderate your consumption when you do drink:

Don’t regularly exceed to two drinks a day. No binge drinking. Harvard Medical School studies have shown two drinks a day for men (it’s one a day for women) may even be beneficial to your health.
At parties, intersperse glasses of water: one drink, one glass of water, one drink, one glass of water….
Designate a driver or use Uber when you’re out and about. (Sexy Beasts do not drink and drive.)
Consult the list below and consider choosing the lower-calorie options.

Distilled Spirits (gin, rum, vodka, whiskey)

Short pour                                    1 ounce        64 calories
Regular pour                                  1.5 ounce      97 calories
Make-it-an-early-night pour           8 ounces       512 calories

Don’t forget to account for the calories in any mixers you use. You can find nearly any mixer in a no-calorie variety.

Wine

Dry wine (red, white, or rose) 6 ounces       150 calories
Port, Sherry 3 ounces       90 calories
Sweet wine (Mad Dog, etc.) 6 ounces       270 calories

Brews

Regular beer                                  12 ounces     150 to 200 calories
Light beer                                      12 ounces     85 to 145 calories
Stouts and ales 12 ounces     200 to 450 calories
Nonalcoholic beer 12 ounces     65 calories

Hard Cider 12 ounces 150-200 calories
Hard Seltzers 12 ounces 90-120 calories

Zounds! Twice as Likely to Die?

Dieting Sucks, Ramblings No Responses »

May 182021

Zounds! Twice as Likely to Die?

Guys, surprised to find you added a few pounds lately?
Here’s a newsflash for you, you aren’t alone.
But it is important to do something about it before it gets completely out of hand.
Men who are significantly overweight are twice as likely to die prematurely. Let me repeat that: twice as likely to die prematurely!
Like 100 percent more often.
Got it?
If that isn’t deep enough into the weeds for you, here are a few pertinent facts—excerpted from my book The Sexy Beast Diet: The Man’s Guide to Healthy, Satisfying Eating.

Your Heart

It was thought that being overweight contributed only indirectly to heart disease. But recent analysis of long-term studies indicate that obesity independently predicts increased degrees of atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, and coronary death in adults.
Small weight reductions in those who are overweight have been shown to dramatically improve one’s odds. Think what large reductions in weight might do.

Your Blood Supply

Being overweight is connected to a Sexy Beast’s chances of suffering a stroke. Strokes are caused when blood supply to a part of the brain is diminished.
Hardening of the arteries, often intensified in overweight men, can cause a stroke if blood vessels to the brain are affected.
And, while it isn’t completely understood, abdominal obesity, often defined in men as having a waist measurement of more than 40 inches, is known to be a potent risk factor in strokes.
Strokes are medical emergencies. It is best to avoid them.

Your Prostate

Overweight men have a 25% increased risk of death from prostate cancer. Mildly obese men have a 46% higher risk.
Severely obese men double their risk.
Traditional treatments for this type of cancer too often result in incontinence and impotence. While remedies for prostate cancer do continue to improve, trust me on this one, no Sexy Beast wants prostate troubles.

Your Brain

Consider this: The brain in overweight people shrinks quicker than in others resulting in lower cognitive abilities and poorer memory as one ages.
Seriously, who wants to be old, fat, and stupid?

You can find simple, successful, masculine strategies for obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight in The Sexy Beast Diet. If you would like a free copy for yourself or a friend, please email Mettee@TheWriteThought.com.*
*Limited-time offer.

Still a Starter after Nearly a Dozen Years

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Sep 032019

Still a Starter after
Nearly a Dozen Years

On March 13, 2019, Cameron Wake, five-time Pro Bowl player, signed a three-year, $23 million contract with the Tennessee Titans. That alone is pretty spectacular. But what makes it even more spectacular is that Wake, who definitely qualifies as a Sexy Beast, was 37 years old at the time—ancient for an NFL player, even more so for a defensive end.

And what does Wake attribute his ability to stay fit and healthy? A lifestyle commitment.

“It’s a decision you have to make to say, ‘I decide to do this and give up that,’” Wake was quoted in an Associated Press article as saying.

Wake avoids fried foods, processed foods, candy, chips, and cheese. Instead he focuses his diet on lean meats and vegetables. One of his favorite dishes is tuna fish with sunflower seeds.

And, I imagine, he gets plenty of exercise.

“I’m going to choose long term over the here and now, delayed gratification, all those things,” Wake said. Sounds like he read The Sexy Beast Diet doesn’t it?

Dieting Advice Parallels Writing Advice: “Get Another Wife, Live-in Lover, Roommate.”

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Jan 072018

Dieting Advice Parallels Writing Advice:“Get Another Wife, Live-in Lover, Roommate.”

Hmmm, maybe I do need a new husband.

In my friend Jim Frey’s excellent guide How to Write a Damn Good Novel, II, (start reading it here) he tells of a woman at one of his workshops who complained she didn’t have time to write:

I suggested she quit her job.

She smiled sheepishly and said she couldn’t do that. They had a big mortgage and her husband liked to travel, so they were making payments on a Winnebago. Her husband would kill her, she said, if she quit her job.

I said she should get another husband.

She blinked with astonishment. She said I was kidding, of course.

I was not kidding, I said. There are a lot of husbands out there—find one who will support your writing.

She walked away, muttering that I was a lunatic.

I may be, but that doesn’t change the facts. You can’t become a writer if you surround yourself with no-sayers. And if your spouse or live-in lover or roommate is not supporting you, you will have to change either their minds or your living arrangements.

Your ship won’t make much headway dragging an anchor.

How does Jim’s advice apply to dieting? If you need to ask….

How Else Do You Explain Scotch Whiskey?

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Oct 092012

How Else Do You Explain
Scotch Whiskey?

Even the best Scotch only has about 64 calories per ounce. But it’s really easy to overdo the whiskey thing. Be safe if you decide to drink.

There is an interesting phenomenon at work when we begin to eat or drink something regularly, we begin to like it.

Over the millenniums man has developed a taste for everything from insects to acorns. Why? Because these foods were available.

Eventually those who ate them regularly came to actually prefer them. Insects are still considered a delicacy in parts of the world and acorns, well, acorns didn’t actually make the cut, but you get the point.

You’ll find this eat-it-prefer-it phenomenon will happen automatically as you move to eating only healthy foods.

Who to Believe? Celebrity Doctors or the American Heart Association?

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Jun 142012

Who to Believe? Celebrity Doctors or
the American Heart Association?

Studies show that chronic inflammation can be a causative factor in heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

But how does your diet come into play?

Best-selling author Dr. Andrew Weil’s website states, “Most people consume an excess of omega-6 fatty acids from which the body synthesizes hormones that promote inflammation.”

The website of TV celebrity Dr. Oz follows suit: “If you’ve got too much omega-6, inflammation wins.”

Both suggest limiting your intake of omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids are found in sunflower and other vegetable oils.

The problem is studies don’t show that omega-6 increases inflammation. And it might even help you stay healthy.

According to William Harris of the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, avoiding omega-6 vegetable oils isn’t called for: “First, the body converts so little of the omega-6’s linoleic acid into arachidonic acid [the fatty acid that is said to cause inflammation] that its levels don’t budge. And second, the body converts arachidonic acid into both pro- and anti-inflammatory compounds, so it can’t be pigeonholed as one or the other.”

In a 10-week Swedish study of people who got 15 percent of their calories either from butter (saturated fat) or from sunflower oil (omega-6), neither group showed a rise in inflammation or in arachidonic acid.

On the other hand, those eating the omega-6 diet had less liver fat suggesting that their insulin was working better.

Three years ago, due to this and similar studies, the American Heart Association cautioned consumers not to cut back on oils containing omega-6.

But wait, there’s more. According to Harris, “Eating less omega-6 fats is more likely to increase than decrease the risk of heart disease” because omega-6 fats lower the LDL or ‘bad” cholesterol.

So you decide. Scientists and the American Heart Association or celebrity doctors?

Note: My source for this blog is the June 2012 Nutrition Action Healthletter. A thin, valuable newsletter published 10 times a year.

Beer Built the Pyramids

Dieting Sucks, Ramblings 2 Responses »

Feb 012012

It's likely that ancient man invented agriculture so he could have an ample beer supply. Photo courtesy Idea Go.

We all know what the oldest profession is, but which do you think came first, baker or brewer?

According to University of Pennsylvania Professor Patrick McGovern, who is known as the “Indiana Jones of Ancient Ales, Wines, and Extreme Beverages,” Neolithic farmers had developed the necessary skills to grow grains so they could brew beer thousands of years before anyone was baking bread.

This means Sexy Beasts were guzzling beer at least 9,000 years ago. I don’t find that surprising. I imagine hunting and gathering from dawn till dusk was thirsty work.

Not only did man’s quest for beer help establish agriculture; it was beer that built the pyramids. The laborers who worked on the pyramids in ancient Egypt were paid in beer; 231,414,717 gallons of it for the pyramid at Giza alone. Anheuser-Busch eat your heart out.

This post is unedited material I’ve written for The Sexy Beast Diet. Constructive criticism is appreciated, after all everyone needs an editor. Just click the “Add Comments” link at the top right. Thanks!

Favorite Dieting Quote?

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Dec 022011

You are the hero of your life.

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

—Teddy Roosevelt

What’s Sexy and What’s Not

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Nov 222011

This post is unedited material I’ve written for The Sexy Beast Diet. Constructive criticism is appreciated, after all everyone needs an editor. Just click the “Add Comments” link at the top right. Thanks!

—

Everyone wants to be sexy.

Men want to be virile and sexy.

Women want to be beautiful and sexy.

Ok, maybe not everyone.

I had a high school civics teacher who used to always say, “never say ‘never’” so, in the spirit of Mr. Hull, perhaps I misspoke.

It is possible some people don’t want to be sexy. The Pope comes to mind.

And, apparently President Jimmy Carter didn’t care about turning a fair maiden’s head, at not least while he was in the White House, but, for every Jimmy Carter, there’s 1,001 Bill Clintons.

I’m willing to bet you aren’t a Jimmy Carter or the Pope.

Know what women find sexy?

• The ability to listen. Women love to talk, and their favorite subject is themselves. Simply listen, nod, and ask a simple question now and then and you’ll be spending more time between the sheets than on the sports page.

• Confidence. It isn’t that confidence is such a turn on as it is that indecisiveness is such a turn off. Make up your mind. Stick to your decisions. Sexy Beasts are confident beasts.

• Wisdom. Keep up on the universe and all its goings-on. This may mean you’ll have to do some reading. Suck it up.

• Industriousness. Doubt a good work ethic is sexy? Try this for a pick up line sometime: “I haven’t been able to find a job for a couple of years now, so I live with my mom.”

• Scintillating conversation. When she isn’t talking, she wants you to talk. If you can’t think of anything to say, ask something about her. See “The ability to listen” above.

• Fitness. Most women say they don’t put an emphasis on looks to the degree men do, but check around and see how many women you know who find beer bellies attractive.

Know what women don’t find sexy?

• Fat. She’ll be impressed if you can heft a 90-pound sack of cement, but not if you have one hanging over your belt or stored in the seat of your pants. Wiggle a double chin at her and see if her eyes gleam with lust.

• Lack of cleanliness. Poor grooming or bad hygiene is a big turn off. It also results in insipid sex. If she smelled bad, would you…?

• Meanness. You may have heard that women go for bad boys, but that doesn’t translate into treating her badly. Sexy Beasts are gentlemen.