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The truth is plain and simple: a healthful diet is crucial in warding off ailments like heart disease and cancer. People don’t doubt this truth, but many choose not to act on it.
It’s tough to limit candy, chips, and red meat from our diet, because for so long we have associated those foods with rewards and feelings of well-being. Fortunately, it is never too late to renovate your diet and make better decisions. But before you assume complete responsibility for what goes in your mouth, think twice; your social circles may have more to do with your eating choices than you think.
Odds are, your best friend is not spoon-feeding you ice cream at the neighborhood Memorial Day barbecue, and your nephew certainly isn’t asking you to dip into his Halloween candy. Yet the people we interact with every day have a lot to do with what we eat (think about the big events year-round: New Year’s Eve, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Superbowl Sunday, for example). And you may volunteer to make cookies for a bake sale at your grandchild’s school — and wind up eating several of the treats yourself. Or maybe you hand out treats to trick-or-treaters on Halloween, but end up munching on the candy between knocks at your door.
Even when the holiday season is over, we are sometimes tempted to eat poorly
when around others. Dinner parties, birthdays, and baby showers occur frequently and year-round. Typically, events like these feature casseroles and even edible party favors. But never fear — there is a way to attend social events without falling out of good eating habits.
Start by picking out the foods and treats you absolutely cannot live without. Keep in mind that you can buy candy corn all year, along with the other sweets you might think are only available once a year. Instead of bingeing on pumpkin pie, eat moderate amounts of the Thanksgiving entrée items so you won’t want more than a modest slice for dessert. Prepare and take low-calorie dishes to holiday gatherings, like a tossed salad with raspberry vinaigrette or minestrone loaded with veggies and beans. Instead of hiding away from the festivities, fill up on fruits and veggies, and enjoy a small portion of the must-have treats.
Better yet, think of a plan of action before the event takes place. Eat more of the low-calorie foods available so you have limited room for a bit of the treats you simply can’t resist. Have a healthful snack beforehand, like vegetable juice, fruit or whole-grain crackers, so you won’t gorge at the gathering. Literally look at the food that is going into your mouth so you don’t get distracted and eat more than you intend.
It’s unrealistic to expect never to slip and have a thick slice of cake or eat one too many dinner rolls at a restaurant. However, by using some of these ways to stay on track most of the times you attend a social event or when you host one yourself, you will have better overall success sticking to a healthful diet while enjoying the company of those around you. Isn’t that really the point of social events, anyway?
Source: The American Institute for Cancer Research
By Dawn Downey
Kansas Senior Press Service
I’m told that I’m too junior to know anything about being senior.
Several slightly older friends read a story I’d written about my symptoms of aging.
“You’re not old enough to know about that,” they said.
I could argue that I’m pushing 60, but I avoid pushing anything that heavy. Pushing hurts my knees. It’s safer to say I’m creeping up on 60. Creeping is the pace I do best.
My life’s measured cadence has left me playing catch-up. I used to be too young to date, then too young to drive, and finally too young to vote. Now, it seems, I’m too young to age.
I had an opportunity to research this phenomenon first hand when I provided temporary care for a cranky octogenarian. I knew for certain that Mr. Cranky was old. He announced it when anything varied his routine.
“You put the cereal in the wrong bowl!” he would complain. “I hate this one, and I’m too old to change!”
Although 39 cereal bowls stood in formation inside his kitchen cabinet, he preferred the chipped one with the faded rose in its center.
Later, at home, I scoffed at his rigidity as I prepared my own breakfast — oatmeal served up in my special oatmeal bowl. (Its four-inch depth made it far superior to its shallower competitors, which sat unused in my cabinet.)
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Mr. C. insisted I fill his favorite bowl with two-thirds of a cup of Raisin Bran and then add just enough milk to float seven flakes.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I pooh-poohed his pickiness after I got home. I snorted with disdain as I topped my steaming oatmeal with four walnuts, seven raisins, two level teaspoons of brown sugar and one-third cup of warm milk. (It must be warmed to prevent it from chilling the cereal.)
Every Tuesday and Thursday, Mr. C. treated himself, against his doctor’s orders, to bacon and eggs. Per his instructions, I fried up two slices of bacon (chewy, not crispy) and one egg (soft yolk, not hard). He also required two slices of toast (dark brown, but not burnt) cut into four triangles and placed on a small dish just northwest of the bacon-egg plate.
To help maintain a centered and calm disposition around Mr. C., I attended a weekly yoga class. On yoga days — Tuesdays — I scrambled an egg for breakfast (moist, not wet). I complemented it with one-half slice of whole-wheat toast (lightly browned, with one thin layer of butter spread evenly out to all the edges).
Mr. C. required that his daily medicines be piled two inches to the left of the mothership plate. He insisted that I place the tiny pills directly on the slippery plastic tablecloth. That, he claimed, enabled him to slide them easily across the table with one hand and catch them in the other.
At home, I harrumphed his inflexibility as I prepared my lunch. I piled 17 vitamins on one side of my plate and set a glass of juice on the other. (That allowed me to pick up each vitamin in turn with my left hand while simultaneously lifting the glass with my right.)
Mr. C. kept a monthly doctor’s appointment at the VA hospital. On those days, he watched the clock with great concern.
“Why isn’t my food done yet? Don’t you know I have to eat at 8:00? Can’t you see I’ll have to rush to get to the VA now? What’s the hold-up?”
At that moment, the clock read 8:02.
The following Saturday morning, lost in aggravation over Mr. C.’s fussiness, I completely forgot about my 10:00 snack. The clock read 10:17, which meant I would have to rush to keep on schedule for my usual 11:45 lunch break, followed by another snack at 3:00. My day was ruined.
On the last morning I saw Mr. C., he wore his laundry-day slacks. A narrow black belt cinched five extra inches of waistband around his narrow frame, gathering in the fullness like a skirt. Two inches of sock peeked from between the tops of his shoes and the hems of his pants.
He greeted me with his customary good cheer: “My shoulder hurts like hell today.”
When I drove away from his apartment for the last time, I tut-tutted Mr. C.’s transformation from corporate executive to Red Skelton look-alike. I shook my head and sighed as I changed into my favorite Freddy the Freeloader pants. Two sizes two big, they provided just enough extra room to accommodate the brace I’d strapped on underneath. My knee hurt like hell that day.
I hobbled to the kitchen and celebrated my release from Mr. C.’s elderly quirkiness with a bowl of cereal, a glass of wine, and the latest issue of the AARP magazine.
My friends are right. I’m too young to know about old.
Dawn Downey is a Kansas City freelance writer.
By Dave Farson
Kansas Senior Press Service
It is popular today to re-examine the Wonders of the World. Critics are asking whether the Great Wall of China is really one of the most important “wonders.” There are questions about the pyramids of Egypt and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. What are the really major Wonders of the World?
That question becomes valuable as each country tries to attract tourists. The world’s largest ball of twine, in Kansas, may be important to its county, but is it equal to Mr. Eiffel’s Tower? Money follows our answers.
I can see why we should question the Wonders of the World, but it may be even more important to posit some more personal wonders. Maybe my own wonders will reflect the life I have lived and am trying to live. Perhaps our inner journeys are as important as our physical travels. For me, the wonders look like this:
The Wonders of the World are important. But as we wonder, we see more clearly, and as we see more clearly, we have a chance to live a more refined and purposeful life.
Dave Farson, of Overland Park, taught at Shawnee Mission North High School for 33 years. He is now a freelance writer.
By Carol Roeder-Esser
Kansas Senior Press Service
This time of year, many of us are asking how we can make good on those New Year’s resolutions made earlier this year. The online encyclopedia Wikipedia defines a New Year’s resolution as “a commitment that an individual makes to a project or habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous.”
The website USA.gov lists the following most-common New Year’s resolutions: lose weight, pay off debt, save money, get a better job, get fit, eat right, get a better education, drink less alcohol, quit smoking, reduce stress, take a trip, and volunteer to help others. Some of these may be on your resolution list as well.
So why is it that a resolution, which is meant to improve one’s quality of life, so rarely gets accomplished? For many people, the same things appear on that list year after year. And many people know that their resolutions probably won’t be fulfilled this year either. But it can be very disheartening to feel that you aren’t getting anywhere. What if you really decided that this is the year to make those resolutions happen?
Start by thinking about each of your resolutions individually. One of the first things to ask yourself about each resolution is whether you have a really good reason for not having succeeded in the past (especially important for the resolutions that have appeared on your list for years). Maybe you’ve been told you should do something by your doctor, your friend or your kids, but you don’t really buy into it, or you just aren’t ready to change.
Your answers will help you determine your investment in accomplishing each of the resolutions on your list. It really helps if you want to make change happen. If you decide it’s not something you want to do, don’t beat yourself up. Pick something else that you do want to accomplish and move on. Feeling guilty about “shoulds” doesn’t get you anywhere.
Deciding that you don’t want to do something right now doesn’t mean you won’t ever do it. In fact, research shows that most people go through a pre-change phase. They work up to making a big change by thinking about it, then picturing what it would look and feel like if it were a reality.
Think about any risks involved. Fear about change keeps many people stuck. What is likely to happen if you do make the change, and what is likely to happen if you don’t? Maybe, deep down, you’ve decided that the discomfort of making the change is greater than the payoff. For most people, the perceived benefit has to outweigh the perceived risk.
When you’ve decided what you want to do, develop a specific action plan. It helps to write the plan down and to be clear and concise. Because the whole resolution might seem overwhelming, it’s better to think about all the small steps you will need to take. Accomplishing small tasks can help keep momentum going.
Think about the time frame you have to accomplish your resolutions, and set realistic deadlines. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Build on your strengths and use them to your advantage; think about ways to overcome and compensate for your weaknesses.
Be aware that your plan may not go as smoothly as you hoped. If you get frustrated, ask yourself whether there is a simpler, better, faster, easier way to accomplish what you want. Identify friends and family who can offer help or support.
When you’ve accomplished your resolution, celebrate! You’ve worked hard and you deserve to pat yourself on the back. Many people discover that the more successes they have, the easier it gets. And who knows — maybe you’ll even decide to tackle some of the things you’ve been putting off year after year.
Carol Roeder-Esser, LSCSW, is a program specialist with the JohnsonCountyMentalHealthCenter.
These articles are also available electronically at the Center on Aging Website: http://www2.kumc.edu/coa/Senior_Press_Article/Topic_Index.htm