4:30pm – The end of
the workday is approaching, and both men are starting to get a bit hungry.
Paul has packed hummus and carrots and snacks on them as he
winds down at work.
- The
combination of unsaturated fats and fiber in hummus makes it a great snack
choice. On the one hand, it’s very healthy, as it contains significant amounts
of both of these components, and on the other, it’s satisfying, with the
combination of fat and fiber creating a sense of satiety that lasts.
- And of course, let’s not forget the carrots! Carrots are best known for their
beta-carotene content, but also supply some fiber and a reasonable amount of
minerals.
Tom decides to power through the late afternoon. He’s fairly
stressed out, due in part to the caffeine he’s consumed throughout the day, but
also due to his blood sugar, which is dropping yet again, and quickly.
The tally after a late afternoon snack:
Paul – Calories: 1295, Saturated fat: 11.4g, Sugar: 45.1g,
Sodium: 637mg, Fiber: 28.7g, Protein: 47g
Tom – Calories: 2410, Saturated fat: 29.5g, Sugar: 122g,
Sodium: 2610mg, Fiber: 12g, Protein: 68g
7:00pm – It’s dinner
time, and our heroes sit down for their respective meals.
Tom is tired after work, and so has ordered a large pepperoni
pizza from Pizza Hut. He sits down in front of the TV, opens a Budweiser and
prepares to chill out. He’s not eating the whole pizza, of course, but he’s
feeling hungry and in need of something filling, so he eats half of it, finishing the first three slices quickly, and going back for the fourth a little later on in the evening. Over
the course of the next few hours, he has another beer before calling it an
evening.
- Of
course, the same issues with sugar, saturated fat, and sodium still apply, but
let’s move beyond that and talk about variety in Tom’s diet. Each of Tom’s
meals today has consisted of a variation on the theme of bread and meat, with
cheese being added to both lunch and dinner. While there is certainly a place
in the world for each one of these things, when they comprise the backbone of
every meal, we start to run into issues. As we’ll see when the tally is
counted, Tom’s diet continues to be weighted heavily towards lots of calories,
saturated fat, and sugar, at the expense of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
- Additionally, though protein is an
important part of the diet, especially early in the day, Tom’s diet is
extremely high in protein, almost to a fault. A diet this high in protein
starts to tax the kidneys quite heavily, as they are the part of the body that
eliminates nitrogen, an element that primarily enters the diet through protein.
This evening’s pizza in particular doubled his day’s protein intake, putting
his total protein intake at a whopping 130g (the FDA recommends 50g per day).
Paul has headed home, likewise tired, but feeling alright.
He’s not feeling up to making much in the way of dinner tonight, as he made
curry last night, so on his way home, he picks up a salmon fillet (which he
will grill on his trusty George Foreman), a bunch of broccoli (which he’ll
steam), some soy-ginger dressing for the broccoli, and a bottle of red wine (of
which he’ll have a glass). Paul’s dinner is remarkably easy, yet nutritious.
- Fish,
and in particular salmon, is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, a group of
very healthy unsaturated fats that help protect the heart, and are
anti-inflammatory. The heat from grilling damages these fats somewhat, but
their benefit is still present, and they’re a far sight better than saturated
fat. Sushi is probably the healthiest way to eat fish, but Paul doesn’t feel
like sushi tonight.
- The
broccoli provides the ever-popular fiber, but also provides a variety of
compounds that help the liver detoxify efficiently. Sulforaphane, a component
of broccoli, not only encourages the liver to produce detoxifying enzymes, but
it also has been shown to have a direct cancer-preventing/tumor-suppressing
activity. All other members of the Brassica species, including cabbage, kale,
cauliflower and Brussels sprouts have this same activity.
- Paul
decides to buy the salad dressing to make the broccoli a bit more interesting,
and because Paul reads the nutrition labels on the back of the food he buys, he
finds one that is comparatively low in saturated fat and sodium, though they’re
it’s still a significant source of sodium for Paul today.
- Finally,
the wine. Unlike the Budweiser that Tom is drinking, which is low in nutrients,
but high in calories, the red wine that Paul opts for is rich in antioxidants,
just like the green tea he had with breakfast. Consumed in moderation, red wine
provides some notable health benefits, and can be part of a healthy diet, not
to mention the fact that Paul’s appreciation of good wine enriches his life, as
it’s stimulated an interest in traveling to Sonoma Valley as well as Italy, to
learn more about the wineries of the world.
- Paul’s
eating quite a lot of protein today, but as he eats a varied diet, there is not
a lot of concern about this. Additionally, as Paul bikes to and from work, this
extra protein is being put to good use, being broken down for fuel, and being
used to build muscle.
The final count:
Paul – Calories: 1909, Saturated fat: 15.4, Sugar: 56,
Sodium: 1306, Fiber: 32.7, Protein: 97g
Tom – Calories: 4022, Saturated fat: 53.5g, Sugar: 142g,
Sodium: 6272mg, Fiber: 20g, Protein: 130g
10:30pm – Paul heads
to bed, having spent the last hour reading last weekend’s newspaper and
drinking chamomile tea. Paul drifts off within a few minutes and sleep soundly
throughout the night.
Tom, however, tries to sleep, but tosses and turns, his mind
racing. He’s exhausted, but he just can’t get to sleep. If we look back on his
day, this shouldn’t surprise us – he’s had two 16 oz lattes and a similarly
sized Coke! While we’ve been talking a lot about the long-term effects of Tom’s
diet, regarding the likelihood that he’ll develop diabetes, heart disease and
other diseases, it’s causing him problems in the short term, preventing him
from sleeping. Tom won’t get to sleep until after midnight tonight, so when
he’s up tomorrow morning, he’ll be groggy, just as he was today.
Tune in again tomorrow to hear me wrap this all up. Until
then…
