Are you plagued by the Fast Food Devil? Do you feel like you can’t get enough of Fast Food? What DO you do?

My husband loves fast food–KFC, Taco Bell, Arby’s, and Wendy’s are a few of his favorite places. Before we had our “no eating out on weeknights” rule, we would sometimes stop by a fast food restaurant after the gym (I know, it defeats the purpose!). Luckily, we examined our finances and determined that we wouldn’t eat out during weeknights–just weekends, and for only one of the three meals during the weekends (so Friday night, once Saturday, and once Sunday were acceptable, if we chose to).

During that rule-setting time, we also decided that we were going to limit our fast food consumption to UP TO ONCE A MONTH. That’s right–only once a month. I am sure my husband craved his fast food, but he never complained. I would always let him choose where we went to eat fast food, and sometimes I would order something on the menu, other times I would make myself food at home (as we often got our food “to go”, I could then still eat with him). Over the past year, our stops at fast food restaurants has dwindled from once a month to less than 3-4 times a year.

Now, I’m not saying that fast food is necessarily bad for you–you CAN order food on the menu that can be healthy and low in fat. However, if you are plagued by wanting that Spicy Baconator (TM) from Wendy’s (substitute your favorite item from your favorite fast food restaurant here) all of the time, then consider making fast food a treat rather than a norm. Your body will thank you.

Photo by Ebruli

Have you ever wondered what the differences are between HMOs and PPOs and whether it’s even worth it to have health insurance? Have you wondered what routine tests you should get for your health and which ones you probably don’t need?

“Stay Healthy, Live Longer, Spend Wisely–Making Intelligent Choices in America’s Healthcare System” is a recent book by a physician, Davis Liu, that helps explain different facets of today’s healthcare system.

This book describes HMOs, PPOs, Health Savings Accounts, and whether you really do need insurance (YOU DO!!!). Several times, he points out that we are legally bound to having car/vehicle insurance and house insurance if we own vehicles/homes, but are able to choose if we have health insurance; that we are diligent about when our cars need routine service/maintenance, but we rarely do the same with our health–although our health is the most important thing we have and it is priceless!

The book also discusses HOW to talk to your doctor and make the most of the office visit. How often do you schedule that appointment with a list of questions in your head, only to get there and forget them? Dr. Liu mentions that we need to tell our story–just as you would tell your friends all about a date you may have just had, you need to fill your doctor in when it comes to the symptoms you are having. Think of the 5 W’s: Who, What, When, Where, Why. You need to use these to describe what is going on with your health.

However, because doctors don’t have all day, you need to be concise in what you describe and discuss, and this book aids you in becoming a model patient. One page in the book also helps you make a health/medical history form. It is also best to take a pen and notebook with you to record what the doctor says and what you need to do about it. Just as your boss may give you an assignment and you must follow up with the assignment, so as your doctor might give you a task to complete as well (exercise, get certain bloodwork or tests done, etc). Who wants to go home from the doctor’s office after spending X amount of money only to forget what you’re supposed to do? What good is the appointment then?

The book goes on to describe the different types of doctors, when to get a second opinion, and how to improve communication with your doctor. It talks about checking out your doctor’s credentials to make sure they are board certified, and questions to ask regarding medications (and whether they are necessary).

A key point to the book that I will utilize is the section on over-the-counter medications–I never realized how many active ingredients are similar in the products we have in the house, and how I can really downsize the meds I take for common ailments. For example, trouble sleeping and seasonal allergies are aided by the same active ingredients, so why take 2 different meds when one will aid both?.

However, I think that this book could have discussed the healthcare team in more detail. For example, it discusses body mass index/overweight/obesity and herbal and dietary supplements but does not discuss that your doctor should refer you to a registered dietitian for questions/more information regarding these topics. It also does not mention that if you have a chronic illness, that other members of the healthcare team (registered dietitians, social workers, case managers, support groups) will become an important part of your life. I think a chapter focusing on these “support” individuals would be beneficial. In that sense, this book is “doctor-biased” in that it underlyingly assumes that the doctor is the “be all/end all” resource which is not the true case.

This book does give you a myriad of websites to go to for further information on several organizations (American Cancer Society, checking out your doctor’s licensure, etc). However, it IS internet-focused; there are no phone numbers to call if you do not have the internet which is a huge downfall of this book. One of the prime audiences of this book (in my opinion) is the “baby boomer” generation who are at the age where they need routine doctor visits and may not have the internet.

Do not be fooled by the title–this book is not a guide to help you stay healthy and give you specific points to do so. It focused mostly on managing the healthcare system and becoming wiser at managing the system. But, being wiser about the system does not guarantee that you WILL stay healthier and live longer (as these things are affected more by how you live your life rather than how smart you are about things). From a financial perspective, I think that this book gives you good information on different healthcare options and will help you and your insurance company make the most of the money it will spend.

I think this book is a must for those of us who choose insurance options primarily based on cost or on what sounds good–for those of us who don’t really understand health insurance and want to know which is the best choice for us. As well, I think it is a good book for those of us who are not really knowledgeable about the health care system (do you know what a pulmonologist does or what routine tests are beneficial for someone your age?). This book does not give you medical advice and is not a reference for “what to do if I have a cold or if I have chest pain”. It is meant to guide you towards making wise health care decisions, inform you of your options, and aid you in communicating with your doctor so that you can increase your chances of staying healthy longer.

Overall, I think this book is well written, an “easy read”, and definitely interesting. Although I think that there are some topics lacking from the book and it is somewhat mistitled, I think it’s a must-read for most people and will increase your knowledge of the healthcare system and aid you in making the most of your doctor visits and routine preventative tests–and if nothing else, it gives you a myriad of websites to go to for more information!

_{I did not receive any monetary or non-monetary compensation for writing this review. The opinions within this article are my own.}

I wanted to follow up from my Spring Cleaning post on cleaning out cupboards and the fridge/freezer. I forgot to mention that you should dispose of expired medications!!!

Go through your medicine cabinet (or wherever you keep your medications) and refrigerator (for example, I store Peptobismol® in the fridge–it tastes better cold!) and dispose of any medications that are expired. You can usually find the expiration date on over-the-counter medication on the side/end of the box or on the back of the individual package.

My rule of thumb is that if it has the month/year on it, go by the end of that month, not the beginning (for example, if a product expires April 2008, throw it away at the end of the month, not the beginning). For prescription medications, the expiration date will be on the bottle.

Some experts claim you can easily keep the medications on-hand for well after the expiration date. However, each medication is different and unless you’re doing full research on your medicine cabinet, it’s best to play it safe and toss the expired meds.

How to dispose of medication properly?

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices has an article describing that you should NOT flush the expired medication down the drain or toilet but instead mix it with kitty litter or saw dust, put it in a sealed plastic bag, and throw it in the garbage. If in doubt, call or ask your pharmacist for proper disposal of the medication. It sounds like a lot of work, but it prevents those chemicals from entering our drinking water or creating freaky mutant fish.

Take note of what has expired–if you notice that you threw away a whole bottle or box of over-the-counter medication, maybe you don’t need to buy it until you are sick and actually need the medication instead of buying it “in case” you get sick.

Tuesday (April 22nd) is the 29th annual Earth Day. Take some time today to try to make the world–or at least your life–a better, cleaner place.

What are some nutrition-related Earth Day points?

1. Do you usually buy bottled water? One step you can take for Earth Day is to stop using bottled water and drink good ol’ tap water. Think of how much energy and waste saved if you just drank tap water. After all, there’s the energy costs of making the plastic, recycling it, and then there’s those who throw away the bottle instead of recycling it, increasing waste. If you are concerned that your tap water is not safe, talk with your city water plant or check online at the Environmental Protection Agency (there’s a ton of good info on this site). Most (90%) of our tap water is safe to drink, and you will be notified by your water supplier if your water is not safe.
2. Reduce/reuse/recycle eating utensils/food storage containers. Use a regular plate and wash it instead of paper or plastic. Use a coffee mug; if you usually buy coffee “to go”, invest in a coffee mug and get refillable coffee. Use reusable containers for food instead of containers that you would just throw away.
3. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. Then all you have to do is wash them (only when there’s a full load of laundry, of course). I know it’s easier said than done, but give it a try. On that note, think about using a cloth handkerchief instead of tissues too!
4. Recycle your food containers–recycle aluminum cans, cardboard, paper, etc.
5. Buy products that have less packaging (instead of being individually wrapped inside a bigger container). For instance, instead of buying 100 calorie packages, buy a larger bag and portion them into different reusable containers yourself.
6. Use the microwave to cook small meals, as it uses less energy than gas or electric ovens.
7. Walk or bike instead of taking your vehicle places that are close by. Use public transportation if available in your town. You’ll be amazed at how fewer trips you realize you really NEED to take if you force yourself to rely on pedal power or the bus!
8. Take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator. Not only is this good for the environment, it’s good for you!

These are just a few steps you can take to make the world a better place. See the US Government’s Earth Day site for more information.

_{Photo by LollyKnit}

Tomorrow, April 21st, is the 112th Boston Marathon, run on Patriots’ Day. This race is the oldest annual city marathon in the world and is one of the most prestigious races in the world.

How this marathon differs from most marathons is that in order to run, you must qualify for it:

• You had to have run a prior marathon in under 3 hours 40 minutes (females, for the under 34 years old group) or 3 hours 10 minutes (males, under 34 years old group).
• The times increase by 5-15 minutes per age group; however, for the 80 year olds (and above) they need to have completed a marathon in under 5 hours (men) or 5 1/2 hours (women)–how tough!!

I think that this will be an amazing race and would be awesome to watch! Although the course appears to mostly be downhill, there are some major hills later in the race (see course map for details). At about 16-17 miles, there is a pretty steep hill, and it ends with a series of hills–not fun when the runners have already run 20 miles. About 20,000 runners have signed up to run the race.

So if you’re in Boston tomorrow, take some time today to cheer on some runners (even if just in spirit). If you’re not in Boston, or just can’t make it to the course area, go for a walk or run yourself. Go marathoners!!!