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20 Healthy Restaurants in Dallas that Won’t Derail Your Diet

Have you ever gotten stuck in a rut when it comes to restaurant choices? Now if your favorite place is super healthy and you always order something good for you, then that’s actually a great rut to be in. Chances are, however, the place you frequent most is one of the popular joints with no real care for natural, fresh, or lean ingredients.

Remember, the average restaurant meal contains 1128 calories! Thankfully, there is at least 21 dining options in the Dallas area that are below average in terms of calories, and above average in terms of quality. Choose your menu options even halfway wisely, and you’ll stay on track toward your goals while still enjoying eating out! Here they are:

Dining Room of Upscale Restaurant

True Food Kitchen

Seasons

Seasons 52

bellagreen restaurant interior

Bellagreen

Kalachandji’s

Kalachandji’s

DIVE Coastal Cuisine

DIVE Coastal Cuisine

Cosmic Cafe

Cosmic Cafe

Urban Tacos

Urban Tacos

Thailicious

Thailicious

Salata

Salata

Dream Cafe

Dream Cafe

Zoes Kitchen

Zoe’s Kitchen

Unleavened Fresh Kitchen

Unleavened Fresh Kitchen

Righteous Foods

Righteous Foods

Jasons Deli

Jason’s Deli

So It’s a Lifestyle, Not a Diet: What Exactly Does that Mean?

So It’s a Lifestyle, Not a Diet: What Exactly Does that Mean?

man on beach

You’ve heard the phrase many times before, and you even agree with it. After all, who hasn’t done a particular diet (or many) in the past with nothing to show for it today? You’ve come to believe the experts’ conclusion that permanent weight loss or fitness requires a healthy lifestyle. But perhaps you have never really considered what that means. How exactly does a lifestyle that produces a fit body differ from one that produces an overweight, unhealthy body? Maybe you have an acquaintance whose size and shape you are a bit jealous of, especially since you know they aren’t on any sort of “diet.” You’re frustrated because you can’t quite put your finger on what they are doing so differently.

It’s easy to credit or blame genetics and age, but research shows that our choices, behaviors, and actions are really what’s most important. The biggest role genetics plays in our weight is determining our parents and siblings … and hence the family environment, foods, perspectives, and habits with which we grow up. Similarly, the biggest role that age plays in our weight is the changing behaviors that often accompany “adult life.” That really is wonderful news. Regardless of our age or family history, we really do have the power to live better and therefore, enjoy better life. Remember that annoying acquaintance we mentioned previously? Here’s how their lifestyle may differ:

Their Fun:

They choose more active options for enjoyment. Where an unhealthy lifestyle might settle for dinner and a movie, a healthier lifestyle might grab a snack on the way to the golf course. Or they may go to the shooting range, the bike trail, the baseball diamond, the volleyball court, the karting track, or the basketball gym. Even shopping at the mall can be a better, more active option than many choose. Will they buy something they don’t need? Maybe. But usually, that’s no different than what would happen in a restaurant they’d be at otherwise, except for the complete lack of calorie burn. It’s not that the healthy lifestyle never eats out or watches movies. But even that sequence looks different. The restaurant choice will be a lighter, more natural, better option that doesn’t put the blood sugar on a roller coaster. The result? Not only are less calories consumed during the meal, no junk food is consumed in the theatre. The movie is simply watched and enjoyed without the additional worthless starches. Vacations for the heathy lifestyle might include things like canoeing and hiking, rather than just hitting up the best reviewed food spots, watching the most acclaimed shows, or staying in the most comfortable hotels. The healthiest lifestyles don’t view all movement as work, nor do they view all fun as food. The unhealthy lifestyles often fall into the trap of believing that movement belies relaxation, and fun equals food.

Their Food:

They have higher standards for the quality of what they consume, and they have learned to moderate the quantity. A healthier lifestyle has learned to appreciate the effects of various fuels on their energy and performance. They have tuned into their bodies enough to recognize how they feel following one type of meal versus another. They have high self-esteem and simply want the best for themselves. These traits go beyond dictating what choices are made at the grocery store. They also influence which restaurants are chosen, and which items are ordered off the menu. In fact, they care about themselves enough to even ask questions, and perhaps have dishes modified to better suit their needs. When high quality food is not made available, the healthy lifestyle always moderates and limits their intake of less than ideal choices. Like the owner of a premium-fuel consuming sports car, they will put in just enough of the “regular” gas to get them to the next place where they can then fill up on a better option. Unhealthy lifestyles, on the other hand, settle for low-quality groceries and quantity-based restaurants. When presented with less than ideal food choices at parties and get-togethers, the unhealthy lifestyle tends to “throw in the towel” and indulge with reckless abandon. They sacrifice practicality on the altar of perfection. Meaning, when they find themselves offered a little of something that doesn’t bring them closer to their goals, the “screw it” mentality takes over and invaluable moderation is tossed aside.

Their Friends:

They make friends with those whose lifestyles resemble what they want theirs to be. Perhaps you have read the statement that concludes you are more or less the average of your 5 closest friends. Or maybe you recall the ancient proverb that says “friends sharpen friends,” like iron sharpens iron. But, did you know that your friends can dull you too? Research has shown that if you have a close friend who is obese, you have a 57% higher chance of becoming obese yourself. Though the exact numbers resulting from the studies are frightening, we really already knew that our friends habits are contagious. Ever find yourself doing or saying something, good or bad, that you never would have done or said prior to meeting that particular someone? Healthy lifestyles choose their friends wisely, according to their long-term goals. That’s not to say that they use them. They simply want to invest time and energy into people that they respect and desire to emulate. Someone once said, if you have the need to constantly be the smartest or wealthiest person in your circle, don’t plan on ever learning or earning any more. The same could be said for health. Unhealthy lifestyles never hang out with people who are more physically fit than them, and their chances of improving their own wellness decrease dramatically.

Their Faith:

They have deeper, less selfish, and more long-term perspectives. The healthiest lifestyles are low in stress. Considering the fact that we all go through various challenging circumstances, the less-stressed person has actually achieved that state skillfully and/or intentionally. They recognize that we live in a broken world, so they place more importance on spiritual matters than physical things. The healthiest lifestyles reduce their expectations of others, including themselves. They harness the power of communicating with God through prayer or mediation, and use the strength that their faith gives them to positively interact with the world around them. With their attention turned upward and outward, they are motivated by a greater good and look to help and heal others who are hurting. Not only does this give their lives purpose, the distraction from the obstacles in their own lives reduces their stress, and produces a much happier … and healthier person. Though the healthy lifestyle may not build their spiritual strength for the cause of fueling their own fitness, research has shown that health and longevity are improved just the same, because of it.

Their Fitness:

They prioritize their workout time and schedule their life around it. The healthiest lifestyles never underestimate or under-appreciate their time devoted to exercise. They realize that the 45 minutes spent making themselves stronger, healthier, and more energetic results in greater effectiveness in every single other area of their life. Why would you ever skip something that makes you breathe easier, move better, work smarter, last longer, sleep deeper, and produce more? Unhealthy lifestyles are quick to trade time spent in exercise for phone calls, errand runs, meals, tv shows, naps … good things or bad things … you name it. There is no end to the list of excuses or activities with which people replace exercise. Here’s the kicker: your body simply doesn’t care what you did instead. It only knows that it didn’t exercise, and hence will reduce blood circulation, tissue oxygenation, brain stimulation, and strength and stamina adaptations. Investing the time you would have spent exercising into other endeavors always costs you more than you think you saved. Those with the healthiest lifestyles understand this, and take care of themselves first and foremost. Presenting both a better body and and a better brain to the world, they can not only accomplish more than their non-exercising friends, they can do it with less time and effort.

Their Family:

They maintain and promote healthy relationships with parents, children, siblings, and relatives. The healthiest lifestyles don’t light fires, or fan the flames of existing ones. They don’t gossip and take sides, or provoke others to anger. They resist the urge to judge the actions and choices of extended family. The healthiest lifestyles simply refuse to spend the few years they have on this earth contributing to stress and division. Instead, they share love equally and unconditionally, always uniting people instead of tearing them apart. The health they promote amongst their family goes beyond relationships, and extends into physical health as well. They teach their children about nutrition, and involve them in active endeavors. They inform their parents of helpful science and research that may allow them to live both a longer and better life. They are ambassadors for natural foods and fixes, and work to change the size and shape of their family tree. While unhealthy lifestyles accept poor family histories and predict futures riddled with obesity, illness, and disease, the healthiest lifestyles recognize the opportunity they have to make a better quality of life easier for all generations to come.

Does Fruit Make You Fat? The Definitive Answer

Does Fruit Make You Fat? The Definitive Answer

fruit

Many people these days are afraid to eat fruit, for fear of it making them fat. Ironically, the same group of folks will have often have little to no problem indulging in foods like pizza, ice cream, bread, pasta, and potatoes. While I can’t explain these beliefs and behaviors, I will try to quickly explain the differences between the different types of carbohydrates and why you should or shouldn’t be too concerned.

Refined sugar is absorbed quickly and elevates blood glucose, causing the pancreas to release insulin and rush off the excess to storage. While insulin does this, your blood sugar drops again, leaving you craving even more sugar. If your body’s two “gas tanks,” the muscles and liver, are already full and have no need of the glucose, the conversion to fat will begin. This refined sugar is in stuff like candy, soda, cereals, desserts, etc. It’s best to intentionally avoid his type of carbohydrate.

Starches are complex carbohydrates, or long chains of sugars, which will break down into glucose in the blood, albeit a little slower than simple refined sugars. Large amounts at once, however, will cause a high and prolonged spike in insulin levels, leaving you with low blood sugar and fatigue while your body rushes all the glucose off for fat production. It’s important to note that this category is NOT inherently “bad.” In fact, some of the healthiest foods contain starch – like oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and sweet potatoes. We like to use the term “quality starch sources” to differentiate from “worthless starch sources.” Quality starch sources are filled with intestine-cleansing and cholesterol-reducing fiber, as well as other good nutrients like vitamins and minerals. Worthless starches like rolls, pasta, and chips contain little to no fiber or other vital nutrients. They also tend to spike insulin levels harder and faster than their more natural, healthy counterparts.

Natural fruit sugar, or fructose, operates a little differently than the dietary glucose in refined sugar and starches. It actually travels to the liver first, where it is converted to glucose and prefers replenishing energy stores moreso than creating triglycerides. Uptake of fructose is not dependent on insulin, so doesn’t immediately instigate it’s release or have the same negative effect on your hormones. Furthermore, when fruit is eaten in its natural form, it almost always comes with water and fiber, two wonderful friends of blood sugar balance, not to mention a myriad of other health benefits.

It’s important to note that high fructose corn syrup is not the same as naturally-occurring fructose. Perhaps this synthetically created substance that contains the word “fructose” is one of the reasons fruit has gotten a bad reputation. HFCS is usually about 50% glucose, depending on the application. It should probably be renamed “high fructose glucose syrup” to more accurately reflect its components. The post-prandial (after a meal) negative effects of simple glucose are already well known.

So fruit is not to be feared. In fact, studies have been done that show zero weight gain in subjects fed up to 12 servings of fruit per day vs control groups. (By the way, the fruit eaters in that study drastically lowered LDL cholesterol levels!) I’ve never met a person that started eating more fruit and gained weight. Scientifically, it’s possible, yes – because all excess calories can eventually be converted to fat by the body (except fiber). That includes protein. But … what we choose to eat ends up impacting our desire for more or less food, our energy to be more active or inactive, and the health and metabolism of our body. Perhaps that’s why the net result of fruit equals a better body and better weight. Do you like to order dessert after a big bowl of watermelon? It’s not likely. Maybe indulging in “nature’s treats” keeps us from binging on worse carbohydrates. Furthermore, research has revealed that fruits contain phytonutrients with the power to help us focus, reduce inflammation, improve circulation, reduce blood pressure, enhance libido, speed muscle recovery, and fight cancer. So whether it’s their positive impact on our diet or their positive impact on our health, science has shown that people who eat a lot of fruit tend to have lower BMI’s than those who don’t.

I believe the myth that “fruit makes you fat” stems from demonization of carbohydrates, and the idea that all starches and sugars are equal. It’s not true. Just because the body CAN make body fat out of a particular dietary component doesn’t mean that it wants to or will. Remember, energy balance is the key, and it looks like fruit ultimately helps you burn more and binge less. That’s a win-win. Turns out our plant-friendly teeth and 27-ft long intestines were designed like that for a reason afterall.

10 Secrets to Soaring Self-Control

10 Secrets to Soaring Self-Control

wrapping string around hand

Research shows that self-control, or willpower, is an essential tool for success in any long-term endeavor that involves the accumulation and execution of particular habits. Improving one’s health and fitness is no exception. So how can we harness more of it? How can we leverage and grow the willpower necessary to overcome the urges and impulses that threaten to derail us off the track to our goals?

1) Wait

I can’t stress how powerful this trick is. The next time a derailing urge hits you, instead of gritting your teeth and immediately fighting back, try simply giving yourself 15 minutes before acting on the urge. Commit to nothing more than waiting that long. You’d be amazed how many urges completely subside with a little time.

2) Snack

Eating frequently actually helps you eat better. When we go too long between meals, our blood sugar drops, our brains fatigue, and the signal to eat a little something grows into a craving to consume everything. So snack early and often on healthy, natural foods and watch your ability to turn down large unhealthy meals improve considerably.

3) Forgive

It may sound strange, but this is a big one. You must realize that nobody has perfect self-control. No one is even close. So don’t expect it of yourself. You are going to mess up and give into some temptation along the way. Failing to forgive yourself will only develop anger that will ruin your relationship with food and start a vicious cycle of self-destruction. Just like failing to forgive someone else only hurts you, failing to forgive yourself can hurt you even more.

4) Sleep

Ever notice how efficient and productive a day is after a great night’s sleep? It’s in part due to a higher level of self-control. Our ability to overcome distractions and temptations is escalated with sleep. Going to bed is step number one in eating clean.

5) Practice

Self-control is a muscle that must be trained. Leverage any small situation where you find an urge is present, and use it to intentionally restrict yourself to some degree. Conversely, when you would rather not do something, even if skipping it would be rather inconsequential, try forcing yourself to go through with the action anyway. You’ll be glad you trained your self control when the moment of real need arises.

6) Exercise

Research shows that exercise’ improvement in blood flow, oxygenation of the brain, elevation of electrical activity, and secretion of hormones all contribute to heightened self control. The sense of achievement provides a winning mentality that can flow into our diets. Yes, exercise can increase hunger, but it’s easier to reach for the right stuff because we’ve done it.

7) Reflect

This strategy can take a variety of forms. Meditation and/or daily devotion has been proven to increase self-control. So has church. Spending a moment at least each week, or better yet – each day – on your spiritual side, can give you the power you need to act in congruence with your long-term goals, rather than short-term impulses. Even reading a book that provides a new perspective can cause you to step back long enough to re-evaluate your current habits, and act intentionally to change them for the better.

8) Drink

Your body is about 70% water, but your brain nears 90% water. Just like a lack of food and sleep can cloud decision-making abilities and self-control, so too does a lack of water. If you know your lean body mass, aim for 70% of that number in ounces of water per day. If you don’t know your lean body mass, aim for 1/2 your body weight in ounces per day. A well-watered brain is a well-tempered brain.

9) Replace

This is a cornerstone of self-control. The ability to avoid doing something you really don’t want to do often hinges on your ability to find something else to do in its place. For example, if you always find yourself overeating from 9-10pm, try scheduling game time with a friend or spouse during that period instead. Try to pre-determine alternate courses of action for particular urges. Ones that give you a similar feeling of reward are best.

10) Talk

It may sound weak or corny, but reaching out to an appointed accountability partner at the “time of temptation,” whether it be a friend or coach, is a great way to keep yourself on track. Sometimes we just need someone to either talk us away from a particular anti-goal action, or talk us into taking a particular pro-goal action. Ironically, making yourself this vulnerable is often the key to making yourself that strong.

Wheat – Is it Good or Bad? Why Intolerance without an Allergy?

Wheat – Is it Good or Bad? Why Intolerance without an Allergy?

Wheat Good or Bad

It sounds like such a simple question, and many are begging for a simple answer. Well, if that’s what you happen to seek, you might as well skip down and click the link to my blog to only read the last half of this article. But it you start at the beginning, you’ll have a much better understanding of the subject. Besides, you’ll get to amaze your friends with your insight when the topic arises at the next meal after someone opts for wheat over white bread. Isn’t THAT worth something?

So what exactly is wheat?

Wheat is a cereal plant, with more land area dedicated to it’s growth than all other crops – combined! It is produced to the tune of 650 millions tons annually. As its grain is used to make the flour for breads, pastas, cereals, and many, many other popular food products, it is the world’s most traded crop.

When did wheat consumption begin?

Wheat helped establish the world’s first civilizations in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East.One of the oldest and most popular books in the world, the Bible, mentions wheat in no less than 35 of it’s verses. In fact, there may not be another book more pro-bread than the Bible, when you consider it being a sign of God’s blessing, a staple in God-commanded Jewish feasts, a necessary part of keeping church ordinances, and an integral piece of God’s ancient temple itself. When you study food in the scripture, Jesus’ prayerful words “give us this day our daily bread,” metaphorical or not, nears an understatement.

Now, even if the Bible is but a book of fiction to you, secular scientists have dated the original cultivation of wheat as occurring between 3,000 and 10,000 BCE (that’s “before common era,” recently switched by historians from long-held standard B.C. or “Before Christ.”) So even without the Bible as a resource, clearly, wheat was anything but avoided by early civilization.

Is today’s wheat the same as ancient wheat?

This is where the topic of wheat in regards to our health becomes confusing. When you say “wheat,” to which of the following are you referring?

– Marquise wheat (1912)
– Red wheat (1917)
– Ceres wheat (1926)
– Thatcher wheat (1934)
– Gaines wheat (1961)
– Fortuna wheat (1966)
– Lancota wheat (1975)

You might be surprised to see this short list of some of the different the varieties of wheat. The fact is, we have been cross-breeding this important crop for decades, trying to create something that fits our needs, desires, and convenience for every location and purpose we can visualize.

In the 1980’s, transgenic work on wheat began, and we “successfully” transformed it in the early 90’s. We desired wheat that would grow in a variety of climates, be resistant to a variety of diseases, could survive heavy doses of herbicides and insecticides, and would work very  well for bread and baking. Speaking of baking, it’s helpful to understand that gluten (a composite made of 2 proteins: gliadin & glutenin), is responsible for the “doughiness” and  the ability for bread to rise. With that in mind, you can see why commercial agricultural companies would prefer a higher than normal gluten content in the wheat they sell, if such a thing were possible. Unfortunately, it would be. And although still a bit debated, some experts estimate that today’s wheat has up to 200-fold the gluten content of the wheat 2,000 years ago.

So with all those goals in mind and the technology to “safely” make it happen, we go to work in the lab. Enter “frankenwheat.” Now when we think of Frankenstein, we think bigger and taller, but counterintuitively, “frankenwheat” is actually shorter, stockier, and could be called starchier as well. It’s increased levels of amylopectin A, a glucose polymer, is loved for it’s ability to make very sweet bread products.

Does organic wheat pose the same threat to our bodies?

The good news is that organic food cannot be genetically modified. But here’s the bad news: “frankenwheat” is not TECHNICALLY genetically modified. Meaning, we haven’t inserted or deleted a gene in the lab. Instead, it’s been heavily cross-bred and drastically changed from varied and extreme modern techniques, even including things like exposure to poisonous chemicals and a process known as gamma-irradiation. These techniques are used to mutate the wheat. Interestingly, in the animal kingdom for example, we have never seen a truly beneficial mutation. Meaning, the sheep with 3 legs didn’t run faster and the fish with three eyes didn’t see better. Mutations have instead always caused complications and problems among humans and animals. Yet be it far from us to recognize the danger in eating mutant foods!

The take-home message is this: just because something has not had a gene inserted or deleted, does not mean that it has not been altered. For example, today’s wheat is literally 2.5 feet shorter than the wheat 100 years ago. Plainly, SOMETHING has changed.

Now, returning to the warrants of organic wheat. Organic production processes DO eliminate the use of harmful herbicides and pesticides, so it will be healthier no doubt. With deeper roots and more for soil, the mineral content will likely be improved as well. However, it does not necessarily guarantee the lower glycemic index, lesser gluten level, unaltered gliadin, and unmodified lectin of ancient wheat. I wish that choosing organic wheat meant sidestepping all the dangers of “frankenwheat,” as many experts have accidentally implied, but the reality is just not that simple.

So should we totally avoid wheat, or is there room for it in a healthy diet?

Avoiding wheat altogether is not exactly a bad choice (if you have plenty of other fiber sources in your diet that is), but there are probably many other things you should work on avoiding altogether before wheat lands on your personal “no” list. Meaning, if you are still consuming artificial flavors, colors, dyes, sweeteners, aluminum, and preservatives … not to mention trans fats, nitrites, and other obvious health-compromising ingredients … start there when building your “absolutely not” list. Of course, if you have been diagnosed celiac disease, or suffer obvious acute symptoms following wheat consumption, avoiding it altogether is a no-brainer.

The following information and advice is for the rest of us. Funny enough, much like in the case of alcohol, avoiding the “hard drinks” and controlling the amount you consume can help you avoid many (but not all) of the downsides, avoiding “hard wheat” might be the secret to minimizing the negative effects of today’s frankenwheat. Let me explain: there are 6 major classifications of wheat:

1) hard red winter
2) hard red spring
3) soft red winter
4) durum – hard
5) hard white
6) soft white

You’ll notice that there are 4 hard versions and 2 soft versions. The hard type has the highest gluten content (and therefore the highest altered gliadin and lectin content) and is used in the making of doughy breads and other similar food products that must rise. The soft versions, in contrast, have much less gluten and are used in crackers, flatbreads, etc. Ironically, when you eat physically harder wheat products, you are eating softer, healthier wheat. So rule number one for a flat healthy stomach is to eat flat, so to speak. Hey, maybe the biblical people were onto to something with their feast of UNLEAVENED bread? Keeping some of these healthier wheat options in your diet will make getting your daily fiber a bit easier.

So what has the modification and mutation of wheat taught us?

It seems we can’t win when we start messing with things too much. So have we learned our lesson? Large food companies may or may not be keen to the negative health effects of profit-promoting technologies, but one thing is for certain:  their concern for potential harm does not compare to their concern for financial return. Consumers must be the drivers of change via what they demand going into the future.

Still the Best Weight Loss Strategy

Still the Best Weight Loss Strategy

journal
I’ve been training people for almost 15 years, and though exercise can accelerate weight loss and make you look and feel good both on your journey and when you get to your weight goal, I can guarantee you that shrinking the stomach and revealing a sculpted body is all about nutrition.
The good news is that it’s NOT about eating perfectly 100% of the time, but it IS about being transparent with your intake, and being intentional about discovering what drives you to eat what and when, and how much.
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Then it’s about practicing simple Kaizen – the wonderful Japanese word for “constant, steady improvement.” Slowly change your standards for yourself, and you’ll change your tastes for certain foods, as well as your very relationship with what you eat – which defines the too-often forgotten WHY you eat what you eat.
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You shouldn’t be surprised to hear the following by now, but that whole aforementioned process starts with a food diary. Research has proven 2.5 times greater weight loss for those who write down what they eat vs those who don’t. Isn’t it wonderful? There’s a blatantly simple (but not always easy) daily activity that more than doubles your weight loss efforts, if you just do it. Isn’t that what everyone is looking for? A magic bullet of sorts. Maybe this magic bullet isn’t sexy enough for us, but the fact remains that we’ve discovered it. The very act of writing your food intake down spurs an awareness in people that changes our actions and yields an average weight loss 2.5 times greater than those who don’t! These studies were done in controlled environments, but the experiment continues to this day in real life. Which group do you want be in? Group “B” with X weight loss, or group “A” with 2.5X weight loss. The choice is yours.
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Now, if you choose to be in the 2.5X weight loss group, you must remember: record the good AND the bad days. In fact, it could be argued that the MOST important days to record are the bad ones. Don’t deny your mistakes. Remember that bad food choices do not make you a bad person and there is no need to try to run from or hide your food decisions. What you put in your mouth affects your physical body, not your morality. This may sound obvious, but it’s an easy misunderstanding to subconsciously adopt – a misunderstanding that will no doubt impact your willingness to face your food choices, which then negatively impacts your ability to change your food choices. Instead, acknowledge and learn from the things you consume that don’t produce the body you want. The best sports teams and athletes in the world spend more time analyzing poor performances than they do their best performances. Why? Because it’s those bad days that need the most understanding and effort to change, if you want to stay on top!
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So start today. Get to know yourself so you can improve yourself. You’ll be glad you did.