Energy Express by Marilynn Preston

One big fat reason Americans tend to eat more and weigh more than other citizens of the world is because the media has spoon-fed us so many confusing and contradictory health and nutrition messages over the years.

Eat carbs to lose weight. Avoid carbs to lose weight. Live fat-free. Love olive oil. Never eat fried foods. Enjoy anything in moderation. Avocados are bad for you. Avocados are good for you. And so it goes ... for more years than I can remember … which may or may not involve how many avocados I've eaten in my life.

This kind of mind-numbing back-and-forth — confusing medical statements, contradictory media messages, the latest speculation about the causes and cures of cancer — creates confusion in our brains about what we should eat and how we should live. And it has certainly scrambled our understanding of eggs.

Eggs 'R' Us.

Undisputed, it's where we all came from, and I felt very unnerved, some years ago, when eggs were lowered so drastically in the pecking order of healthy foods. The eating of yolks was linked to high cholesterol. High cholesterol! Oh, no! Most M.D.s — who sadly spend almost no time studying the link between food and health — instantly flipped eggs onto their forbidden foods list. Suddenly, in certain circles, egg-white omelettes were all the rage. Even the most perfectly made cheese souffle fell flat as a heart-healthy dessert.

So here's the latest. It turns out that fresh eggs are a wonderful food. And eggs that emerge from happy and well-fed chickens who run free and listen to Mozart all day, and never have to do taxes or apply to college, are even more wonderful.

One large hard-boiled egg — a level of cooking that anyone with a stove can aspire to — contains only 78 calories. Two of these babies and you're still well under the calorie count of most manufactured nutrition bars.

And calories are only a part of the reason we love eggs and read labels. You also have to pay attention to the amount of protein, fat and sugar in a food, and this is where the egg takes the cake. It gives you 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of total fat (only 2 grams of saturated fat), and a big fat goose egg on sugar.

No fructose, glucose or sucrose. And yet, eggs can be so sweet, so satisfying. You almost can't ruin an egg. Hard or soft, hot or cooled, poached or frittatad, eggs have a nutritional profile that hamburgers and processed foods would die for. So crack out that carton soon, and let moderation lead the way. Eggs have been reborn. No yoke.

STRESSBUSTING 101: ESCAPE!

Today is a good day to sit down at your calendar, and plan an escape day. If not a whole day, a couple of hours. If not a couple of hours, just find one 60-minute block of time in your busy day to take time to … to ... escape. Let go of stress and worry. Enjoy life. You can go inside (do yoga stretches, read a book, dance to your favorite music) or hang outside (walk in the park, work in the garden, ride your bike), but resolve to do something that feels like fun. Why? Because that's what control over your life looks like. Without that, all the six-minute miles and 100-lb. bench presses don't amount to much.

Q & A: AWAY WITH THE SCALE?

Dear Marilynn: I want to lose 20 pounds by summer. Some experts say get on a scale every day. Others say throw the scale away. What's best in your mind? — RN@gmail.com

I prefer no scale. Muscle weighs more than fat, so it's not the pounds on the scale that count as much as the energy you have, the way you feel, and — oh, vanity! — how you fit into clothes. Instead of a scale, buy an item you love one size too small, and keep trying it on until it fits. It's a great motivator and a delicious feeling. Don't crash diet. Eat real food in modest amounts, and do 30-60 minutes of physical activity most every day. Be patient. Stay healthy.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! STRESSBUSTING 401

"Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack in everything

That's how the light gets in."

— Leonard Cohen

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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