Vivisimo

“Vivisimo” means “full of life.” I pronounce it vee-VEE-see-moe.

The word “diet” suggests avoiding food. Vivisimo is about enjoying the style of eating you choose as part of your life, enhancing your health long-term while enjoying delicious, nutritious food.

If you are cooking for a particular style of eating, please check all of your ingredients carefully. Many of my recipes have alternatives, and you want to choose the alternatives that fit the style you are preparing. Also, packaged goods may have ingredients you wouldn’t expect. Soy sauce may or may not have gluten. Chocolate may or may not have dairy. This means you want to check the ingredients labels on the products you will use. Also, it’s important to be aware that if you are cooking for someone with allergies or other reasons to take special care, you should avoid cross-contamination. For example, don’t use the same utensil that was used in food containing the allergen or use the same cutting board that was used for food containing the allergen.

I am not qualified to tell people how to eat, and also, I don’t believe the answer is the same for everyone. I’m fond of saying “Let your doctors and other experts be your coach. I want to be your cheerleader.” If you are exploring the question of what is the best way for you to eat, I recommend starting by learning a little about how food affects you. Here are some short summaries of some key themes, and you can learn more by exploring these themes in more detail and listening to your experts.

• Low carbs. Balancing my blood sugar changed my life — I became happier, had more energy, had better mental focus and lost weight. If you are always hungry, crave sugar, lack energy, have difficulty focusing, feel irritable and/or want to lose weight, I recommend learning about how carbs may affect you. I don’t recommend cutting out carbs completely. Many carbs are delicious, nutritious and supply energy. The idea is to achieve balance. Consider how simple carbs and complex carbs may have different impacts on your blood sugar and your life.
• Anti-inflammation and eating for immunity. When I read about the anti-inflammation diet, I learned that seemingly unrelated things — such as the carpal tunnel I developed during my first pregnancy and the seasonal allergies I developed as I got older — and nearly everything else that ailed me, all corresponded to inflammation. I recommend learning about inflammation, a strong immune system and the role food can play.
• Allergies and sensitivities. Why do we hear so much about dietary restrictions these days? It is because this stuff is real, and the science around allergies and sensitivities keeps advancing. Gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, preservative-free, dye-free, all-natural, and the list goes on. If you or someone you care for doesn’t feel great, swapping out an offending food or food additive could be life-changing.
• Protein. Protein is an important nutrient, and it’s easy to eat too little protein because protein is often missing or insufficient in convenience foods and sometimes takes more effort to cook. You will find lots of Vivisimo recipes and ideas that include generous amounts of protein.
• Caffeine.  I’m fond of saying “It’s easy to quit caffeine.  I do it all the time.”  OK, so that means I don’t quit, I pause, and it’s not easy.  The important thing to keep in mind is that caffeine is an addictive drug, and some people are more sensitive to it than others.  Do you know how caffeine affects you? If you are person who has been drinking caffeinated coffee, tea or soda throughout the day, every day, for several years, you might not know how it is affecting you.  You might benefit from cutting back gradually and limiting caffeine to one or two caffeinated beverages in the morning.

I am not qualified to tell people how to exercise, and it’s important to do whatever is safe and best for you. I’m fond of saying “Let your doctors and other experts be your coach. I want to be your cheerleader.” In the cheerleader spirit, I’ll share my two mantras with you.

“Fun and challenging, not brutal.” My theory is that if you are challenging yourself, you will improve, especially if you challenge yourself consistently. If your workout is brutal, you will hate it, and you might quit and maybe get hurt. Think about what is most fun for you. Variety is important, though, and most people will benefit from including activities for strength, cardio fitness, flexibility and mobility.

“My other choice is not to stay the same.” You may not have time right now to jump into an ambitious exercise program and work to your peak fitness. You will still want to be active in ways that make sense for you in order to maintain your strength, cardio fitness, flexibility and mobility. Think about what you want your health to look like as you get older. What you do today might not make a difference, but what you do this week, this month and this year matters.

You have chosen a new style of eating.  How do you stick with it?  I suppose, if I knew the magic answer to this question, I would be a billionaire.   I have lots of suggestions, though.  You can try them on and see what fits.

• Enjoy your food, especially your treats.  If you are hungry for some chocolate, and if you don’t enjoy the chocolate when you eat it, you will want more chocolate.  The best option is to eat slowly and don’t multi-task.  Focus on the food and not on the TV, work, etc. Enjoy your treat!

• Think about how your habits affect you.  When you reach for some food that doesn’t match your goals, how much do you really want the food, and how much are you just acting out of habit?  I heard an interesting piece on the radio one day.  There was an experiment in which they gave people stale popcorn.  They told one group to eat with their dominant hand (right or left) and they told the other group to use the non-dominant hand.  They found that those who were using their non-dominant hand tasted the stale popcorn and stopped.  Those who were using their dominant hand tasted the popcorn and kept eating.  The popcorn was stale, but they kept eating it out of habit.  Think about when it is that you are eating because you are truly hungry or truly enjoying a treat and when it is that you are eating out of habit.  What can you do to break the habit?  It could be something simple, such as if you have a habit of finishing the entire bowl of snacks, would it help to use a smaller bowl?  If you tend to grab candy when you pass the candy bowl, can you put the candy bowl out of sight? If you are in the habit of drinking caffeinated beverages all day, would it work to switch to a caffeine-free version in the afternoon?

• Don’t let your scale be your enemy.  If you have been very good yesterday and today, and the scale shows you weighing the same, or even going a bit in the wrong direction, it’s easy to get discouraged.  Today’s weight is a nice data point, but short-term differences can be unrelated to your overall progress.  You could be better hydrated today or you could be developing more muscle mass.  Keep your eye on the prize.  Three months from now, have you made meaningful progress toward your goals?  One year from now, have you maintained your progress?  Don’t get discouraged by little blips.

• Be very picky.  I like to say “I eat low carb, unless the bread is warm.”  The idea is to make every splurge worth it.   For example, if you go into the breakroom and someone has provided donuts, don’t just grab one every time, but if someone brought in your favorite treat from your favorite bakery, that might be the time to indulge.

• Plan ahead.  If you want to be picky about splurging, then you likely need to plan ahead.  If you are hungry, and your only option is the donut in the breakroom that isn’t even your favorite kind of donut, you may have to eat the donut.  But if the donuts in the breakroom aren’t your favorite, and if you have a bag of mixed nuts in your desk drawer, or if you brought a banana to work that day, then you can choose the nuts or banana.
• Pause before grabbing seconds.  When you finish eating the amount of food you think is right for you, you might still be hungry, and it might just be that your body is still assimilating your meal.  Try having a sparkling water or herbal tea as your next step, or enjoy a bowl of delicious fruit for dessert, or get up from the table and start your next adventure.