Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

This old advertisement made my blood boil a little.

It reads:

Figures show the modern taste is for light refreshment

One look at this modern hostess’s sillhouette and you can just about guess the kind of thing she keeps in that refrigerator.

You’d know it must be stocked with the lighter, less filling foods that make up the diet of the world’s most attractive people today.

That’s how they keep those slender waistlines. How they stay so young-looking year after year. Why they feel so good, so fit for all the activities, all the fun modern living has to offer.

And it is to suit their modern taste that today’s Pepsi-Cola is reduced in calories. Never heavy, never too sweet, it refreshes without filling.

Have a Pepsi, the modern, the light refreshment.

This old ad suggests that Pepsi is the reason the woman pictured is so thin and “young-looking.” After years of realizing that sugar-filled soda is making people FATTER, this advertisement seems crazy.

Whenever I see ads today saying that their products make you lose weight or appear slimmer, I look at them with my 1940’s eyes. New commercials are lying to me just like they have been lying for years. Don’t believe the products that are advertised to help you lose weight. They are just as bogus as this old Pepsi ad.

Advert via: Carabaas — Pepsi for Light Refreshment

In October of 1907, that was the headline for the New York Tribune:

Overflowing harvests bless the land, yet food prices steadily mount.

The same could be said now. The U.S. produces more food now than we did one hundred years ago, but the cost for fresh food is still skyrocketing.

Why?

Shouldn’t fresh food be cheaper than processed food because it doesn’t have to be processed? Apparently not:

• A High Price for Healthy Food – Well Blog – NYTimes.com

That’s what University of Washington researchers found when they compared the prices of 370 foods sold at supermarkets in the Seattle area. Calorie for calorie, junk foods not only cost less than fruits and vegetables, but junk food prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation. The findings, reported in the current issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, may help explain why the highest rates of obesity are seen among people in lower-income groups.

Junk food can sit on a shelf for months before it has to be pulled, but that’s not the case for fresh fruit and veggies.

If you want to eat fresh food, but are strapped for cash, this is the time of the year to go to your local farmer’s market. You should be able to buy fresh fruit and veggies for a lot less than what you would pay in a grocery store. Some cities have farmer’s markets all year long, but for the rest of us, we have to enjoy the fresh food while the summer sun shines.

• ran 1.82 mi on 8/8/2009 at 9:22 AM with a pace of 33’41″/mi http://bit.ly/ILK83 #

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• ran 1.82 mi on 8/8/2009 at 9:22 AM with a pace of 33’41″/mi http://bit.ly/ILK83 #

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• ran 1.82 mi on 8/8/2009 at 9:22 AM with a pace of 33’41″/mi http://bit.ly/ILK83 #

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Long ago, there was a clothing line called Chubbettes. As if the name wasn’t insulting enough, they ran ads like this:

It reads:

Your chubby lass can be the belle of her class

When I was a kid, Sears had a line of clothing called “Husky.” To this day, I HATE the word. I was so embarrassed that grandma made me try on husky sized clothes that I am still damaged by it even now. The same could be said for Chubbettes, Plus sizes, or Women’s sizes. It doesn’t matter WHAT you call larger sized clothing. The fact that they are isolated from the “normal” clothes is enough to make us feel ashamed.

Some people use the shame to motivate themselves. They say things like:

• I will never shop in the plus sizes again.
• I won’t ever have to buy clothes from Layne Bryant again.
• I’ll be able to wear “normal” clothes again.

None of these mantras have worked for me. Inside, I know that clothing companies are losing out on a lot of business because they insist on drawing lines between thin people and fat people. It’s discrimination and THEY are the ones losing out.

The truth of the matter is, your chubby lass CAN be the belle of her class. It doesn’t take a svelte body to win over hearts. It doesn’t even take a cute dress that fits well. All it takes is being friendly and outgoing. You can be thin and beautiful, but you’re never fully dressed without a smile.

The next time you have to try on clothes in the “chubbettes” section, remember the look on that girl’s face in the ad. THAT is what makes her the belle of her class. That flirty look behind the book, not the clothes and not the body. You can finally get to goal weight, but if you never learn how to look at people like that, you’ll stay a wallflower forever, no matter what size you are.

Advert via: Found in Mom’s Basement: Vintage ad for Chubbettes — clothing for your “chubby lass”

This The Joy of Tech comic made me laugh!

It reads:

Children, today I will show you something you may have never seen before. It’s called, “Real Food,” and it’s the kind of thing our ancestors once ate. It doesn’t come from packages or fast food restaurants!

Whoa! Weird.

Creepy.

You actually expect us to eat something that grew?

Hey! How did these things get dirt on them?!

When I was growing up, I was a big fan of The Jetsons. It was a futuristic cartoon in which the Jetson family enjoyed flying cars and robot housemaids. They also took in all their nutrition directly from machines. If you are unfamiliar with The Jetsons, here is an example of their futuristic fun and how their meals were prepared:

Back then, it seemed like science promised us the best in food. Instantly cooked, ready to eat with little work or preparation. Welcome to the backlash. Instead of appreciating the quick and easy preparation, we have come to realize that food that is fresh and as close to whole as possible is actually better than the stuff that pops out of our machines.

Which is right? The Jetsons or The Whole Food Fadists?

I think there is a benefit to both kinds of food. Whole food TASTES better than processed food, but it does take longer to prepare. Processed food is a quick way to make a meal, but it can be less healthy than fresh. A equal balance of both is probably the best way to go. Planning is key. On days when you know you’re going to come home exhausted, plan for a processed meal, knowing that you have fresh and healthy food to prepare on days when you aren’t so busy.

Processed food isn’t the savior that The Jetsons made us believe it would be, but it isn’t the villain either. It’s up to us to choose our meals wisely.

• ran 5.95 mi on 8/6/2009 at 9:30 AM with a pace of 38’46″/mi http://bit.ly/w1Sko #

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I have a hard time getting in my dairy requirements every day. I don’t like to drink milk. I cringe at spending my calories on cheese, even though I like the flavor and taste of it. I even doubt whether it is as necessary as the dairy council would have us believe. Yet, I still try to eat/drink three servings of it a day.

The other day, I saw this old advertisement for 7-Up that suggested mixing it with milk:

It reads:

a little TRICK
that makes a TREAT
Seven-Up in milk!

Mix chilled 7-Up and cold milk in equal parts by pouring the 7-Up gently into the milk. Do not stir. The 7-Up adds a light and delicate flavor making a delicious blended food drink.

Mothers know that this is a wholesome combination. The addition of 7-Up gives milk a new flavor appeal that especially pleases children.

“Fresh Up” With Seven-Up!

So, I tried it. Unlike the disastrous combination of Pepsi and milk (like Laverne used to drink on TV), Diet 7-Up and milk tasted pretty good together. The mixture had a creamy and fruity flavor that made choking down a glass of milk a LOT easier.

I’ve long been a fan of steamers. I talked about them here:

• Starling Fitness » Steamer: A Pleasant Way to Drink Milk

Mixing sugar-free coffee syrup with my milk (either warmed up in the microwave, or cold from the fridge) has been the best way for me to get my milk servings in each day. I’m glad that I have another “weapon” in my arsenal.

Who knew Diet 7-Up could make milk enjoyable? When I saw that advertisement, I crinkled my nose in disgust. I only tried it so I could make fun of it. Instead, I have another great way to get my dairy requirements in every day!

Advertisement via: Found in Mom’s Basement: 1950s treat: 7-Up and milk

• ran 2.8 mi on 8/5/2009 at 11:56 AM with a pace of 20’27″/mi http://bit.ly/QM9pu #

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