Low Carbs: Further Defined

Apparently I generated a lot of discussion when I talked about my switch to a diet that was low in carbohydrates and high in (good) fats.  The discussion ranged from curiosity to doubt to "how could you do that with the holidays approaching!?!"  Others simply asked me to explain what I was eating now.

For the record, in October I made the decision to significantly reduce the carbohydrates in my diet.  That was a radical change for me. I was a carb animal.  Carbs for breakfast.  Carbs for lunch.  Carbs for snacks.  Lots of carbs on the bike.  Bread, potatoes, rice, pasta.

Let me qualify this right now by saying this isn't for everybody.  Medical reasons can vary.  And not everybody agrees with this anyway.  I just ask that you do the research.

OK, so what has it meant for me since then? 

It means I shop differently.  I don't check calories or fat grams, I check carb content.  I shop for "whole" foods.  Foods without additives.  Fruit, vegetables, meats.  When I go through the checkout lane at the grocery store, most of the stuff in my buggy has a name that I know. 

It means I have to shop more often because I avoid preservatives and go for fresh stuff.  And yes, it does mean that it is more expensive.

Vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, and-insert shudder here-brussels sprouts).  Fruit (apples, bananas, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, pears, pineapple).  Nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios).  Foods that defy classification (mushrooms, avocados, eggs, olives).  Beans and peas of every sort.

Lots more meat.  Beef (grass fed when I can find it), chicken (I prefer free range), pork (pasture raised), and seafood (wild caught, always).  Benton's bacon (oh yeah...it might finally be healthy!)

Things without additives.  Like butter.  Milk that I can trace to the farm where it came from.  The same for cheese.

What's missing?  Things made from refined sugar and refined flour. Very little potatoes or white rice.  No pizza or pastries.  No more cereal.

I love bread but save my bread intake for really great bread.  Same with desserts.  It used to be that I had to finish a meal with something sweet.  Always.  And it didn't matter if it was that good or not. Now, if it isn't really, really good, I pass on it. 

I spend a lot more time in food preparation.  I usually make a sausage/egg casserole on Sunday night that is breakfast every morning.  Lots of salads and dressing I make myself.  I've always cooked with olive oil so that's no big deal.

Pancakes made with almond flour and coconut flour.  Try it.  You will be surprised.  Topped with fruit instead of...well...instead of what I always used.

Why did I do all this?  For cardiovascular health.  I don't need to lose weight but it's a good way to do that too.

Conventional wisdom for my entire lifetime has said that dietary fat was the biggest problem and the quickest way to poor cardiac health.  Conclusive new studies from the National Institute of Health tell us something completely different.

The American Heart Association now acknowledges that refined carbs (flour and sugar) are the dietary bad guys in weight control and cardiac health.  Dietary fat, not so much.

You've still got to have some carbs.  Athletic performance demands it.  If I don't have some carbs on a bike ride, I quickly fall behind.  But those need to be complex carbs and not the pure sugar that I used for too long.

I've preached moderation in everything for years.  The same is true for a low carb diet.  I still "cheat" from time to time but I do it only for something really good.  Like my wife's pecan pie on Christmas Day.

But all this is more lifestyle change than diet and indulgences are more just part of enjoying life than betraying what I am convinced will help me live longer and healthier.

What is a Redneck?

I got called a "redneck" the other day.  I was on my bike and someone took exception to me being on "their" road.  Forget the fact that they were driving a beat up 4 door sedan belching smoke and covered with bumper stickers proclaiming their...well...red-neckedness.

Redeck?  I don't know.  Maybe.   Depends on what you mean.  

When you get down to it, maybe I am.  I've always been involved in farming (small scale now) and I think that's where the term got its origins.  Farmers who had to be outside all day, every day tended to sometimes get a sunburned neck.

Except for a 2 year sabbatical to West Virginia, I've lived in Tennessee my entire life (so far).

I grew up in Loudon, Tennessee (rural east Tennessee/3 stop lights in the whole town) where pretty much everybody was in the same socio-economic category.  Most families were supported by one of the local factories.

Houses were small and tidy, yards were mowed, everybody had a garden, and there was only one home with a pool in the backyard.

Actually, it was the only pool around.  If you wanted to swim, you had to catch a ride to Lenoir City or hit the Tennessee River. Everybody went to church. Boys grew up to play football.  Girls were majorettes, cheerleaders, or basketball players.

We went fishing and ate what we caught.  We went hunting and did the same.  Most of us could tell when the dogs had a coon up a tree and knew where to be when the dogs would bring the rabbit back around. 

Today, I drive a pickup truck but don't own anything camouflage.   I no longer hunt or fish but that has more to do with time than anything else.  I live on a farm and love my overalls.  Redneck? Call me what you want to.

There are a lot of prejudices about the south.  Uneducated.  Slow.  Toothless.  Where everbody goes by two names.  Like "Billy Joe" or "Bobby Sue."  Unless they go by "Bubba" or "Junior."

I've written here before about my friend who is Southern Belle through and through.  She regularly makes two-syllable words out of words originally intended to be one syllable. With no small measure of southern charm, she also kicks butt in the real estate world. 

I do get frustrated with the southern tendency to butcher the King's English.  Double negatives kill me.  Confusing "they're, their, and there" just means you didn't pay attention in English class.  But 

I've heard the same in Manhattan.

I guarantee you that there are English teachers from my school days that find it incredible that I write a newspaper column.  And more than one would roll over in their grave if they knew I've done this for 29 years.

I don't often sound quite like some might expect.  Oh, I guess to someone from Michigan or Maine I still have a southern drawl but not too much.  But I love everything that makes me southern.

In the south, we're all about good food, good times, respect for the family, and being polite.  

Respecting your elders.  Holding the door open for others.  Always saying hello.  Did I mention good food?  And football.

The rest of the country has to admit, we play pretty good football in the south.  Although I have a strong love of the ACC, it's hard to deny that the SEC is the premier football conference in America.

And while Indiana may be basketball through and through, Bobby Knight has been through a couple of jobs since a team from there went to the national championship.  Seems like Kentucky, Duke, and North Carolina are perpetually at the top of the ranks.

Although I'll have to give that guy named Geno his due, Pat Summitt is still the greatest basketball coach ever and the Lady Vols (forever Lady Vols) are the greatest basketball program in women's basketball history.

So here's to The South!  Born in the south, I'll likely die in the south.  Just remember...nobody retires and moves north.

Is Joe 40 or 80?

This was on one of my favorite cartoons the other day (which is where I turn as soon as the sports page is finished):  "We're not as dumb as it seems.  We're not as smart as we think."

Seems pretty simple, huh.   For some reason, it made me think of teenagers.

I deal with teenagers every day.  In a lot of respects, it is my favorite demographic.  I like the idea that maybe I can help somebody become a better adult.  A better parent or partner. 

Many times, I have commented how my work with these teenagers helps keep me young.

In Coach Derek Hunt's health class recently, a discussion about physical therapy led to my name being mentioned.  It turns out that I have had a lot of those class members as patients at one time or another.

The discussion turned to speculation about how old I might be.  Guesses ranged from 40 to 80.  I know better than  to be complimented by the 40 or deflated by the 80.  The real number (61) lies smack dab in the middle and means that collectively they were right on the money.

I believe their guesses have more to do with the fact that I've been around here for a long, long time.

I first arrived in 1977 when I took my first physical therapy job at Blount Memorial Hospital.  Two years later, I left for West Virginia.  In 1981, I returned to Maryville and opened my private practice.

I've always been interested in sports medicine. I had been an athlete since my earliest days and had decided on physical therapy as a career while in college and trying to decide whether to be a football coach or a doctor.  Physical therapy seemed the perfect blend of the two.

The first Athletic Trainer at Maryville College was Mike Sabatelle.  He and I shared a vision for athletic health care in this area.  My first game on the sidelines at MHS was in 1982 which means that this year was my 33rd year on those same sidelines.

I've seen a lot in those 33 years.  From the '84 MHS team that should have won it all to the '85 and '86 Heritage High teams that were certainly good enough to do the same (and almost did).

The 1987 Greenback team that won a state championship was special as was the 1989 AHS team that also won it all.   I've been on the sidelines for all of those.

And then you have the twin city dynasties that Maryville and Alcoa have created.  Yep, great memories all around the block. 

I mentioned last week about a player on the opposing team in a varsity football game that had a concussion and his parents were nowhere to be found.  There was another player in the same game that tore his ACL.  Same story--no parents in attendance.

I don't see much room for an excuse there anyway.  Our children are our biggest responsibility.

I also saw this quote recently:  "Your child's success or lack of success in sports does not indicate what kind of parent you are.  But having an athlete that is coachable, respectful, a great teammate, mentally tough, resilient, and tries their best IS a direct reflection of your parenting."

That pretty much sums it up.