Friday, April 13, 2012

Grocery Shopping 101

When you are trying to eat healthy, you don't want to go to the grocery store without a list or when you are hungry! Set yourself up for success! Here we will discuss ways to choose healthy items at the grocery store and what healthy items you can find in each aisle.

The first thing to remember is to shop the perimeter and spend most of your time in the produce section! The aisles in the center of the store contain all the snacks & "junk food" that are high in calories and low in nutrients. When you are in the produce section, choose a rainbow of colorful fruits & vegetables. Make a goal to try a few new fruits & veggies each week to get an assortment of antioxidants, vitamins and lots of fiber!

When you get to the meats section, remember to choose the lean cuts of meats (round, top, sirloin, tenderloin) and avoid poultry with skin. Also try to include lots of fish (frozen is just as good as fresh) to get omega-3 fatty acids.

Dairy foods are a great source of calcium and vitamin D and you can avoid lots of fat by choosing the low-fat or non-fat options. Try to get 3 servings of dairy a day and if you've never tried Greek yogurt, you're missing out! Greek yogurt contains twice the amount of protein as regular yogurt and has no artificial sweeteners. It has a thicker consistency and there are tons of fruit varieties.

When you get to the breads, cereals & pasta, you want to focus on the whole grains and avoid the highly processed items. Try oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, barley and whole-wheat breads & pastas. Look for items that have 4 g of fiber per serving.

You can get into trouble in the canned foods aisles if you don't know what you're looking for. Canned fruits, veggies and beans are good to have in your pantry to add to salads, soups, pastas or rice dishes. But you want veggies that have no salt added and fruits that are in their own juices (not syrup)! Tuna is another great canned food that is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids and low in calories.

Here are some things to keep in mind when you're at the grocery store:
- Convenience is worth the extra cost (i.e. pre-cut fruits and veggies).
- Choose real foods (i.e. 100% whole grain or 100% fruit juice).
- Avoid foods that contain more than 5 ingredients.
- Stay clear of foods with cartoons on them.
- Choose cereal on the top few shelves. They have less sugar and are higher in fiber and protein.

Remember, plan ahead and take a few hours on the weekend to cook meals for the week. It will help you be successful in eating healthy. Now make a list and get to the store!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Healthy Weight Loss

When you want to lose weight, the pounds never seem to come off fast enough. But it is important for long-term success in keeping the weight off to have a slow and steady approach to weight loss. Extreme diets leave you starving and cranky, sluggish and drained, and set you up for failure. Remember that you have to find what works for you and you should focus on losing 1-2 lbs/week at the most. Some guidelines for healthy weight loss are that it needs to be a lifestyle, not a short-term diet. Find support from friends and family to help you in your journey. Set short-term goals to help keep you motivated through the process. And use tools, such as a food diary, to help track your progress and keep you on track. Below are some tips on how to succeed on your weight loss journey and stay happy and healthy in the process.

1. Avoid common pitfalls. Don't cut out entire food groups and don't severely cut calories. Your metabolism with slow down and the weight will come back on quicker if you do this. Also, don't give up if you splurge or give in to a temptation. Keep your head and get back on track. And don't give in to diet companies and their promises...you will only be disappointed and dissatisfied.

2. Stop emotional eating. Recognize your emotional triggers and respond with healthier choices. When you are bored, stressed or lonely, find other ways to de-stress and reward yourself, such as reading a book, taking a bath or calling a friend.

3. Tune in when you eat. Pay attention while you are eating and avoid distractions when you eat. This can help prevent you from overeating.

4. Fill up on fruits & veggies. High-fiber foods are higher in volume and take longer to chew, but they also take longer to digest so you feel fuller, longer. Fruits & vegetables have a high fiber and water content which makes them hard to overeat or eat too many calories. Try adding fruit to cereal and veggies to your omelet. Fruits & veggies to consume in moderation: breaded or fried, salads drenched in dressing, dried fruit and fruit juice.

5. Indulge without overindulging. Combine your treat with other healthy foods, i.e. ice cream with fruit. Schedule your treats and make your indulgences less indulgent, i.e. swap butter and oil for applesauce when baking. Make sure you engage all your senses when eating your treat! And don't ban any foods because it will set you up for failure.

6. Take charge of your food environment. Set yourself up for success by controlling when you eat, how much you eat, and what is available to eat. Serve yourself smaller portions, cook your own meals and don't grocery shop when you're hungry.

7. Make healthy lifestyle changes. Get plenty of sleep (shoot for 8 hours) and plenty of exercise (30 min/day - break it up into 10 min increments). Drink more water because thirst can be confused with hunger. And try turning off the TV!

Other things to consider are taking care of yourself by controlling your stress and taking time to relax and recharge. Stress can sabotage weight loss because stress hormones can cause your body to store fat. Find ways to de-stress to help you stay healthy and sane! Good luck!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Eating on Vacation

When you go on vacation or you are traveling for work, finding healthy options for meals and snacks can be challenging. And traveling in the car or by plane can interfere with your normal eating schedule. But you can still go on the road or vacation and not gain weight...you just have to plan ahead!!! It may take a little bit of time to research the hotels, restaurants, or local eateries, but it will save you calories and possibly pounds in the long run. Here are some tips to eating healthy and still enjoying yourself when you are out of town:

1. Bring snacks with you. You can take food through airport security and I highly encourage that you do so. Simple things like apples, bananas, trail mix, high fiber granola bars, and peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread are easy to carry and will prevent you from giving in to the Cinnabon at the airport! If you don't have the means or time to pack snacks, avoid the greasy restaurants and pastry places at the airport and look for fresh fruit smoothies, yogurt parfaits, or deli sandwiches.

2. Carry a water bottle with you wherever you go. This will help you to stay hydrated and decrease cravings for unhealthy foods that often accompany dehydration. You can take an empty water bottle through airport security and refill it at the water fountain once you get to your gate. No excuses!

3. Find time to exercise. When you are on vacation, you don't need to kill yourself in the gym. But you can find fun ways to burn calories, while enjoying the scenery and meeting the locals. Go hiking or bike riding. Instead of taking a cab to sightsee, try a walking tour. As a last resort, or if the weather is bad, you can always visit the hotel gym. But try planning at least one activity that will help you burn calories.

4. Don't overindulge! A lot of people use vacation as an excuse to let all their healthy eating and drinking habits just fly out the window. You can enjoy the local food and drinks and still relax without gaining weight. Try to eat healthy snacks in between high-calorie meals. If you have a frozen margarita (or two) every day at the pool, you are going to need to either go to the gym or avoid dessert that night to counterbalance that calorie intake. It's all about balance! But you can do it!

Believe it or not, you can enjoy your vacations without overdoing it on food and drinks. Keep these tips in mind on your next vacation and you might be pleasantly surprised!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Wine: What's the Hype?

Wine has become a popular addition to our social lives since the "French Paradox" broke the news in the 90's. But despite the thought that adding wine to your diet will lower your risk for cardiovascular disease, there are other things to consider, such as calorie content, other effects on your health, and lifestyle. Let's start with the basics.

Wine is made from grapes and contains sugar and alcohol. Based on the type of grape, how long its on the vine and the alcohol content, the calorie content varies. However, a general rule of thumb is that one glass of wine (5 ounces) is 100-120 calories. There are no nutrients in this glass of wine...just empty calories. So it may be easy to see how drinking calories can really add up across a night of socializing with friends.

The French Paradox showed that people who consumed 1-3 glasses of wine per day had less incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, they found that these people tended to lead healthier lifestyles by consuming healthier diets and participating in regular physical activity - both of which may have contributed to the lower incidence of CVD.

The take-home message is to be aware of the calories you are drinking. If you know you are going to an event and will be drinking, plan ahead for those calories - do 20 minutes of cardio, eat a healthier lunch. There are little ways to cut corners and save yourself 100 calories here and there to make you feel less guilty about drinking wine later in the day. For instance, take off the piece of cheese or eat an open-faced sandwich with one piece of bread. All in moderation and you will be fine!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Beat the Holiday Bulge

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years...lots of food, drinks, desserts and social time. But you don't have to be in the majority of Americans who gain 7-10 lbs during the holiday season. Instead of setting a resolution to lose weight in January, why don't you set a resolution now to not gain any weight over the next 3 months?! By paying attention to what and how much you eat, along with fitting in some exercise to help reduce stress and burn off extra calories, you can come out of the holidays feeling happy and good about yourself! Check out these tips for a healthy (weight-gain free) holiday season!

1. Don't try to lose weight.
2. Plan time for exercise.
3. Don't skip meals in anticipation of a party.
4. Survey the food before you dig in.
5. Avoid getting stuffed.
6. Be careful with beverages.
7. Balance your meals with fruit and veggies.
8. Take the focus off food by spending time with family and friends.
9. Practice healthy holiday cooking.
10. Don't deprive yourself and focus on you.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Label Reading - Nutrition Facts

Nutrition Facts can be a tricky thing to figure out. There are so many numbers and percentages that it can be overwhelming. Here is a quick rundown on what to focus on when you look at a nutrition label and how to decode all those numbers!!

The very first thing to look at is the Serving Size, which is in the upper left-hand corner of the label. Right below that is the number of servings per container. If you were to eat the whole container of the food to the left, you would need to multiply all the numbers on the label by 8! That's where we all make a mistake. We eat the whole thing and don't realize how many calories we are really consuming!

The next thing to look at is the number of calories. In this case, 1/2 cup is 200 calories. But if you want to have 2 servings, you will really consume 400 calories.

The same goes for fat, carbohydrates and protein. If you consume more than one serving, you need to multiply the grams of those macronutrients by the number of servings you are eating.

Don't let the numbers defeat you! Just focus on the nutrients listed in bold and the numbers next to them. The indented numbers and percentages are just there to confuse you!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

High protein breakfast

Staying with the theme of breakfast, I wanted to share with you about the importance of eating enough protein during your first meal of the day. When you sleep, your body goes into a catabolic state, breaking down muscle (slightly) for energy. When you wake up, you want to feed your body enough protein to trigger the cascade of signals in your body to start protein synthesis (making new muscle)! If you rely on just a bowl of cereal to get you going in the morning, not only are you not getting enough protein to signal that cascade, but you will be hungry again in an hour because there is not much substance to that cereal (lots of calories, but no substance)! Try 3 hard-boiled eggs with a Greek yogurt! It will fill you up and keep you fuller longer. How about a cup of cottage cheese with fruit and a piece of peanut butter toast? You could make a fruit smoothie with egg whites or a scoop of protein or try a homemade breakfast sandwich (eggs and turkey bacon). There are a lot of variations that will suffice, but shoot for 30 g of protein at breakfast to get your day going.