Cinnamon and Sweet Potatoes

Dieting is difficult.  For Everyone.  From the mother trying to lose 10 more pounds before her daughter’s wedding, to the scrawny weakling struggling to stuff heaps of peanut butter down his gullet, to the wrestler sitting in the sauna for the 4^th hour, to the girl trying to make those jeans look great.  Everyone has difficulty with dieting, but while our problems might all be characteristically different, there are some tenants that are effective whether you are a bodybuilder looking to add mass or a schlub looking to drop some weight.  No matter what client I have, I always harp on nutrient density.  Nutrient density is the quality of food that we add to our body based on its micronutrient quality and quantity.  Macronutrient’s consist of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and water; whereas micronutrients include vitamins, macro- and micronutrients, and some organic compounds.  While all micronutrients are found in a variety of foods, most of my clients and the general public face deficiencies with micronutrients attained  from plant sources.  A change to the majority of diets should include an increase in vegetable content (unless specific allergies prohibit you from particular foods.)  The simplest way I explain to most people how to get adequate amounts of plant based nutrients would be to include a variety of colors of vegetables into their diet.  Since most people consume white based flesh fruits and vegetables (bananas , apples, white potatoes, corn, white peaches, etc.) , I advocate the color scheme of vegetables.  Green vegetables are often consumed in higher quanties than others often leading to boredom and distaste of the plant based nutrients you need.  Red, orange , yellow, green, blue, and purple flesh will enable you to maximize the nutrient densities of the food you eat because the color indicates a natural source of micronutrients.  For example, beta-carotene, a vitamin shown to improve eyesight, is often associated with orange vegetables (such as carrots and orange American yams.)  Improving the diversity of your vegetables will allow you to expand the nutrients that you are receiving and help to keep you from becoming bored with your healthy options.

  I remember first reading from Pauline Nordin’s blog that she would consume 2% of her bodyweight in vegetables daily, I thought she was absurd. (citation) For someone at 200 pounds, that would equate to 4 pounds of vegetables daily.  While cooking vegetables makes them easier to eat, most vegetables contain higher amounts of phytonutrients in their uncooked, raw form.(citation)  This means that you would potentially have to spend your entire day chewing through carrots, munching on celery, and masticating your broccoli.  Essentially we all look like cows, ruminating our lives away.  While I advocate that you multitask your vegetable consumption (with something like reading or watching tv) I continue to look for simpler ways to enjoy the foods needed to be healthy. 

One of my heroes is Jack Lalane.  Jack is known for his amazing feats of strength as he continues to age such as towing strings of boats behind him while swimming ridiculous distances.  I invite you to take a look at his feats of strengths. (citation)  Jack is also famous for his juicer, which he advocates makes him young and vital.  Avoiding the topic of lost nutrients in the juicer, I decided that I

Costco, the store where I buy 98% of my food, has an entire section devoted to vegetables and fruits.  A while back, I began purchasing the potato medley pack they offered that included a mix of small sized yellow, red, and purple sweet potatoes.  Purple sweet potatoes are especially useful for increasing your vegetable color wheel diversity.  While potatoes have some downsides, including their high pesticide load and their starchy constitution, I have managed to keep them important in my diet.  Compared to

Several months ago I had gotten some organic sweet potatoes.  I baked and ate them and to my surprised really enjoyed them.  I looked around online at the number of articles that talked about the health benefits that sweet potatoes have.  According to