Groceries for Good Health

I said I would tell you about my favorite shopper. She is a lovely little old lady. She is well into her 70's. She is always well dressed, hair done and a lovely smile on her face. She still drives her own car. She lives alone but is very active with her club and church.

She lives in a retirement community apartment complex. She said she was very resistent to moving from her house because she didn't want to give up her garden. She has potted plants in every window and on her small balcony.

Need I say this lady is slender. But she is not frail. She walks every day. She buys a few TV dinners but mostly foods that she will cook herself. She buys more produce than meat. She always buys whatever berries are in season. Also, whole grain bread and real butter. She also buys gourmet food for her cat.

Her outlook is the most important thing. She never complains about anything including her health. She makes the most of every day, perhaps every moment.

We have talked about health and health problems. She takes her supplements and understands what each supplement is for. She takes no doctor prescriptions.

She is saddened by the death of her friends but notes that over weight people do not live to be old even if they feel old. She considers herself lucky because she was never over weight and has always been very active.

So there it is from the mouth of one who is living the truth. Do you know of anyone who lived to be a very old age and was able to do for themselves? Were they over weight? Did they have the belly bulge, fat back and wiggly arms?

I welcome your comments.

until next time smile
Sharon
(oh if you want to see a picture of my rose in bloom in the middle of an ice storm just check out this link. Ice Rose
(c)copyright AnswersForYourHealth.com/Shrink Belly Fat

Belly Fat and the Groceries

Forget Fast Food Look At The Groceries

Observations of a grocery store cashier.

No judgements here, you make your own conclusions. This is just what I have observed in the past few months at the store.

Customer 1 is so over weight that she must shop in a motorized cart. She would be in the over 40 age range. She buys at least 6 large candy bars and bags of candy each trip. She buys 1 tomato, 1 banana, and 1 head of lettuce. She buys frozen dinners. She buys a case of water and 2 cases of diet soda.

Next customer is young and under weight. She buys $15.00 in produce, ground turkey, diet cookies and 2 cases of water. She also buys 5 bottles of wine and a case of beer.

Next we have the young man (30ish, slender, children are all slender and well mannered) who shops for the whole family which includes 3 pre schoolers. He buys apples, oranges and prepared salads. He buys very lean beef and skinless chicken. He also buys chips and cookies. For the children he gets baby food in jars, kid tv dinners, cookies and prepared snack packs. He also buys prepared fruit and vegetable snack packs. He buys soda in liter bottles one of each kind. His fruit juice choice is frozen. He buys potatoes in a 10 lb bag and fresh vegetables such as squash and green beans.

Next we have and older gentleman in his late 50s. He buys all the groceries and does the cooking because his wife is currently going thru cancer treatment. He buys her favorite candy and a small bouquet of flowers. He buys mostly lean red meat and canned vegetables. A few tv dinners that she likes and a case of ensure. He buys a bag of mixed fruit and ice cream. He also buys 3 bottles of wine and a case of beer.

Then comes a family that always shops together. Well a mother and two grown daughters. Mother does not drive. Each of these women weighs well over 250 lbs. They buy 20 lb bags of sugar, 3-4 cases of colas, chicken quarters, the 20 lb package of hamburger, 3 packs of 2 dozen tortillas, dried beans, rice and the large bag of potatoes. They buy the 24 count pack of eggs (2) and 2-3 lbs of peppers. They also buy the large tub of lard because everything they cook is fried. They buy dozens of cans of vegetables. I do not know how many they feed but they come in once a week.

There is a slender young woman (30-40) who comes in once a week. She buys a combination of frozen dinners from south beach, lean cuisine and not diet. She doesn't like to cook and works out a lot at her gym. She has been on many diets and just like the taste of these particular dinners. She certainly does not look like she needs to diet. She buys water and wine, no sodas. She lives alone and does not need to concern herself with what other might want. When she is having guests for dinner she will come in and buy raw meat and fish so she can cook.

One lady in her 50's, over weight by at least 70 lbs buys in bulk for her family. Every sweet thing or cola that comes down the belt, she says - that is for my son, I don't eat it.

I have one gentleman (late 30-40) who shops in a motorized cart. He buys for himself only. He buys only diet artificial sugar prepared foods and sodas. He complains that his doctor is always trying to scare him with statistics. He is diabetic and probably weighs close to 300 lbs. He has lost 30 pounds in the last 6 months. He is a pastry chef at a local restaurant.

One young couple (30s, slender,physically active, both work) buys only fresh fish and ground turkey. They buy only fresh produce. They buy diet sodas and wine.

Then there is the "old people". They are retired aging upward from 65. They all have one thing in common ---- none of them is over weight. I have never seen a fat old person, have you?

Most of my older people are women. In general when they are with a man, the women appears to be in much better physical condition. The gentlemen are still buying cigars and cig and beer.

The men usually are not too talkative unless they live alone. There is one gentleman, 87, wears a hearing aid and uses a cane. He is pretty much up beat and has an opinion on everything. If I have no one waiting in line, I will talk with him. He has a wicked sense of humor and an unfailing faith in God.

This post has gone on too long. Tomorrow I will tell you about my favorite customer.

until next time smile
Sharon
(c)copyright Answers For Your Health/Shrink Belly Fat

SAD it is but not Seasonal

Sagittal abdominal diameter is the new measure of obesity and potential heart disease.

Now the professionals have tested and determined that not all fat cells are equal and some fat cells are fat. What you and I need to work for is a skinnier fat cell. And they are all convinced that the greater the apple shape the greater the health risk to your heart. Those of you with the pear shape can at least feel superior because your heart is healthier.

If you need the latest on the correlation between BMI and Heart Health read this article from
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The more your belly sticks out, the greater your risk of developing heart disease, a new study shows.
"The message is really obesity in the abdomen matters even more than obesity overall," Dr. Carlos Iribarren of Kaiser Permanente of Northern California in Oakland, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health.

There is also this tidbit. You can lose weight with diet alone, however you will continue to have fatter fat cells. The only way to slim down the fat cells themselves is to add exercise to the diet. However, it seems to make no difference if the exercise is a walk or more intense aerobic routines.

According to a study from Wake Forest University the control group that walked at a leisurely pace (about one to two miles an hour), for a maximum of 55 minutes three times each week and the control group that walked at a higher intensity at 3.5 to four miles an hour but limited the time to just 30 minutes each session, also three times a week equalled the same weight loss results.

Yes to build up the muscles you are going to have to add some aerobics or weight lifting. So remember a slimmer fat cell is a slimmer you.

I just thought of a new title - Slimming from the inside out.

Sharon
(c)copyright Answers For Your Health/Shrink Belly Fat