Day 6: A Good Book

I love a good book. I never feel guilty buying books or reading material. I used to read piles of books in the summer (nerd? bookworm?). I still think I will find time to read between fulfilling all my adult roles (mother, wife, entrepreneur, etc.). I do have a few books on e-book (an attempt at minimizing), but I still like turning actual pages. I donate books from time to time, but I like to keep certain ones, and plan to go back through them (with all that 'free' time I have...haha). I would also say that I'm a slow reader; I try to retain it all!

Once I got more into my studies (the joys of growing up) I read less for pleasure as I was reading so much for school. I am still trying to get back into it and find a good balance. My husband wasn’t much of a reader until we backpacked through Costa Rica. We would trade our books for other used books or pay a small fee for the really good titles and then chill out on the beach or at our hostel and read. He read more to learn and continues to do that to this day. I still enjoy stories and non-fiction as a little escape (definitely my preference to watching television).

However, with my profession, my passion for wellness, and a thirst for knowledge, I also have lots of habit, nutrition, mindful, and personal development books. My husband also recommends books to me, so I have quite a long 'to read' list. I am optimistic that I will find the time. I'm also working on trying to prioritize my day and make use of my daughter's nap time to read books or research instead of checking emails or social media.

I am grateful for: literacy and having time to read for business or pleasure

I think it's funny when you travel and they ask "business or pleasure" possibly because I aim to love what I do for a living (so it's both). My business has evolved a lot over the last 5 years, and I know it will continue to as I continue to. I am more aware of other important things, and am trying not to work too much (as I type this at 9:30pm). Finding time to read feels like it will be a symbol of how I've structured my time to do the things I want to, which also helps me with various other goals.

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Just because: A few favourite books from my child- and adulthood include, but are not limited to: The Giver, Bridge to Terrabithia, Tipping Point, Habits, The Happiness Project, The Alchemist, Mindless Eating, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the Harry Potter series.

Are you an avid reader or trying to be one? Do you have a long 'to read' list? I'd love to know what's on it. There are so many books in the world, so I find it useful to go off personal recommendations.

Happy reading!
Steph Langdon, RD
www.nutrishus.com

Love to read? Don't know what to read?

I signed up for goodreads today so that I can share reviews on what I've read, post what I'm reading, and what I plan to read.  I am still trying to balance my fun reading with my work related reading (but as my Mom said, maybe I have combined the two since I enjoy reading about nutrition!) but sometimes it's hard to know which books are worth the time.  As an athlete I relied on my teammates to recommend books, now I'll try goodreads and see how that goes.

I should be done Women, Food, and God this weekend.  It's taken me awhile to read it, considering it's only about 200 pages.  It was given to me by a friend so that is definitely a recommendation - it's not too often that someone will go buy you a copy of a book they read because they wanted to share it that much (thanks Tina!).

What are you reading or having sitting on a pile 'to read'?

Steph Wheler, RD
www.nutrishus.com

Book Review: In Defense of Food

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

I have had Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food on my shelf waiting to be read, so I finally got to it. It is actually quite a quick read and offers some interesting insights. As a journalist and writer I am still not sure of his expertise in the food arena, but he eats food and wanted to express his opinion.

He brings up the point that nutrition science is always changing - but says this is a flaw because advice over the years often changes when we realize something may not be as healthy as we originally thought (or may be less healthy than we originally thought). This is how science works though, we live in a society/culture of advancement and yes, things will continue to change as new evidence arises and as new products hit the market. We need to change with the times - for example, obesity has become more prevalent than before, so we must change our ways of eating to deal with this new issue.

I think he has some great comments about our Western diet - which contains lots of processed foods, lots of added fat and sugar, yet lacks vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. His idea of nutritionism and the fact that we eat food not nutrients makes sense to me - "people don't eat nutrients; they eat foods, and foods can behave very differently from the nutrients they contain." We also don't eat just one food at a time, so that complicates things further. He points out the prevalence of chronic disease in the Western culture versus other cultures and also states that it may not be what we are eating (fat, sugar, processed foods, etc.) but what we aren't eating (fruits, vegetables, etc.) that is to blame.

I am not sure how he thinks he can lump food science, advertising, journalism, and dietetics under the title "nutritionist". Yes, the food industry wants you to spend money and advertisers will market the latest craze - and they will keep doing this so that you are always trying the newest things - they don't want you to succeed. Dietitians want to teach you to eat healthy so that you can eat healthy for life - it's not a fad and they aren't selling a product.

It was interesting to read that over time Americans spend less percentage of their income on food, spend less time preparing food, and also spend less time enjoying food. Michael goes on to provide advice such as:
- don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food
- avoid food products that make health claims
- get out of the supermarkets whenever possible...

Some of the advice is right on target such as eating meals at the kitchen table, listening to your hunger and fullness cues, and eating smaller portions. Some of the advice isn't as strong, but I think the basic message is there - get back to the simple, whole foods. If nothing else, it was an interesting book to read.

Steph Wheler
www.nutrishus.com

Strengths

I've recently become very interested in finding out more about my strengths. Through my work I was able to attend Landmark Forum and begin to think more deeply about my life. As a dietitian I am always striving to eat healthy, as a former athlete and active individual I am always striving to improve my physical performance, as someone who practices yoga I am always working on inner peace. It seems that many of the choices I make are aimed at being the best me I can be! I am the person who applies sunscreen so I don't burn, who goes to bed when I'm tired - I make a lot of choices to try to be a healthy me. I feel that this also involves my mind. I read a lot of nutrition books, I read some books for fun, but I also read personal development books. I've been reading more about management lately too.

At the Landmark Forum we had to think about our strong suits - the person we are without even thinking about it. This was an interesting realization, because I knew right away that one of mine would be my competitive nature. I always hear stories about being competitive as a child, I know that I hate to lose, and I also know that it helped me through my great athletic career. When I came home from the Forum, I read First Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. The theme of the book is more on management and learning the strengths of the people around you. The idea that I like is that the book focuses on developing an individual's strengths, rather than focusing on weaknesses the way we tend to.

I then went on to complete StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath to find out my own strengths. As mentioned earlier, one of my top five talents was competition! Then in order to better understand my strengths I started and am currently reading Now Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton. I enjoyed learning my strengths so much that I gave StrengthsFinder 2.0 as a Christmas gift this year. It seems to me that the more I know about myself, such as my strengths, the more I can continue to develop myself in a successful way.

This is the time of year when many people start setting resolutions. I've never been much for resolutions and as a dietitian I would rather see people set SMART goals as opposed to resolutions that often just set them up for failure. I think along with the theme of a new year and a better me/you, it would be a great idea to do some personal development. Maybe you aren't interested in your strengths, but what are you interested in? Take time to become a better you as you prepare for 2011!

Steph Wheler
www.nutrishus.com

Book Review: Eat, Pray, Love

I wanted to read this book because of my interest in travel and food. I liked that it had short chapters, so it was easy for me to pick up and read in little bits. There were parts I could not relate to as well since I have not been through a divorce, but I think we all have been through hard times. I would love to do like Liz did and pick up and travel for a year to find my balance again. I just really miss traveling right now, so it made me want to be sure to add that back into my life. There were some parts I found a little dry, but I enjoyed hearing about Ashrams and meditation practices since that is something I have tried dabbling in this past year. I think it is just inspiration to get back out there and be present and be you; even if you have to travel across the world to find yourself.

Have you read it? What did you think? Any other book recommendations?

Steph Wheler
www.nutrishus.com

Still eating, praying, and loving

Sorry it's taking me so long to finish the book, I promise my review is coming. School has been hectic, but I plan to finish with the Indonesia part this weekend, so I can move onto other books over my two week Christmas holiday.

Steph Wheler
www.nutrishus.com

Upcoming Book Reviews

www.sxc.hu

Don't worry, I'm not just going to tell you the books that are in my library, I'll also tell you what I think about the books I read.
Tell me what you think about them too.
I love reading and it's fun to share thoughts and ideas to get different perspectives.
I have this dream of a huge bookshelf in my home office, just busting at the seams with good books (those that I read for fun and those that I read for interest/knowledge).
What are you reading?

Steph Wheler
www.nutrishus.com

In My Library

I love reading, unfortunately I'm too busy with homework right now. I thought I would share some books in my library with you in case you're looking for something new to read. My books vary from fiction, non-fiction, textbook, research, etc; so it is quite a mix. Right now on the top of the list is "eat, pray, love". What's in your library?

Steph Wheler
www.nutrishus.com