125 Best Foods For Me(n)

Who says there is no ME in MEN?

That’s why I picked up the November issue of Men’s Health magazine.  On the cover, mixed among the trashy story headlines (“Gym-Free Abs!” and “Melt Fat – With Beer!” and “Double Your Sexual Stamina” and “10 Money Secrets Rich Men Know”) was a catch story title that I just had to open my wallet for:

“Eat Great Lose Weight Fast!”

I love it when I stumble across an informative item disguised as targeted for all MEN but truly written only for all ME.  Turning immediately to page 109, I wonder what secret nutrition formula am I about to discover for eating great and losing weight fast?  According to the author-less article, 125 secrets total, conveniently bundled together at this online link:

Restock your kitchen with foods that taste as good as they are good for you.

Men’s Health magazine want to assure MEN, I mean ME, that happy and fast weight loss is a simple as editing your grocery list.  I’ll let them describe in their own words how they got to these magical 125 … “Here’s your ultimate shopping list, one filled with great-tasting foods that can fight fat, build muscle, and boost your health. Our methodology: We analyzed more than 1,000 supermarket foods and awarded points for products that are low in calories and high in protein and fiber, and made with whole ingredients. Then we pared down our selections and held taste tests to determine the final winners. In the case of a tie, the item with the shortest ingredient list won.”

Let’s see if my current buying habits connect with any of the 125 winners.  Hop in my shopping cart and join me as I maneuver through the grocery store aisles and the nine sub-categories on the Best Foods shopping list:

BREADS AND GRAINS

There are 16 items listed here, including “Best”:  Cereal, Instant Oatmeal, Steel-Cut Oats, Granola, Bagel, English Muffin, Burger Bun, Hot Dog Roll, Tortilla, Pizza Crust, Pasta, Quick-Cooking Rice, Grain, Flour, Pita, and Bread.  Oops!  No winners for ME.  Off to an ugly start.  I’m 0 for 16.  But I will buy and try these two healthy suggestions …

Best Burger Bun:
Martin’s Famous Whole Wheat Potato Rolls

Best Bread:
Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain 15 Grain

 

DAIRY AND DELI

There are 13 items listed here, including “Best”:  Milk, Chocolate Milk, Shredded Cheese, Snacking Cheese, Cream Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Butter, Butter Spread, Plain Yogurt, Flavored Yogurt, Probiotic, Eggs, and Cold Cuts. Finally!  Two winners!  Chocolate milk and butter.  That makes me 2 for 29 so far.  My fridge is already stocked with …

Best Chocolate Milk:
Land O’ Lakes Chocolate Milk 2%  

Best Butter:
Land O’ Lakes Unsalted Whipped Butter  

DRINKS

There are 17 items listed here, including “Best”:  Nationally Available Beer, Lower-Calorie Beer, Craft Beer, Bottled Smoothie, Bottled Tea, Bottled Water, Caffeinated Tea Bags, Coffee Beans, Flavored Water, Fruit Juice, Herbal Tea Bags, Instant Coffee, Red Wine Under $15, White Wine Under $15, Sports Drink, Recovery Drink, and Vegetable Juice.  Ouch!  I’m drinking all the wrong stuff.  No winners.  That drops me to a lousy 2 for 46.  Here’s two I’ll be guzzling soon …

Best Bottled Tea:
Honest Tea Peach White Tea

Best Red Wine Under $15:
Veramonte Pinot Noir Reserva 2009, Casablanca Valley, Chile

COOKING STAPLES

There are 12 items listed here, including “Best”:  Bread Crumbs, Canola Oil, Olive Oil, Hot Sauce, Broth, Pepper, Salt, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Teriyaki Sauce, All-Purpose Spice, and Secret Ingredient.  Finally another hit – Soy Sauce –  and eleven whiffs.  That raises me to a still-very-lousy 3 for 58.  I’d definitely sprinkle the All-Purpose Spice over seafood, poultry and other intimate places.  Doesn’t “All-Purpose” mean it might make good as a body talcum powder substitute, too? …

Best Soy Sauce:
Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce

Best All-Purpose Spice:
Old Bay Seasoning 30% Less Sodium Seasoning

SNACKS

There are 14 items listed here, including “Best”:  Pretzel, Tortilla Chip, Cracker, Popcorn, Jerky, Nut, Nut Alternative, Dried Fruit, Trail Mix, Snack Bar, Chocolate Bar, Cookie, Potato Chip, and Spicy Snack.  For as much as I snack-around-the-clock,  I would have expected to score a few points here.  But I totally struck out again.  No matches.  The scoreboard now reads 3 for 72.  Here’s two new snacks headed for my trail snack back pack …

Best Trail Mix:
Planters Fruit & Nut Trail Mix

Best Snack Bar:
Clif Bar Chocolate Chip 

SPREADS, DIPS, AND TOPPINGS

There are 16 items listed here, including “Best”:  BBQ Sauce, Dip, Guacamole, Hummus, Jam, Ketchup, Marinade, Mayonnaise, Pancake Syrup, Peanut Butter, Salad Dressing, Salsa, Mustard, Sandwich Spread, Steaks Sauce, and Tomato Sauce.  All delicious categories that unfortunately my pantry fails to connect with.  Maybe I should cease grocery shopping at the corner gas station.  Only 3 out of 88 now.  Here’s two new items I’m seriously considering applying tenderly over pork and pasta …

Best BBQ Sauce:
Stubb’s Original Bar-B-Q Sauce 

 Best Tomato Sauce
Classico Marinara With Plum Tomatoes

CANNED AND JARRED GOODS

There are 9 items listed here, including “Best”:  Soup, Chili, Refried Beans, Canned Beans, Canned Tomatoes, Olives, Pickle, Ready-To-Eat-Tuna, and Ready-To-Eat-Salmon.  I crave stuff in cans and jars, but my best favorites aren’t at the top of this best list.  Zippo!  That tally’s up to an embarrassing 3 for 97.  Here’s two that will swim nicely in the shallows of my olive belly …

Best Olives:
Peloponnese Country Gourmet Mixed Olives

 Best Ready-To-Eat Salmon:
Bumble Bee Premium Wild Pink Salmon Pouch

FROZEN FOODS

There are 18 items listed here, including “Best”:  Appetizer, Beef entrée, Chicken entrée, Fish entrée, Pasta entrée, Vegetarian entrée, Plain Pizza, Burrito, Veggie Burger, Fish Sticks, French Fries, Breakfast Sandwich, Waffle, Vegetable, Fruit, Ice Cream, Frozen Treat, and Pizza With Toppings.  This seems to be a hot category for me.  Not one, but two scores!  That lifts me to a hardly respectable 5 for 115 with just one category to go.  Brrrr!  Need to buy a bigger freezer …

Best Fish Sticks:
Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks

 Best Ice Cream:
Breyers Natural Vanilla

 PROTEINS

There are 10 items listed here, including “Best”:  Chicken, Steak, Ground Beef, Ground Turkey, Bacon, Sausage, Beef Hot Dogs, Exotic Meat, Chop, and Protein Powder.  Nope.  Nothing.  Nil.  Back to the minor leagues for me.  Final score shows a measly 5 for 125.  That’s way way way less than 1%.  So depressing it makes me double hungry for a yummy bacon dog …

Best Bacon:
Applegate Farms Organic Sunday Bacon

 Best Beef Hot Dog:
Applegate Farms The Great Organic Hot Dog

The ME good news:   When it comes down to someone you can trust and depend upon to shop healthy and wisely if in need of Chocolate Milk, Butter, Soy Sauce, Frozen Fish Sticks, and Ice Cream … I’m the one you call first!

The MEN good news:  For the other 120 healthy items on the Top 125 List, don’t call me me first … call them!

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Each “98.5 laps” blog entry also features
wellness success stories and key resources
located throughout Waukesha County and southeast Wisconsin:

* * *

The Woman’s Center

Waukesha, WI

The mission of the Women’s Center is to provide
safety, shelter, and support to women and their families,
and to facilitate their development.

The Women’s Center is an independent, non-profit human service agency founded in 1977. Its mission is to provide safety, shelter, and support to women and their families and to facilitate their development. The Women’s Center provides free and comprehensive services designed to address the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse.The services offered by The Women’s Center include emergency shelter for abused families, transitional living, counseling, child abuse prevention programming, legal advocacy and employment counseling. The Center also provides Hispanic outreach, community education programs, information and referral services.

24-hour crisis line:   262-542-3828

* * *

Thanks for visiting …

The next blog post will return in two weeks

on Tuesday 11/29

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