You are what you eat!

Ever downed a cheesy slice of pizza, dipped a piece of bread in olive oil or enjoyed vinaigrette dressing drizzled over a salad? Chances you’ve eaten at least one (if not all) of the above, which means you know oil makes food taste better. And better yet, we need it!

 The fat found in oil is broken down by our body for energy and a host of vital processes. But with that said, we have to monitor our oil intake carefully, because consuming too much or the wrong kind can lead to serious health problems. Here are three rules to follow when choosing which kinds and how much oil to include in your diet:

1. Avoid oils that are high in trans fats. Stay away from food or cooking oils that contain trans fats. Avoiding trans fats should be easier now that they must be listed on labels, but beware: “0 trans fats” means there could be up to .5 g in each serving. Since the American Heart Association suggests you get less than 1 percent of your calories from trans fats, for a 2,000-calorie diet that would be about 2 grams (18 calories). So, after four servings of a zero-trans-fat food, you could theoretically hit your limit. 

 2. Limit saturated fat in all forms. Since our body makes saturated fats, we don’t necessarily need to eat them. Most of these fats are found in meat and whole-fat dairy products like milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream; however, some oils, like coconut, are particularly high in saturated fat. Saturated fats have been linked to elevated LDL and cardiovascular disease. 

 3. Stick to the serving size. For cooking oil, one serving is a tablespoon, not a sweeping flourish or a “glug-glug-glug” into the pan. In that tablespoon are 14 grams of fat, or 126 calories. That’s as many calories from fat as a large slice of pizza, or to put it another way, 15 minutes of moderate running (more or less, depending on your weight; but you get the picture, right?).

 For adults, the Food and Drug Administration recommends between 5 (about 1 1/2 tablespoons or 21 g) and 7 teaspoons (just over 2 tablespoons or roughly 28 g) of oil a day depending on age and gender. This includes oil from all sources (food, cooking oil, and condiments). For fat in general, the American Heart Association suggests you should get no more than 25-35 percent of your total calories from all types of fat. For a 2,000 calorie diet, that breaks down to less than 16 g of saturated fat, less than 2 g of trans fat, and between 50 and 70 g of total fat each day. Talk to your doctor for more information.

SMU Coach June Jones

NO ALOHA FOR JUNE JONES

The Hawaii Bowl takes place on Christmas Eve with the match up of the Nevada Wolf Pack going against the Mustangs of SMU.

SMU was invited several weeks ago because of their coach, June Jones, was the former Hawaii football coach that led the Rainbows to an undefeated season, before leaving for SMU and more money.

When Jones came into town the first thing he did was change the Rainbows to the Warriors as he felt that “Rainbows” was not befitting a tough college football team.

What a shame that the long tradition of having many proud Rainbow teams disappear with what may be called a “homophobic” coach.

I am still disappointed in the University of Hawaii Athletic Department and administration for allowing nearly one hundred years of Rainbow tradition to vanish with one “DISLOYAL” coach.

Since the football team switched to the Warriors I have refused to continue my annual monetary donations to the University of Hawaii Foundation and the  College of Education.

I am disappointed that we were so shallow that we would allow a fly by night coach to come in and make us into something so common that a dozen high schools and several professional teams already have…….”Warriors.”

Jones gets his way and destroys tradition and then leaves for more money to coach at SMU.

I predict that Nevada will destroy SMU by 30 plus points and I will enjoy every moment of it.

BRING BACK THE RAINBOWS!

Coach Arkin instructing her Green Wave Flock

Keaau Middle School Track & Field Under Budget Axe

When 41 kids show up for track practice during the Christmas break you know you have a good program.

The Keaau Middle School track and field team, which competes in the Parks & Recreation League, is in its 18^th season under head coach and KMS physical education teacher, Randee Arkin.

Hilo's Lani Manatay

Having a dream and a passion to do something might take years to realize and for Lani Manatay her desire to someday run a marathon came to be three decades later.

“I started running when I was 12 years old and my dream was to someday run a marathon,” Manatay said.

Growing up on Cebu Island in the Philippines Manatay discovered her love for running and dreamed big dreams for a little girl.  “Since I was a child I loved to run and do nothing else,” she said.

“Running is my passion, there is something about it, the freedom I feel and a piece of mind that comes over me,” Manatay said.

Manatay came to Kauai from the Philippines when she was 15 years old and attended Kapaa High School.  During her school days she got involved in Girl Scouts and played a little basketball.

As a young adult she met and married a Big Island radio personality and began to raise a family.

Five children later Manatay felt a little uncomfortable with her body and decided to make a serious commitment to regular physical exercise.

“After the birth of my fifth child I joined a gym and began working out regularly,” she said.  “I go to the gym every day after work, at around 6:30 pm and will work out till 8 pm. “I’ll do running strides, in the gym, and the elliptical machine and I will do hills while increasing the speed.”

Manatay will also lift weights, doing dumbbell curls, so that her upper body will be strong while working the shoulders.

This mother of five also plays softball, volleyball, swim and free dive and has now added tennis, twice a week to her exercise routine.

Manatay starts each morning with a 30 minute run around her neighborhood, before getting ready for work, at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel where she puts in a full day of physical work on her feet.

“On work days I will wake up at 4:30 am and be out of the house around 5:30 to run on the road until 6 or 6:30,” she said.  “Then I need to be at work by 7:50 am.”

1 Kamehameha 3:57.63 Kaimano Dutro Dennis Kaupu

2 Pahoa 4:05.72 Max Shimamoto

3 Hilo 4:11.16 Ikaika Vivas

DQ Waiakea 4:11.39 Buried Flag Gregory Fong

Kelii Ioane

Fan Bowman

AJ Aikau

Kekoa Kalahiik

Terran Kaleiwaheaa

VARSITY GIRLS 11:03

1 Pahoa 4:29.18 Kier Santos

2 Waiakea 4:44.20 Bethany Viernes

3 Kamehameha 4:58.58 Shena Picanco

4 Hilo 5:03.47 Vaaigaomata Wilson

Leilani Lapera

Shayna Bertilacci

Kirie Santos

Phelicia Maiava-Wilson

DQ Pahoa 4:14.45 Over Line Angie Hoke

2 Hilo 4:32.87 Aaron Pakani

3 Kamehameha 4:55.61 Luke Leasure

DQ Keaau 5:01.32 Wrong Lane Cassius Ford

Jasmine Javier

Salmon is our fish of choice for Healthy Eating

Healthy Meals in 10-Minutes 

 How can you prepare healthy meals in a pinch?  If you’re the cook in your house, like I am in mine, then one of the foundational rules for getting a healthy meal on the table in 10 minutes or less is proper planning.

 My wife, Randee, likes to plan out the entire week in advance and I’m the guy that does all the prep work in the kitchen.

 The easy way to get started is to brainstorm six to eight menus you can choose from whenever the need arises. Having that many options allows you to avoid repetition and gives you the freedom to mix things up. When you’re planning menus, also think about how many different meals you can create using a limited number of ingredients; that way, you can prep several meals at the same time.

 Fish makes our menu list twice a week and Salmon is a must for us along with a daily vegetable salad which includes avocados.

 Once we’ve chosen our menus, shop and prep in advance. That means doing everything from grilling chicken to chopping up vegetables to boiling rice or pasta and baking a sweet potato.

 In some cases, you can completely finish the meal so it only requires reheating during your busy evenings. You can decide how much time you’ll have and which foods can be partially prepared and which can be completely prepared in advance and still last for as long as you need them.

 A glass or two of red wine can compliment any meal and it is much healthier than white wine.

 Happy Eating!

BIIF regatta season open on Saturday

REGATTA SEASON KICKS OFF

1. Dec. 19
   East schools, regatta at Hilo Bayfront, 10 a.m.
   West schools, regatta at Kaulia-Kona, 10 a.m.
   Jan. 9
   All schools, regatta at Hilo Bay, 10 a.m.
   Jan. 16
   All schools, regatta at Kailua-Kona, 10 a.m.
   Jan. 23
   League championships at Hilo Bay, 10 a.m.

Race Order

1. JV BOYS
2. JV GIRLS
3. VARSITY BOYS
4. VARSITY GIRLS
5. NON SCORING VARSITY
6. JV MIX
7. VARSITY MIX

Kenenisa Bekele - world record holder in the 5000 & 10000 meters

Usain Bolt would win against Kenenisa Bekele – according to a recent poll on All-Athletics.com.

All-Athletics.com asked their readers who would win a Bolt vs. Bekele 600m race.

Usain Bolt holds the world’s record for the 100 and 200 meter dash and Kenenisa Bekele is the world record holder in the 5000 and 10,000 meter races.

So why wasn’t the matchup between the greatest sprinter in the world and the greatest distance runner in the world done at the 800 meter race distance?

Mike Wojcio runs NYC Marathon in Nov 09

Mike Wojcio just ran his 110th marathon and his 19th NYC Marathon last month.  “I was very pleased with my time of 4:45:33since I didn’t break 5 hours last year”, Wojcio said.

 Wojcio’s best time in a marathon was the Sri Chimnoy in San Mateo, CA in 1980 when he ran 3:17:05.  His best NYC Marathon was 3:40:39 in the 1980’s. 

 “My marathons are now 5 hours or longer,” the 61 year old Wojcio said.  “I have been carrying two flags in my marathons since the London Marathon in 1982, so I have been carrying two American flags for more than 27 years in my marathons,” Wojcio said.

 When running abroad Wojcio will carry one American flag and a flag from the country he’s running in.  “I want to promote Internationalism,” he said.

 A veteran from the Viet Nam era, Wojcio served in Okinawa while in the Army and has run over 100 marathons carrying flags.

 “Believe it or not I do not consider myself a marathon runner even though I am a member of the 100 Marathon Club. Those that are my age and do very well can run between 3 hrs. and 3:30….  However, I do run shorter races like the 5K better than marathons.  My last 5K Dec. 6th was 22:55 on a hilly course.  (My PR for 5K’s was 18:10 but that was in 1982.),” Wojcio said.

 Wojcio, who also loves teaching chess and mnemonics , will be doing the Kauai and Maui Marathons in September before spending a few days at Kilauea Military Camp in Volcano National Park.

 Wajcio, a resident of New Jersey, can be reached at:  chessgolfmarathons@verizon.net

Taking pride in finishing the Honolulu Marathon

My favorite doctor, Aaron Morita sent me this photo with a little note, below: