LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Fitness: A Healthy Stream of Consciousness at the Supermarket |
by Rick Moore |
It was soooooo nice to get out this weekend. Last week's rains brought a break in the weather. It kinda looks like the "hot spells" are behind us. Anyway, we went to the beach. We'd missed the past three weeks and really needed some sunshine vitamin D. We met some really wonderful people while thereTed, Ed, you guys are great. We stayed a few hours, then packed up the vehicle. Dave asked if we had any more stopsI told him we have to stop at the supermarket for a couple of things (a couple of things? Yeah, sure!) Parked the truck on the supermarket's lot (can't tell the name of the place but gee, maybe you can guess it, it's super.) No sooner than we grab a cart and enter, somebody yells, "Hey Rick." It's the lovely and vivacious Fay Jacobs. She looks great. Fay's finished her shopping. She said Bonnie is still lost at Lowes. Hey, girl, come home! We both remark that the weather is phenomenal and hope it stays that way. Off we go. Of course the produce aisles are just ahead. Now's the time of the season to load up on Delmarva's finest veggies. Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini (my favorite)nothing beats fresh! Hey, bananas are 3 lbs for $1.00load up on potassium. The produce aisle gives way to the dairy aisle. Let's seeyogurt, two for a dollar. Not bad, for regular or fat free. Now the label says fat free has aspartame as a sweetener. This artificial ingredient gives me a headache and besides, the regular flavored yogurt has just 15 fat calories in there. That's really low for regular yogurt. So I loaded up. But no fat-free for me. Uh-oh, we need eggs. Now, what's the difference between medium, large, extra large, and jumbo?. White or brown? Believe it or not, there's no difference between eggs in a brown shell vs. a white shell. And to some size does matter. I like a good large egg. They're actually a better buy when there is a small difference in price between all the sizes. Say that medium eggs are 75 cents, large are 80 cents, and extra large are 95 cents. The large eggs are the best deal. Orange juice now days can be very confusing. Almost all brands have something similar. There's OJ with calcium, extra Vitamin C, super pulp, no pulp. Even "juicy bits of pulp." There's even premium (100% unfrozen juice) and concentrate (with added water). The premium is on sale, two for $4.00a deal because regular concentrate is $2.59 a half gallon. Hey, 100% juice is better than paying for all that added water. Dave walks over to the milk and grabs a gallon of skim. Dave drinks a lot of milk. There's regular milk, which contains 3.25% fat, and 2% milk, which has over 60% of the fat still in it. I know people say that skim milk is too watery, but that's because the fat has been removed. It takes a little getting used to, but I haven't bought regular milk in many years. Oh my gawd! The dairy department dumps you right into the bakery department. This will take a lot of will power. Great bagels are on sale, yum. Load up on 'em. They're very low fat and great tasting. Those giant muffins are on sale too. A no-no, extremely high fat content, a couple of hundred fat calories in each. Put it back. You should know better. On to the pasta sauces. There are so many! It boggles the mind, doesn't it? They've finally listened to us and now offer low fat pasta sauces. The vegetable primavera is the best. The three cheese and meat versions are the worst, because they are really high in fatsome take over half their calories from fat. I usually make my own pasta sauces from crushed tomatoes, but this time I picked up some bottled sauce for a quickie dinner. Sometimes shopping gives me a headache, so off to get some relief. Some people don't know the difference between acetaminophen and ibuprofen, and what they actually are best for. Acetaminophen (the ingredient in Tylenol) is great for headache pain, but it doesn't relieve swelling. Ibuprofen is best for muscle soreness because it takes away the pain and swelling of sore joints or muscles. Gee, since I'm here in the health and beauty aids section, I might as well pick up some deodorant that's on sale. There's lots of selection. There's regular, unscented, powder fresh, etc, in various shapes and sizes. The difference between deodorant and antiperspirant is this, deodorant does just that, it takes away the odorbut you still sweatwhile antiperspirant takes away the odor and wetness. It's been proven that people who use antiperspirant urinate more because they don't sweat as muchno kidding. The choice is yours. I don't mind sweating while I work out. OK, now wave to some of the other couples we saw at the beach, they've got the same idea as us. Oh wow, a bonanza in the meat department. Chicken breasts at 99 cents a pound, and no wings on them. Such a deal. White meat chicken has less fat than dark meat chicken, but you knew that. These babies are best broiled in the oven with seasoned salt and basil liberally sprinkled over them. Be sure to halve the zucchinis and broil them with the breasts using the same seasoning. It's absolutely mouth watering and extremely healthy for us carnivores. I look around, can't find Dave. Since we're near the frozen food, he can only be at one certain place, the ice cream. Yep, there he is. I've said it before about this store, the ice cream selection and varieties are super. You can get all dreamy eyed reading the newest flavors, of which we got the "fat free caramel brownie vanilla." Just make sure you don't over-indulge. One serving is 110 calories, so keep it at that one servingand no chocolate sauce, that can be deadly. On to the checkout, where I get quality service and great savings on my food bill, and keep my waistline in check, too. I've selected some nutritious foods and cut out a lot of unnecessary fat. Be a smart shopper and reap the health benefits. See you at the beach. Rick Moore is a personal trainer certified by the American Fitness Professionals & Associates. He believes in common-sense, drug-free training. Visit him at Rick's Fitness & Health, Inc., in beautiful downtown Milton. Check out his website at http://www.enrapt.com/ricksfitness, or give him a call at (302) 684-3669. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 9, No. 13, Sept. 17, 1999 |