the Longevity Update (Suzanne Forster)
posted by Suzanne Forster
on
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
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Are there awards for drinking an 11.5 ounce can of V8 juice every morning, because I sure am eligible. A few weeks ago I blogged about a new study that said you could add fourteen years to your life by making just four health changes: Stop smoking, exercise moderately, drink moderately, and eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
How hard could that be, right?
Right.
Actually for me the first change really was a cinch, since I haven’t smoked in years. The next two were also doable, although I’m still probably closer to light than moderate on the exercise and the drinking. The hard part? Those pesky vegetables!
In my earlier blog, I complained about the truckloads of produce I had to eat and someone suggested V8 juice. I can still remember the face I made. V8? No way. I’m tough. I’m eating real vegetables. And besides, I don’t like the stuff. It’s not the taste as much as the consistency. It’s thick and mushy and clings to the side of the glass like congealed blood plasma. Bleeeech. However, after two consecutive nights of tucking away mounds of steamed spinach before bed to get in my five servings, I decided maybe I would check out the juice aisle next time I was at the grocery store. And guess what? It’s true. An 11.5 ounce can of V8 really is equal to two servings of vegetables. That’s almost half the daily requirement!
I took two six packs home with me, and I’ve been drinking it ever since. First thing every morning, before I do anything else, even have a cup of tea, I slosh down that can of V8. And for that alone, people, I do believe I deserve an award.
Now, I know that some of us here love V8—that would be our Ms. Potter—but I would like to respectfully submit that loving V8 should make you ineligible for this award. If you’re not fighting your gag reflex when you drink it then to my mind you’re not a contender for the V8 Medal of Valor. Okay, I just made up that rule, but fair’s fair!
Seriously, though, V8 has made the difference. Since I started with the daily can, I’m now able to make the five required servings. Sometimes six! And another interesting development—I’m losing weight. That surprised me because I expected to gain weight. I’m definitely eating more, but I do find that, for example, when I have a tuna fish sandwich, I load it up with so much lettuce that I’m full before I get to the corn chips. Got to get in those extra servings and chips don’t count. They aren’t fruits or vegetables. Or wait, maybe they are. Corn? Hm, wonder how many chips it would take …
Weird, I know, but that’s how my mind is working these days. You do not want to get between me and a catsup bottle.
There’s also another reason you might lose weight eating this way. It’s a lot of work! I didn’t know this, but apparently the calories it takes to eat and digest certain foods cancels out the amount of calories in the food. This is especially true of raw, crunchy vegetables like celery and carrots. I still find that hard to believe, but I read it in one of the AOL features on health. Apparently any fibrous food is good for losing weight and cleansing the system because of the bulk and the extra effort the body must make to break it down.
One last plug for V8. There actually are things you can do to make it more palatable. I loved Thea’s suggestion so I tried a splash of Tabasco and a sprinkle of celery salt with my juice. It tasted lots better, but I found my tummy wasn’t ready for Tabasco at seven in the morning. Maybe if I were to delay the V8 until mid-morning and pretend it was brunch or wait until the evening and have a V8 Happy Hour. But to be honest, that’s not likely. Getting it over with seems to be only workable strategy right now.
Has anyone else given the four health changes a try? Tara mentioned drinking V8, so possibly she’s giving it whirl. I think the real trick to any lifestyle change is to be very forgiving of lapses. There are days I can’t do the V8, so I don’t. And at least once a week, I take a vacation from anything resembling produce … unless raspberry sherbet counts. I actually like fruits and vegetables, and I want to keep liking them, so I try not to get obsessive and make it a chore. It needs to be fun and there should be rewards. Hence, my medal. Besides anything tastes good after V8, and overall, I really am eating much healthier than I was.
Happy crunching,
Suz
How hard could that be, right?
Right.
Actually for me the first change really was a cinch, since I haven’t smoked in years. The next two were also doable, although I’m still probably closer to light than moderate on the exercise and the drinking. The hard part? Those pesky vegetables!
In my earlier blog, I complained about the truckloads of produce I had to eat and someone suggested V8 juice. I can still remember the face I made. V8? No way. I’m tough. I’m eating real vegetables. And besides, I don’t like the stuff. It’s not the taste as much as the consistency. It’s thick and mushy and clings to the side of the glass like congealed blood plasma. Bleeeech. However, after two consecutive nights of tucking away mounds of steamed spinach before bed to get in my five servings, I decided maybe I would check out the juice aisle next time I was at the grocery store. And guess what? It’s true. An 11.5 ounce can of V8 really is equal to two servings of vegetables. That’s almost half the daily requirement!
I took two six packs home with me, and I’ve been drinking it ever since. First thing every morning, before I do anything else, even have a cup of tea, I slosh down that can of V8. And for that alone, people, I do believe I deserve an award.
Now, I know that some of us here love V8—that would be our Ms. Potter—but I would like to respectfully submit that loving V8 should make you ineligible for this award. If you’re not fighting your gag reflex when you drink it then to my mind you’re not a contender for the V8 Medal of Valor. Okay, I just made up that rule, but fair’s fair!
Seriously, though, V8 has made the difference. Since I started with the daily can, I’m now able to make the five required servings. Sometimes six! And another interesting development—I’m losing weight. That surprised me because I expected to gain weight. I’m definitely eating more, but I do find that, for example, when I have a tuna fish sandwich, I load it up with so much lettuce that I’m full before I get to the corn chips. Got to get in those extra servings and chips don’t count. They aren’t fruits or vegetables. Or wait, maybe they are. Corn? Hm, wonder how many chips it would take …
Weird, I know, but that’s how my mind is working these days. You do not want to get between me and a catsup bottle.
There’s also another reason you might lose weight eating this way. It’s a lot of work! I didn’t know this, but apparently the calories it takes to eat and digest certain foods cancels out the amount of calories in the food. This is especially true of raw, crunchy vegetables like celery and carrots. I still find that hard to believe, but I read it in one of the AOL features on health. Apparently any fibrous food is good for losing weight and cleansing the system because of the bulk and the extra effort the body must make to break it down.
One last plug for V8. There actually are things you can do to make it more palatable. I loved Thea’s suggestion so I tried a splash of Tabasco and a sprinkle of celery salt with my juice. It tasted lots better, but I found my tummy wasn’t ready for Tabasco at seven in the morning. Maybe if I were to delay the V8 until mid-morning and pretend it was brunch or wait until the evening and have a V8 Happy Hour. But to be honest, that’s not likely. Getting it over with seems to be only workable strategy right now.
Has anyone else given the four health changes a try? Tara mentioned drinking V8, so possibly she’s giving it whirl. I think the real trick to any lifestyle change is to be very forgiving of lapses. There are days I can’t do the V8, so I don’t. And at least once a week, I take a vacation from anything resembling produce … unless raspberry sherbet counts. I actually like fruits and vegetables, and I want to keep liking them, so I try not to get obsessive and make it a chore. It needs to be fun and there should be rewards. Hence, my medal. Besides anything tastes good after V8, and overall, I really am eating much healthier than I was.
Happy crunching,
Suz
Patricia Potter
Tara Taylor Quinn
Maggie Shayne
Anne Stuart
Suzanne Forster
Lynn Kerstan
8 Comments :
I've never really liked V8. They only way I have ever really been able to drink it is to thin it out with a couple of splashes of Tabasco, a good sprinkle of celery salt (okay those two you already know), a good sized splash of vodka, with a glass of ice...then mixed in a blender...poured back in the glass. Then I like V8. I give you my undying respect for drinking it plain, and drinking it in the morning. I have not smoked in years. Contrary to how it may sound, I hardly ever drink. (That means I only drink V8 once or twice a year.) I am working on exercising more. I am planning to start jogging/running, again. I use to run all of the time. I, also, use to play soccer. Then I slowly stopped over the years. I have a young daughter who wants to go outside and play (all of the time she is awake), but I have so out of shape that I just can not keep up with her. I have also cut out sodas and coffee. I still have a daily small tea or Chai tea. I drink a lot water and 12-16 ounces of juice daily.
Suz,
Yeah, I'm doing the V8. Not every day yet - I'm a morning cranberry juice drinker and I do love cranberry juice so I'm switching off. But the V8 is there. And I am drinking it. I'm with you though, bleech on the consistency. It gags me every morning. But I think, hey, I can lose weight with this stuff if it makes me vomit when I drink it! Kind of a V8 form of bulemia! Not likely...
I am also exercising - not quite as often as I plan to yet as it's soooo cold and a little harder to get out of bed these days than it used to be! But I've been exercising for years and know that I'll be back at it five days a week before long. Still, I'm getting in days every week.
I don't smoke. And I've been seriously trying for one glass of wine each night. I've been trying to get in the mindset of relaxing with one glass right before bed and going on to sleep.
And I'm with you - Pat's disqualified from the V8 award. She can be the judge and grantor of the award.
So it' you and me and who else???
The thing to remember is to take small steps in changing your habits. If you change them all at once then your not likely to stick to them.
I love tomato or v8 juice. I just never think about it when I'm at the store...I'll write it down right now while I'm thinking on it!
Perhaps a splash of Worcestershire sauce in place of hot sauce? Coastal Goods makes a terrific celery salt with celery oil in the mix - I get it at the fishmongers.
Wonderful longevity plan you're on. Consistency, not perfection is the goal. And I've always felt the ability to forgive yourself for small lapses adds both to quality and longevity of life.
Great to read about your weight loss tip: from now on my sandwiches come loaded with lettuce!
I'm trying to exercise more frequently and cut down my noshing on bad things like chips.
Hmmm... do like the idea that V8 would give me lots of vegetables "points." Have to think about adding it to my routine.
I drink about a six pak of V8 a week. Because I like it.
I don't smoke and I don't drink and I never have. I try to get the five servings of fruits and vegetables but don't always succeed. But there is no way on the face of this earth I would drink V8 juice.
Boy, do we sound healthy! V8 or not, we're doing pretty good, I'd say.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Suz, holding her nose and drinking her V8 as she types this...
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