Alrighty. My immune system is fubared again. Which leads me to the following commitment: I will not eat crap food as meals anymore. I have been battling my sweet tooth for years now, and losing. AFter so many illnesses I have to do everything in my power to boost my immune system. This means no more Bit-O-Honey's for dinner. I'll miss all of my friends; Bit-o-HOney, Laffy Taffy, flavored Tootsie Rolls, 100 grand, Candy corn (Oh God I'll miss Candy Corn!). This is a sacrifice I have to make. I didn't let a 40 mile drive stop me. I'm not going to let this damned sweet tooth get in my way either. I have cringed with each bite of a fruit or vegetable all morning. I'm tough. I can do it! My body is working like a machine and I'm putting sugar in the gas tank. Time to rework my fueling strategies!
In preparation for this change I have eatten every sweet thing in our house, and gone to the store to stock up on dry beans, rice, and veggies. It's like that scene at the beginning of Train Spotting where he prepares for his withdraws during his detox. I have to admit I felt really good about myself as I stood in the produce section. I had this feeling of superiority ozzing from every pore on my elevated nose! I'm moving up in the nutritional world! Pretty soon I'll actually like eating again!
*If this sounds like a pep-talk it is.
Take care of yourself pal!!!
ReplyDelete~Dagny
Diet makes a huge difference. It is one of the things I've changed for the better over the last year. Good luck. Let me know if you need any tasty healthy recipes.
ReplyDeleteHello Annie...I recently came across your blog and enjoy your commentary and insight on things. On the diet front, I know we all have our own personal demons that we struggle with everyday. That being said, I'd like to share some ideas that have helped me in my athletic pursuits (triathlon) that may relate to your situation. Instead of just cutting things out of your diet cold turkey, why not consider adding in foods that you think may be beneficial to your future performance while keeping your diet status quo?...i.e. keep eating all your normal rations of candy, but insist on eating a piece of fruit or veggie every time you eat or have a snack. In this way, you're setting up a good behavior in regards to your diet choices. Over time, you may find you can reduce the amount of candy you eat if you so choose. Surprisingly, I've found that my body can deal with a lot of junk food as long as I have a good base on the nutrition front.
ReplyDeleteThe other ideas I have deal with protein intake, vitamin D, and omega 3 essential fatty acids. Since I don't know the circumstances on what you mean by a fubared immune system I don't want to speculate or comment. Quality protein or just having more protein in your diet in general can do wonders for your immune system as well as workout recovery. I have seen a noticeable difference when I've added in an additional 50-100grams of quality protein. If you're not keen on meat you may find that adding an extra 100grams of protein may be hard to do- it's ~ 1lb of lean meat:) However, it's actually quite easy if you get a good quality protein powder such as whey and just drink your protein. Try taking 10-20grams of whey protein before and after your workouts and see if you don't notice a difference in your recovery. Whey protein also provides a fair amount of the amino acid glutamine which is fuel for your immune system and digestive tract. You can also take glutamine powder. It's a little costly though per dose, but Walmart has a cheap brand that I use when I'm in heavy training. You may want to consider doses of 5-10grams initially spiking some in right after your workout. However, this is icing on the cake...get the whey protein first if money is an issue since it provides glutamine plus has other immune enhancing properties.
I mention vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, because there are so many good things it does for you. There has been an explosion of information over the recent years regarding all of it's effects, including immunity enhancement and cancer prevention- please search for yourself. I believe today that the scientific community is starting to recommend at least 1000units/day. Many people need more, but this is higher than the 400units recommended today. You can get 1000 units by taking calcium supplements. Pick out a calcium supplement, I use generic calcium citrate from Walmart, that has 100% (400units) of vitamin D3/serving of calcium; then just add up how many servings you need to take. For me, I end up taking 1500mg of calcium (calcium citrate) to provide 1000units of vitamin D3. I also get on top of this an extra 400 units by taking a multivitamin.
If you're not taking any omega 3 (EPA and DHA) essential fatty acids supplements I recommend Carlson's fish oil. The vitaminlady.com has the best deal around that I've found for this stuff. 1 teaspoon can give you a decent level (800mgEPA, 500mg DHA) and costs about 25cents/serving. If you need to go cheaper you can always check out some fish oil capsules (horse pills) from walmart/costco/sams club. Science recommends about ~1000mg of EPA/day for good measure. You'll have to add up how many capsules you need to take since I'm just familiar and find it easier to take the oil straight up. Taking capsules can also cause some people to burp up fish-yuk... BTW, taking 500-1000units of vitamin D3 and some fish oil can be good for the kids as well- my 2 kids (4 and 2yrs) actually like Carlson's fish oil because it has a lemon taste. They take it right off the spoon, but I make sure they drink something afterward since having an oil slick in your mouth isn't the greatest feeling:)
And finally I like to plug green tea- I know, when is this guy going to shut up! If you're a caffeine lover and don't already drink green tea I highly recommend it. Again, there's so much research out there exposing it's benefits ranging from anti inflammatory properties, blood sugar control, increased fat metabolism, cancer prevention, and immunity enhancement. I believe there's positives effects with anywhere from 1-5cups/day which will provide between 50-200mg of caffeine in addition.
I know I've mentioned a lot of stuff. I encourage you to ask other people about these things too and get their view points. Maybe Jenny Spangler has some ideas as well and might lend credence to some of the ideas I've mentioned? I think the most important idea I wanted to get across was my beginning point. It's easier to add positives into your life than remove the negatives. Adding positives into your life (ie good food and people) can only be positive. Taking negatives out (ie candy), while being positive initially, can affect your self esteem adversely if the habit returns and you view this as a failure.
I wish you continued success and luck with your training....maybe I'll see you at a race....Jamey
Wow mackjc... you big bad masked man. You came riding in with much needed nutritional advice... My immune system can't handle a whole lot of battles at once, my Asthma being the main culprit. BTW, an example of a normal ration is a BAG of Laffy Taffy for breakfast, and that's just for starters! I can't access your site, but looked you up on google. No wonder you can give such good advice, you are quite qualified!
ReplyDeleteAnnie, thanks for the very kind words. In triathlon I guess I do alright, but I could sure use a couple of your overdrive gears in standalone running races. As far as 'qualified', I wouldn’t say that... I’m a scientist by trade (geek?) so that explains where all the physiology and nutrition stuff comes in. It’s funny and ironic, but for me I’ve learned the things that matter most from the 'unqualified' people in my life. Let's see... MODERATION and REST seem to come to the forefront most of the time. Darn! Why are 'they' the experts when I know about training?! So I’m guessing here, but maybe those 'unqualifides' would say try a ½ bag of laffy taffy next time ...for breakfast! Take care of yourself...Jamey
ReplyDeleteJamey! I agree there's a lot of great advice from those who are "unqualified". My sons provided a well of wisdom for me to pull insights from. However, when a scientist gives you advice on a "system" you should listen! It's working so far. Combining fruit with candy is starting to have a Pavlovian effect, which could backfire on me! haha. Good luck in the Tri! I'll try to bottle some of my overly aggressive behavior and send it your way! Maybe it'd help my driving manners! My 4 year old knows words he shouldn't
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