(Part I ) Several reasons why "Breast is Best" for your child...or someone's child that you may know. Men, you can lactate too (discussed in a later blog)

  Why do we always try to fix things that don't need to be fixed?

• Margarine and Crisco 
• what was wrong with butter? We wanted longer shelf life and a cheaper price. We ended up with the creation of trans fat and more heart disease. That worked well.
• (Just FYI avoid all food products that contain "partially hydrogenated" oils. These are trans fats. Even if the container says "0 trans fats" they are permitted to say that as long as it is under a certain amount. Translation = if you eat more than 1 serving, you are getting a sizable portion of trans fats. These fats took unsaturated fats, saturated them (add max amount of hydrogen ions) BUT the reaction tends to go backwards. So hydrogen comes off and forms a "trans" bond. So although trans fats are unsaturated. They are not healthy like the natural mono- and poly-unsaturated fats that we consider good (olive oil, avocados etc.) because these have "cis" bonds. Result - it Raises our LDL cholesterol (bad) and lowers our HDL (good cholesterol)

• In summary - avoid "partially hydrogenated" oils and this has nothing to do with breast feeding - I digress.
• GMO (genetically modified ) Foods
• We wanted to improve soybeans - we ended up with a company called Monsanto who now OWNS the patent for the genes of these GMO soybeans and is monopolizing the market. That also worked well

• Marriage                                                                                                                                 

• We want to fix marriage. The quick fix to prevent infidelity, divorce, and other marital problems. We ended up with Mort Fertel
•  
• I did not know that E from Entourage was a marriage councilor. These people were not staged at all....yea. Regardless - with piles of self help or other people helping you to help yourself books / seminars/ sessions of quick marriage fixes. We still end up with a high divorce rate. Success?Not really.
• How about what we feed our babies?
• Breast milk was not free enough, accessible enough, called for too much/too close of contact with our babies. Our fix; formula. I will let you decide how this one ended up...
• p.s. amidst this we created bottles also.
  "Dirty bottles contributed, and still do, to the deaths that result from exposure to germs everywhere in the environment and from a failure of formula to provide the many things in breast milk that kill all kinds of germs," said Dr. Sally Lederman. 

Dr. Lederman, a wonderful faculty member of ours here at Columbia's Institute of Human Nutrition in New York and a dedicated lactation expert has a few words with which to enlighten us:

 You Have a Baby. It Needs Food.

 It does not take an M.D. or D.O. after your name to figure this one out. We think babies are so helpless and fragile. Having been in the OR for several cesarean sections and vaginal births - let me tell you - the human body (devoid of serious health disparities), even as a child, is resilient, stronger than we give it credit for and DESIGNED TO SURVIVE.

According to Dr. Eugene Dinkevich, Pediatrician at Suny Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, Babies are most alert right after birth. According to Dr. Sally Lederman, special lecturer and lactation expert at Columbia University, NY, if a baby is placed on the mother's abdomen - skin to skin - shortly after birth, then newborn will wiggle their way up to the mother's breast and try to feed/suckle.

Instead what do hospitals do? They take the baby away to administer a Vitamin K shot, Hepatitis B Vaccine, eye care to prevent eye infection, metabolic screening (to check for phenylketonuria - inability to break down phenylalanine which is a milk component - and diseases of the blood), hearing test and the ever famous APGAR test which looks at the babies : heart rate, muscle tone and reflex, skin color, breathing, and overall reflex. **Note** your baby did not just take the MCAT, LSAT, or an IQ test... I can't tell you how many times I have heard parents boast about their babie's APGAR test. Parents - it has nothing to do with their intelligence or aptitude to be a professional athlete, but breastfeeding does...but I am not going to tell you about that yet. Keep reading. (info from www.womenshealth.gov )

The BIGGEST INSULT - - often even when mother's say they want to breastfeed - the babies are still taken away to be tested, the moms are given a breast pump and the babies are given formula and warmed in a heated bed and wrapped like a burrito (which does take a particular skill set I might add).

Two things:

1. According to WomensHealth.gov all of the testing can wait except for the APGAR (due to possible presence of previously undiagnosed health issues of the baby.)
2. Everyone likes a warm burrito but babies are for nurturing and not for eating.
• Mom's warm chest offers warmth and mom's breast offers nutritious food tailored to the baby's age and length of feed. 

Name a formula that can do that. 

This blog post is going to be two posts so look for the sequel soon! .... See a preview of the next post below...

Also - note - this blog is meant to provide useful and educational material to expose all readers to what I am learning and finding to be very valuable information. This information is based on my background in cellular and developmental biology, print journalism, and the education I am currently receiving here at Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition, and living life each day to the fullest. I hope you enjoy because I am certainly enjoying writing for YOU!

WHAT is to come?!!

Formula Costs Money$ ; Breast Milk is Free.

Talk about eliminating the middle men...er industries.

The Female Breasts Need at Least Two Purposes. 

We multi-task in everything else that we do - why shouldn't our breasts have an equal opportunity to do the same?

Conclusion: Breast is Best.

It is cheesy but true. I don't care what fallacy I am committing claiming an absolute - this is my blog and I think breastfeeding (and breasts) are the best way to go.

I welcome all criticism with confidence.  

Comment below or write to BrittanyKunza@gmail.com

The Savory Life - go on a run with me in NYC ... and accidental date tips

"Taste and see that the Lord is good..." (Psalms 34:8)

Sunday morning in my house....er dorm (excuse the domestic undertones - my grandma got me an apron and I am elated)... anyways.. Sunday mornings in our apartment typically involve a warm oven that gently releases the hint of banana bread or stuffed french toast..or today warm chocolate chip muffins. Taste or gustatory senses don't start with chewing and the action of our alpha-amylase. It starts with olfactory or sense of smell. A sense of anticipation - - a sense of something really good.

While it is easy to feel this way about shoving a hot chocolate bready muffin in our mouth - - it is harder to feel this way about a run or gym visit. Especially when we are tired, sick of the monotony, and don't feel any payoff besides stinky armpits and the need to do more laundry. 

How do we moderate consumption and maximize workout enthusiasm? Find what you love. I am going to take you on a run with me... check out the video and pictures  below:

 

This is from one of my running routs here in NYC in Washington Heights and here are some pictures - I was surprised- it was largely uneventful- however I did learn how Yard-less New Yorkers achieve the impossible....a yard sale...strange. 

Interruption - We now have several blog hits from Lithuania ... Hello to you from Lithuania! I am very excited because I am actually part Lithuanian! I don't know what part of me is Lithuanian and I know absolutely nothing about Lithuanians so I am forced to overcompensate with my Italian heritage. PLEASE if you are from Lithuania PLEASE E-MAIL ME BrittanyKunza@gmail.com  - - I would love to learn more about the culture and you! I am not very good with the Italian style of communication - so with all of the hand movements I have hit a few people - I need to learn about Lithuania! Maybe we are related - - is that naive?

So two steps and a payoff:

1. Savor your food
2. Savor your workout
3. Result - savor your life

sa·vor [sey-ver] -

distinctive quality or property

power to excite or interest.

 (Thank you to www.dictionary.com - I don't think this is standard AMA  or APA citation ) /ˈseɪvər/ Show Spelled There is a difference between food environment and eating environment (1). Food environment we talked a bit about in the portion distortion blog. It is basically the packaging/portions/variety/availability of food. Eating environment is the: social aspect, effort to obtain the meal, ambiance, and distractions(1). 

I am not going to lie. I am a student and often (my mom can vouch) very often a can of peas (with ketchup...I know it is weird - - I avoided tomatoes for so long because I though I was allergic to them. Now I eat ketchup by the spoonful ...ugg to high fructose corn syrup - without you there would be NOTHING wrong with my beloved bottle of Heinz57)  alone and even, dare I say, in front of the computer watching the Britney Spears episode of glee, is what I consider dinner.

BUT, when I have more than five minutes (preparing a meal does not have to take hours) I find preparing food to conjure up images of a svelte French woman walking home in a fitted pencil skirt and flouncy blouse - fresh baguette in one hand a complimentary bottle of wine in the other and an enthusiasm to concoct something deliciously seductive. I find food to be very sexy. ( I am sorry for using that word grandma - I know you are checking up on my blog but I couldn't think of a synonym that better describes it - - darned to the English language!) I think this is why I love the movie Chocolate.



Yes this movie has Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche and an overabundance of chocolate but Binoche still maintains fabulous clavicles that scream BMI < 24.9 (healthy). Now, THAT is something different from an obese yet malnourished American population (we will talk about this in a later blog). Something else stands out as well - the chocolate plays the role of a social catalyst in a very orthodox town unwilling to accept outsiders. And again, yes, Binoche frolics around with a gypsy (Depp) but she also helps the town to learn to ENJOY life through enjoying her rich savory chocolate creations.

I went through a period in life where at each meal I ate until I was disgustingly full. I couldn't seem to help it. It made me feel horrible about myself. I have a picture of myself in a stretchy poke-a-dot tank to remind me so.

To achieve goal #1 (Savor your food) - we need to realize something; a meal is to nourish our bodies and provide essential nutrients and amino acids to maintain a healthy body, and be a time to relax and enjoy the fruits of our labor (er veggies of our labor?). I think the pit that many fall into, is seeing a meal as something to make us full and that's about it. NO NO NO! Juliette Binoche would be so upset. Don't worry I am a big novice at this too.

Reading a book called "I've Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris- I came across a great quote that I would like to challenge all of us with :

"Produce before you consume; serve before you seek [food]."

I have no idea what this has to do with dating but I think it is applicable to eating.

According to a University of Illinois journal review, the eating environment can alter consumption. Quickly summed up:

• Dim lights tend to lift inhibitions, guys don't misuse this info and fake a power outage on your next date, and result in increased comfort and increased food and dessert intake.
• Soft music correlates with slower rate of eating, longer mealtime and more food and drinks. (So then does rap = violent eating?) Fast music does show shorter meal times BUT may cause over consumption because people eat faster and fail to monitor intake. 
• Social environment has to do with comfort and norms.
• Comfort - if you want to loose weight by eating less - eat with people you feel most uncomfortable around. Now that is a novel idea.
• Norms - how much the co-diners consume will mediate how much others in the group eat. I am a big eater, but if nobody goes in for seconds or thirds, I just end up going home and having a bowl of Captain Crunch.

2. Savor your workout

You don't have to workout. You can eat Twinkies and lie on the floor all day if you want. Chances are you will end up on an embarrassing reality show, but, it is your choice.

If that statement made you defensive and appalled that I thought that YOU would ever lay on the floor pshaw...then you want to exercise (I am sure this is fallacy flawed thinking but you get my point - just go with it).

So find something you like to do. Or if you are like me, find something (besides rollerblading) that you hate doing/are horrible at and force yourself to learn and succeed. That is how I learned to salsa dance. My fear of not knowing what a cross-body lead is, wearing the completely wrong shoes, and being yelled at by a non-English speaking apparently expert salsa elder - - all occurred. But, I loved it - because it was something new and I broke a sweat without knowing it, made some new friends, and partially overcame my Anglo-Saxon CND-4-NR gene (can not dance for no rhythm gene; I can not even spell the word rhythm let alone obtain it easily).

Exercise is dynamic. Climb a rock, experience physics as you glide on ice (which is solid but undergoes melting due to the increased pressure of the blade and the formula PV=nRT where T=temp and P=pressure - - I am sorry...I digress. It is also a great ice-breaker for a date - - pun-completely intended and based on personal experience. Just don't happen to make fun of the fellow skater that just happens to be your dates best friend without any prior knowledge.), go for a jog in a new place (checkout Map My Run ) , go kayaking, follow Matthew McConaughey and do weird poses in the dirt:

Just make it your own (and get your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes on most/all days of the week).

3. Savor Life 

"Life is meant to be enjoyed not endured," As Pastor Stephen from C3 Manhattan says(Christian church I have been going to). Life is more than a full belly, life is about more than just you. 

"Produce before you consume; serve before you seek [food]."

Just chew on the idea that life may be much richer and void of many difficulties when we focus on others and not on ourselves. 

Love someone today - it might be the best weight-loss / life-gain diet out there. 

...and e-mail me if you are from Lithuania

P.S. Favorite quote of the week:

"I think mother nature is going through menopause." - Michelle Trihn on the drastic heat/thunder storm 

Reference
1.   Wansink, B. (2004). Environmental factors that increase the food intake and consumption volume of unknowing consumers. Annual Review of Nutrition. 24:455-479

Size matters - portion distortion

I finally saw the Statue of Liberty.

Me and the Lady

Jane and the Lady

While my new and fabulous friend Jane posed stylishly with this metallic mega-star....I thought it a good idea to rest my head on her bosom...? I am not sure. Lady Liberty, I believe, has been watching her food intake because she is not as large as I thought she would be.

Do you know what are much LARGER than I thought they would be? Click here to take this quiz - I bet you will get it wrong also.

As a master's student studying nutrition - you would think I could estimate the number of calories in a bagel. You better bet I let my roommate know his bagel frenzy is costing him. The very large bagels are approximately an entire day's serving of bread (depending on the person's size and EER [estimated energy requirement]). In  this particular instance I feel we get jipped. It is the density of the bagel AND the size that is the killer. About equal to 5-slices of regular bread.

So how do we avoid this pit-fall? How can we ever manage to realize that a football sized piece of cheesecake is just too much of a good thing? (ug especially for you lac-tards out there [lac-tard = lactose intolerant. Very scientific terminology] ).

1. First we need a new hat.
2. Portion control plates - genius. 

The perfect hat for this instance is not a baret, for many reasons. I can not spell the word and I certainly don't know how this guy kept it on his head. No bobby pins here - and hat wearing should illicit a much happier countenance.

I am fairly certain I am wearing the same hat as the guy above me. Or it is backwards. I am utterly confused.

Now that we know what hat NOT to wear to discuss portion distortion. Lets take a commercial break -

My fabulous mom is my consumer reporter. She came up with two fantastic things this week -  toilet bowl cleaner and panda-pups  - the latter holding far less utility, well I guess it depends on the person. This is what she has to say:   

The gel disc gradually dissolves with each flush, allowing a controlled release of cleaning solution and fragrance. Each disc lasts up to one week and leaves no residue behind. Your toilet bowl will remain cleaner, longer—with practically zero effort."  

The consumer reporter herself! Jojo and Jason Wolak

"What makes this product so unusually nice is the fact that you never feel like you are actually doing house work.  In essence you feel as if you are making little gelatinous sugar cookies which you dispense onto the inner rim of your  toilet;  this in turn leaves your bathroom smelling delightfully fresh with every flush.
Yes, my toilet bowl does appear to stay cleaner longer but who really cares about that when your bathroom smells so fresh and you are having so much fun dispensing these little star-bursts inside your toilet... sure I did two to three on each bowl and was actually ready to head out to the neighbors house to continue my stamping delight (all this made possible because of the bulk type packaging that is warehouse shopping fun!) I did finally gain control of myself - But you can bet in one week I will be back at it! "  - JoJo Wolak
 Everyone loves a nice toilet. Everyone also likes dogs painted to look like pandas. 

I am just going to let you formulate your own opinion on this one. Click Here for the whole story. 

Okay back to it. Food portions. While it is easy to fathom a reasonable serving of veggies, I have a hard time accepting that the whole pint of ice cream does not = 1 serving. What?! But it is in ONE container! I guess that reasoning is not sound.

Therefore, someone,  much more logical than I,  has developed fantastic portion control plates. Sheer genius. The idea here is to take the guessing out of meal portioning. In the Western diet - more is often better. (Check out the book French Women Don't Get Fat )  More is also: heart disease, diabetes, and the underlying cause many of the times is obesity. Cardiovascular disease- there is not a good hat for this situation. It is serious. 

These plates and containers allow us to reshape our ideas of a "portion." Our stomachs are elastic - our mind's are stubborn and easily influenced. It is up to you how to handle the situation!

Checkout the products above - also in my boutique (link in the right column) there are more tools to help with portion control under the "Health Conscious"  category.

Au revoir my friend (maybe if I speak like a French woman I will eat like one...logical.)

This is the morning view from my kitchen. What a morning =) "The lions may go weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lork lack no good thing." (Psalm 34:10) - I am humbled. wow......