Responsibility 199, what is it?

Responsibility 199 is a belief; I believe that to be healthy and to increase my longevity I need to weigh 199 pounds or less...
Responsibility 199 is a need; I need to reduce my weight, reduce my percentage of body fat, and the elevated threat of disease my present condition presents...
Responsibility 199 is a mission; I recognize that achieving 199 will be a challenge, perhaps the hardest I have ever undertaken...
Responsibility 199 is a commitment; I acknowledge that I must commit to action, commit to change, commit to myself and those I love to achieve this mission, to increase my longevity...
Responsibility 199 is ME.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Day 73 - Coloring Salad

Set your go-back-goggles for two months ago. That is about the time I was in a blog chat about vitamins and whether daily vitamin pills are necessary. Oh we debated other supplements like protein powders and amino acids and the like too. But I've always remembered that discussion for those who were against getting their vitamins from pills. While not completely surprising it did challenge a stereotype I had for healthy people; that a majority used supplements, at least vitamins, daily.

In fact many stated they use no supplements of any kind. Intrigued I wondered just how they could be so bold. I mean, how can modern people not get and stay healthy from some sort of help from the diet & supplement industry?

I basically asked them that question. Those that were anti-vitamin pills had a common answer to how they get the vitamins they need. "From food", was the quick reply of a few.

OK, raise your hand if that was news to you in any way. Anyone, I didn't think so. If you did raise your hand don't feel stupid, I am about to do you one better.

Being fearless from behind the safety of my mouse and keyboard I challenged these anti-vitamin takers, our conversation went something like this...

"Counting calories let alone the nutrition content of what you eat is insane. That has to take hours to get it sorted so you end the day with a balanced vitamin intake. You can't be sure you are getting your vitamins!", I roared.

"Oh no, it isn't insane, I don't count calories.", the lead voice of the opposition calmly replied.

"Huh, OK, you buy all pre-packaged stuff, someone else does it for you, right?" I insisted still in disbelief.

"LOL", was the first answer I got.

"Nope, those are worse than using on vitamins and supplements", another insisted. A couple of other said similar.

"No, just from food. But we color our food, that's how we know", was the answer I took note of after a few more LOL's.

Remember I told those of you that raised your hand earlier I was about to do you one better; here it is...

"You color your food, you mean like dying Easter eggs?" I asked.

After a mess of LOLs, ROTFLOL, LMAO, etc. eventually someone took pity on me and explained in simply.

"Eat a salad once a day. That salad should contain as many different colored foods as you can find. Do the same other meals too. If you have three items on your dinner plate, don't let them all be brown or white", she shared.

In a nut shell, the more colors your overall food intake is made up of the higher the probability that you are getting all of the vitamins types you need and as well getting the amount you need.

So the smart ass in me really wanted to answer back that Big Mac must have six or seven colors in it, must be chocked full of good stuff, right? I thought I would have been in my right to ask that after the avalanche of LOLs I endured. However, I did ask the Easter egg question, so I refrained.

Instead I left the conversation enlightened. I knew enough about food from previous missions where I had counted stuff to know that a carrot is good for vitamin A, that an egg brings in the vitamins D & B,  that celery delivers the vitamin K, and I could go on.

Regardless of getting validation from the science behind the theory it maks sense to me. And more importantly is sounded so unbelievably simple. The holy grail ingredient of success; make it simple and it will be done!

So, there you see the picture of my salad. You don't see much green but the lettuce is there underneath all the rest of those colors. Purple onions, Orange carrots, White hard boiled, Beige garbanzo beans, Yellow corn, Black beans, Red bell pepper and red cherry tomatoes, Green-sort-of peppercinos, and whatever color tuna is.

Do you color your food?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

10 comments:

  1. Hmm...do I color it? Well, I would say that I try. I don't necessarily plan a meal around it specifically or look down at my plate and go yay or damn based on color. Perhaps I'm even older school and just go for the balance, e.g. protein, veg, and healthy starch for most of my meal items. I'm trying harder to incorporate fruit and with berries in season, that isn't too hard.

    A pack of M&Ms and Skittles ought to do the trick.

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  2. Good post. I basically do this with sandwiches and I try to color my scrambled egg whites in the morning.

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  3. Hummm....color my food. I am intrigued.

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  4. No I have not been coloring my food, but I am open for ideas. I need something to give my chicken salad a little color and some crunch. Like you post today.

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  5. In the past I have seen some good articles on this same topic from Men's health magazine. One time they had an article that showed what nutrients were in a selection of veggies and in turn what same nutrients were in others; so, if you are like me and don't like something, say brocolli, it had what other veggies had similiar nutirents. Another time they showed an array of types of potatoes and compared them with veggies that had similiar nutrients. In this case you could see if you didn't like cabbage what breed? of baked potato you could have to get the same vitamins. This makes me want to look for the articles again.

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  6. I definitely try to color my food. I'm always reading about what colors contain what vitamins and eat whatever I think I need. I am so bad at taking my vitamin pills, so at least this way I'm getting in some nutrients!

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  7. I try to eat a variety of colors thru the week so it all pans out at the end! :-)

    As for vitamins, I take only those I need like calcium due to my age & that I can't digest milk products.... I just heard on one show that a multi-vitamin is not necessary & studies showed possibly harmful (POSSIBLY) unless you are not eating what you need to cover all your requirements. The doc said to only supplement with those things you don't get enough of.. like me, calcium is needed & for others, the Vit D may be needed and for pregnant moms, other things are needed.

    I think the key is to know what you are taking, don't overdo & don't mix things that can cause harm.. do the research first or talk to your doc...

    Good post Patrick!

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  8. I definitely don't color my food intentionally. :D Usually I wind up with a few colors, but definitely not all of the time. Thanks for posting this - I hadn't thought about it that way before! But I will from now on :D

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  9. ONe word www dot fitday dot com.

    Works out all your nutrients for you as well as macronutrients. Im always way over my RDA for the day with help from cod liver oil, which supplements the different vegetables.

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  10. Hi Patrick!
    I always like to put as many things in my salad as possible so I guess that's the same thing! You salad looks FABULOUS! Yum!!!

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