Fruits and Vegetables Best Choice for 2009

 Fruits and Vegetables Best Choice for 2009 thumbnail

Although there is no such thing as a magic bullet when it comes to weight loss, fruits and vegetables may be as close as you will come to magic. Well…that may be a bit of a stretch but I do encourage you to make this the year you resolve to eat more fruits and vegetables. As a nutritionist this is my single most important tip for weight management AND better health. Having said that, fruits and vegetables can only work their “magic” if you understand why they matter, what to choose, and how you can easily incorporate more servings into your diet. Isn’t it nice to have something you are encouraged to eat more often rather than hearing “don’t eat this” or “don’t eat that?” When it comes to your health, most experts including the Mayo Clinic, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), dietitians, and nutritionists would encourage you to eat all the fruits and vegetables you might want. However, it is still possible, though not as likely, to eat too much of a good thing when it comes to weight management. Calories do matter. But don’t let that get you down. If you make the best choices you can eat quite a LOT of certain fruits and vegetables for very few calories. Do take a look at some of my previous articles for some ideas on what you might like best: Healthy Low Calorie Fruit Low Calorie Vegetables: 100 Calories or Less Best Low Calorie, High Fiber, Summer Fruits and Vegetables Fall Fruits and Vegetables: Low Calorie and High Fiber Low Calorie, High Fiber Winter Fruits & Veggies High Fiber Low Calorie Spring Fruits and Vegetables Do limit your intake of dried fruit, fruit juice, and most fruit smoothies to keep your calorie count down. Also, limit added sugar and sauces made with sugar and/or fat. Here are some other overall guidelines for weight management: Fruits and Vegetables for Weight Management •For weight loss, you need to eat fewer calories then what you burn. You have calorie needs for physiological processes (such as breathing and keeping your heart beating), physical activity, and the digestion of food. Eat more than your calorie needs and it goes to fat! •Recent research suggests that people may not limit what they eat based on calories alone but rather on calories and the VOLUME of food eaten. It seems that the volume or amount of food may influence satiety (the sense of being full) more than calories. It is the sense of fullness that signals most people to stop eating. •Foods with low energy density (low number of calories by weight) have a greater volume than those that are high energy dense (high calorie foods). •Both water and fiber increase the volume of foods and reduce energy density. Fresh fruits and vegetables have a high water and fiber content. This means they tend to be low in calories and energy density. •Fruits and vegetables make good substitutes for foods of high energy density. (Source: Adapted from “Can eating fruits and vegetables help people to manage their weight?” National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) The bottom line is that when you fill up on low calorie fruits and vegetables you can eat more total food for less calories. This, of course, will only work if you substitute or replace some of the high-energy dense foods you normally eat with low energy dense foods. The added benefit of more fruits and vegetables is that you can improve your health while you manage your weight. Now I’d say that’s a good deal! Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables •Little in the way of calories or fat and no cholesterol •Lots of vitamins (such as vitamin A and C), minerals, fiber, and antioxidants •A diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol with plenty of fiber from fruits, vegetables, and whole grain breads and cereals may reduce the risk of diseases of the cardiovascular system (such as heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s) and cancer. The World Health Organization estimates that as many as 2.7 million lives could be saved each year if we ate more fruits and vegetables. O.K. so maybe you have good intentions of eating more fruits and vegetables but it just doesn’t happen. Is cost an issue? Or how about the need to get organized so that fruits and vegetables can be more easily incorporated into your diet without it taking a lot of time and effort? Maybe you’d like to get inspired with some new recipes. If any of these issues strike a chord with you, I have a few suggestions. For Part 2 of this article check back in a couple days! I wish you the very best for a wonderful and happy New Year of 2009! Health Maintenance weight loss Health, Maintenance, weight lossfruit vegetables weight loss weight management health calories maintenance diet

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Emotional Eating?

 Emotional Eating? thumbnail

In the past week, I fell on the ice not just once but twice! I now have a lump on the back of my head, a very sore rear end, and a left hand and wrist that has become black and blue. The good news was that I didn’t break any bones. Yeah! The bad news was that I was sidelined from getting much work accomplished because of the pain and the time spent at the doctor’s office. The day this happened, I allowed myself to have a bowl of ice cream and indulge in some chocolate. Both were definitely over and above my calorie needs! Was that emotional eating? No I don’t think so. Here’s why… Image via Wikipedia The way I see it, true emotional eating is a kind of eating disorder that has very little to do with food. Food is simply the indulgence of choice to soothe all manner of other psychological issues. An emotional eater might habitually be unable to recognize feelings of satiety (having eaten enough), feel out of control or unable to stop eating, have obsessive thoughts about food, or regularly turn to food as a means of coping with life’s problems. If you think emotional eating might be an issue for you, ask yourself how often you turn to food as a way to cheer yourself up. Occasionally indulging in eating treats and more calories than needed is perfectly normal! You just need to keep it in perspective. After all, a treat is no longer a treat or a special food if you indulge yourself on a regular basis. The best way for you to gain a better understanding of your eating habits is to keep a food diary or journal. By keeping a food diary you can keep track of not only what you eat and how much but also how you were feeling just before eating. (To learn more about food diaries read: Keeping a Food Diary). A journal, on the other hand, would allow you to explore your thoughts and feelings in greater depth. (Journaling and Appetite) Either way, keeping food diary notes or journal entries will help you better understand what circumstances trigger overeating, how often it happens, and whether or not it might be emotional eating. The added benefit is that dieters who keep food diaries are much more likely to succeed with weight loss (Food Diaries Best for Weight Loss Success). True emotional eating can be a much bigger problem than you might think. According to a study in the Journal Obesity, emotional eaters not only have a harder time with weight loss than those who are not emotional eaters. In addition, when emotional eaters succeed with weight loss, they are less likely to keep the weight off. In conclusion today, I have a heartfelt video message to share with you by a young woman who has struggled with weight loss. This woman may or may not be an emotional eater. Either way, she expresses (better than I could begin to describe) the importance of listening to your own inner voice and shutting out the negative or unhelpful comments and advice from others. This inner voice is the positive one that believes in your ability to lose weight and get healthier one small step at a time with healthy eating and living. That’s what this site is all about. I’m here to help! Remember to watch those calories, and eat healthy food! Maintenance weight loss weight management Maintenance, weight loss, weight managementweight loss emotional eating food diary journal habits eating

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Low Calorie Vegetables: 100 Calories or Less

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You just can’t beat vegetables for low calorie nourishing food. Veggies are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. But there’s so much more to these colorful foods that makes them ideal for weight loss. Vegetables tend to have a high water and fiber content. Both water and fiber increase the bulk or volume of foods. This in turn reduces the energy density or calories. When the ratio of calories to weight is high, a food is considered to be high-energy dense. In other words, a small amount of food can have a high number of calories. Low energy dense foods such as vegetables have relatively few calories by weight. This means you can eat more food for the same number of calories as an energy dense food such as pecan pie. Low energy dense foods can fill you up and provide you with a sense of when you’ve had enough BEFORE you overeat. They also help to displace high calorie food you might otherwise consume. If you are not a veggie fan and can’t imagine ever enjoying vegetables, I hope you will give them another chance. Exploring the wide range of flavors and textures of vegetables can be an adventure. As I continue to learn about the health benefits of vegetables, I am motivated to discover new and delicious flavors in the foods I prepare for meals and snacks. I hope in time you feel the same! Image by shannonpatrick17 via Flickr Low Calorie Vegetables: 100 Calories or Less artichoke, cooked 1 medium 60 calories asparagus, cooked ½ cup 85 calories beets, cooked ½ cup 37 calories bok choy, cooked 1 cup 20 calories broccoli, raw ½ cup 26 calories brussel sprouts, cooked ½ cup 28 calories cabbage, cooked ½ cup 17 calories carrots, cooked ½ cup 35 calories carrots, raw ½ cup 27 calories carrots, raw 1 large 30 calories cauliflower, cooked ½ cup 15 calories celery, raw ½ cup sliced 10 calories celery, raw 1 stalk 5 calories cucumber, raw ½ medium 20 calories edible podded peas, cooked ½ cup 22 calories eggplant, cooked ½ cup 17 calories fennel, raw ½ cup 15 calories green peas (English peas), cooked 67 calories jicama, raw ½ cup 25 calories kale, cooked 1 cup 36 calories lettuce, raw 1 cup 5 calories onions, raw ½ cup sliced 23 calories radishes, raw ½ cup sliced 9 calories spinach, cooked ½ cup 20 calories sweet green peppers, raw ½ cup sliced 9 calories sweet potato, baked ½ cup 90 calories sweet red peppers, raw ½ cup sliced 14 calories sweet yellow corn, cooked 65 calories swiss chard, cooked 1 cup 35 calories tomato, raw 1 medium 25 calories turnips, cooked 1 cup cubed 33 calories white mushrooms, raw ½ cup sliced 8 calories winter squash, baked (all varieties) ½ cup 40 calories zucchini, raw 1/2 cup sliced 9 calories Certain veggies are good raw or cooked others you will need to cook to enjoy. This doesn’t have to be time consuming or difficult. Most vegetables can be easily prepared and cooked in minutes with a microwave oven. If you have the time, you just can’t beat the flavor of sliced roasted veggies. Brush veggies with a very light coating of olive oil, add seasoning, and then roast in a 425-degree oven. Watch the time. Some veggies brown up nicely in as little as ten minutes or so (small tomato wedges) whereas others might take as long as 30 to 40 minutes (sweet potato slices). Here are a few more tips on how to get veggies in your diet more often: 1. Cut up veggies to be eaten raw at the beginning of the week. Keep them in a translucent container in the refrigerator in clear view when you open the fridge door. Having veggies ready to grab and eat makes them more appealing. 2. Get creative with salads! Salads can be so much more than iceberg lettuce and tomatoes. Think spinach or mixed leafy greens. How about beets, broccoli, carrots, jicama, cauliflower, cucumber, peas, onions, celery or fennel in addition to or instead of tomatoes? 3. Toss cherry tomatoes, halved with lightly cooked broccoli florets, a little olive oil, lemon juice, and seasoning. 4. Enjoy cut veggies with a low cal dip. You can make your own healthy dip by blending low fat cottage cheese with nonfat plain yogurt. Add seasoning, mix, and enjoy! 5. Add veggies to soups, salads, stir-fry dishes, casseroles, omelets, sandwiches, and more. Check out my previous articles for some additional low calorie snack ideas: 1. Low Calorie Dairy Snacks 2. Healthy Low Calorie Fruit 3. Healthy Low Calorie Beverages 4. 28 Healthy Low Calorie Snack Foods to Go 5. Low Calorie Healthy Carbs: 100 Calories or Less 6. Low Calorie Meat, Poultry, Fish, and Seafood: 100 Calories or Less Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy foods! calories Health Maintenance weight loss calories, Health, Maintenance, weight lossvegetables low calorie veggies weight loss healthy food dietary fiber fiber

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Think Turkey past the Holiday Season!

 Think Turkey past the Holiday Season! thumbnail

Did you enjoy turkey for Thanksgiving? Not everyone is a turkey fan or chooses to partake of turkey for this holiday but many if not most Americans do. Turkey is lean nutritious meat that can be enjoyed all year round but that hasn’t been true for long. At one time 90 percent of all turkey meat was sold as the whole bird during the holiday season of November and December. Turkey has become more popular in large part because individual turkey pieces such as breasts, tenderloins, cutlets and ground turkey are now available. And, of course, there’s the option to purchase pre-cooked turkey as deli slices or otherwise. When eating turkey meant having to purchase, prepare, and cook the whole bird it just wasn’t as appealing to do very often. Thankfully that’s changed. Although, I may not have included turkey in my list of the top ten foods for women and weight loss, it does rank high on the list of healthy choices. Ounce for ounce turkey breast without the skin has more protein and less fat than beef or pork. A three-ounce serving of skinless boneless turkey breast has about 115 calories with 26 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat, and 0 grams of saturated fat. (Chicken is similar but not quite as good. A three ounce serving of skinless boneless chicken breast has about 140 calories with 26 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat, and close to 1 gram of saturated fat.) Turkey is also an excellent source of iron, zinc, and many B vitamins including riboflavin, B6, and B12. So if you are watching your calorie intake and nutrition, turkey meat can be a great choice. Even the dark meat is relatively lean compared with other meats but it does have more total fat, saturated fat, and calories than breast meat. What you want to watch, however, is the ground turkey. Ground turkey typically has significantly more fat. It ranges from 85 to 99 percent fat free. The amount of fat varies depending on whether the ground turkey includes a mix of dark and light meat along with some skin or if it is prepared from breast meat only. Something to keep in mind is that 85 percent fat free does not mean the turkey has 15 percent fat but rather that it is about 15 percent fat by weight. This actually translates into about 51 percent fat in terms of calories. See Weight Loss Success: Are You Buying the Best Products? for a better explanation of how that works.) Adding low fat turkey meat to a recipe can boost the protein content of a dish while keeping the calorie count down. I’ve found turkey to be a great choice for preparing low calorie nutritious meals. I’ll share a few recipes with you for turkey meals with 350 calories or less per serving. You may have used up your turkey leftovers for this season but keep these recipes handy and you may very well find yourself preparing turkey breast more often! 1. Turkey with Curried Cream Sauce 2. Turkey Waldorf Salad 3. Turkey Pizza 4. Turkey Apple Gyros Want more ideas? Check out the online recipe sites. Lots of recipes I’ve found call for ground turkey. But it’s quite easy to substitute chopped cooked turkey to save time and possibly calories. Just keep in mind the ratio of 4 to 3. For example, as a general rule, 4 ounces of uncooked meat will become about 3 ounces of cooked meat if you are cooking whole cuts. Ground meat will yield somewhat less. Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy! calories Health Maintenance weight loss weight management calories, Health, Maintenance, weight loss, weight managementturkey low calorie recipes nutritious weight loss diets

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