High-calorie holiday season underway

Now that the holiday season is officially underway, like me, you probably have a million family and friend gatherings/parties in the next month. No matter what religion you do or don't practice, this time of year tends to bring people together and that always means lots of food. Thanksgiving weekend we had people over three of the four days and we didn't even have the holiday here! While it's great to get together and being hospitable is important, there are some strategies you can employ so that all the excess eating doesn't carry on throughout the entire month, weekdays and all. Here's what I do:
1) Send everyone home with the leftover dessert they brought. No need to have the calories tempting you all week long.
2) Serve lots of healthy appetizers: hummus and whole wheat pita, crudite with lowfat dip, shrimp cocktail, reduced fat cheese with whole grain crackers, mini turkey meatballs. You and your guests can fill up on the low cal starters and having those leftover all week won't hurt your waistline. Do not serve these hot apps: anything doughy and filled, pigs-in-a-blanket, anything covered in bacon. At 100-200 calories each, they are just not worth it.
3) Start the meal with broth based soup. Studies show it can help reduce total calorie intake. And again, leftovers makes a nice light meal during the week.
4) Swap one of the usual starchy sides - mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls - for an extra vegetable like mashed cauliflower or sauteed spinach. Again, lighter leftovers.
5) Lastly, if someone gives you a nice box of chocolates or another food item as a gift, either serve it to your guests (if you have company over) or take one taste and send the rest into work with your husband for his co-workers. Spread the love and the calories!

Wishing you a relaxing and wonderful start to the holiday season. And remember, it's about being with your loved ones, not the food, gifts or decorations.

Thanksgiving Healthy Tips

I am looking forward to eating all of my favorite foods at my Mother-in-law's house tomorrow. As is tradition when we eat at her house, I will not be allowed anywhere near the kitchen. It is the one time of the year (we handle all other holidays differently), that no one in my extended family wants to think about healthier versions or portion control or moderation. So, I have to keep my mouth shut. Her cooking methods are very different than mine. She cooks what we in Texas call "down-home" meals. She still uses an iron skillet and Crisco. Although, I do not think she saves the left-over grease anymore - I do need to state that her food is absolutely amazing. Okay, fine, I can work with that, I have a plan (for those of you who are facing the same situation, maybe my plan will work for you).
--wake up and work out before the feasting begins,
-- eat low-fat healthy foods all day, such as fruit and oatmeal in the morning, broth-based soup and salad with lots of veggies at lunch about 3 hours before our Thanksgiving meal (do not make the mistake of starving yourself),
-- and after the meal, I will make sure everyone goes outside and throws the football.
For those of you who have the opportunity to make some healthier substitutions, here are some of my favorite tips for the typical Thanksgiving fare,
- leave the skins on and use skim milk in the mashed potatoes, oh and add pressed garlic,
- eat your sweet potatoes, they are full of nutrition. Make a maple syrup sauce separately and let everyone drizzle on their own potato,
- use spray butter on your rolls,
- eat lots of greens in a salad and add a lot of color with fresh veggies and fruit,
- make your own cranberry relish rather than eating cranberry sauce -- it will have less sugar and whole, fresh cranberries,
- for dessert, just pick two with a portion size equal one serving combined,
- if you drink alcoholic beverages, alternate with water in between.
We hope you have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving

Best 100% Juices

I just ran across an interesting study about 100% fruit juices. The researchers looked at the nutrient density (amount of nutrients or good stuff per calorie) of popular 100% fruit juices. Nutrient density is a good way to make sure your calories count. For example, a prune and a piece of hard candy may have the same number of calories but the prune will be healthier because of the nutrients found in the prune. Out of the seven juices tested, which included apple, grape, pink and white grapefruit, orange, prune and pineapple, two were found to have the most nutrients. Orange juice and pink grapefruit juice were the winners in terms of more good stuff/calorie. Click here to read more about the study.

Fresh, Whole Foods Challenge Menu

OK, I did it. I really had to focus on the foods that I ate and at times had to stop myself and reach for something "fresh." I definitely had to pay attention and think about what I was eating, beyond what I normally think (given my love of food and health, I think about what I eat all the time in terms of balancing foods and what I and my family may be missing). But, yesterday I had a different focus and I ended up eating very healthy. Here are the foods I ate and the nutrition results for the Fresh, Whole Foods Challenge from yesterday's blog --
Breakfast

• oats and skim milk -fresh
• orange juice
• egg - fresh
• grapes - fresh

Snack

• raw almonds (fresh) and dark chocolate chips

Lunch

• light tuna in water and two pieces whole wheat bread
• spinach salad (fresh) with feta, onions (fresh), pressed garlic (fresh), oil and vinegar

Snack

• apple (fresh)

Dinner

• lentils with stewed tomatoes and pressed garlic (fresh)
• chicken breast, all natural (fresh) made with onions (fresh) olive oil and basil (fresh)
• steamed brown rice (fresh)
• skim milk

Out of 23 foods and beverages (I did not count oils/dressings), I ate 16 fresh, whole foods (based on the definition from yesterday's blog). So, about 70% of my food intake was fresh. Here is the analysis of what I ate --2150 calories, 44% carbs, 20% protein, 35% fat (44% of it was monounsaturated fat - the healthy kind), fiber 34 g (the recommended intake is 25 g). All in all, I did really well. Also, my analysis shows that I met or exceeded most nutrients. There were a few that fell below the recommended value but that is OK, because I will make up for those nutrients throughout the week.

Now, challenge yourself and see how you do -- remember, strive for at least half of your food intake to be fresh.

Eating Fresh, Whole Foods Challenge

We need to eat fresh, whole foods -- I know, they are not convenient and they go bad if you do not eat them in time. However, it is important to teach our families and ourselves how to eat fresh, whole foods vs. relying heavily on processed foods (which typically have several of the good nutrients stripped out as well as added ingredients that we do not need). For example, new research shows that as produce ripens there is an increase in powerful antioxidants from the break down of chlorophyll, which could be beneficial for health. These are compounds that are found in the whole fruit. By only eating processed foods that are enriched or fortified to make up for the stripped-out nutrients, you can miss out on eating a set of nutrients that need to work together in the whole food to protect your health. There are several nutrients that come in bundles and work together, such as vitamin A and the carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin that take care of our eyesight; or vitamin E and the tocopherols that work together as antioxidants.
Teach yourself and your families to rely on fresh, whole foods and only use processed foods occasionally. This does not mean you should give up your canned fruits and veggies. Although, these are somewhat processed, they are an easy and convenient way to reach the desired 5-10 fruits and veggies a day. Just make sure you are also including fresh, whole foods in your daily diet. And, based on the new study, make sure your produce is ripe. Try this today, count how many processed foods you and your kids eat vs. the number of fresh, whole foods. Try to make sure that at least half of your food intake is fresh and whole. I am going to join you in doing this -- I will write down everything that I eat today and run a nutrient analysis on my foods and will report back tomorrow. I will post what I ate, count the number that were fresh and whole, plus add the nutrition information for my day's menu.
There is no formal definition of "fresh, whole foods," so, for the sake of this challenge, we will include minimally processed whole grains, natural dairy and meats as fresh as well as whole fruits and vegetables. If you are like me, you may be concerned with pesticide contamination or added hormones and antibiotics, if so, make sure to choose the all natural, and organic varieties.

Tips for eating Halloween candy

Here are some tips to cut down on eating too much candy --
-- Dump the candy on the floor with the kids and create a pile of your favorites (both you and your children).
-- Throw away (or donate to your child's daycare treasure box or good manners award chest) all candy that does not make it into your favorite piles.
-- Keep 5 pieces of your favorites for yourself -- again, either throw away or donate the rest of your pile.
-- For the kids, give each 5 Ziploc bags and let them put three pieces in each bag (this assumes the candies are snack size - if they are full size, then just one per bag).
-- Each day (for a total of 5 days, they do not have to be consecutive days) they can enjoy a bag -- Make sure they balance the treat with something healthy like nuts or fruit (that also goes for mom).

What should you and your kids drink?

I get a lot of questions on what and how much juice and milk children should drink as well as what is the best drinks for moms. OK, let's start with the obvious, for daily living, not including high endurance sports, water, water, water to quench thirst without adding unnecessary calories and sugar. Now that we have that out of the way, what about those children and adults who do not like water -- try flavoring the water with lemon, orange or tangerine juice and a little sugar (before adding it, melt the sugar by boiling it in some water in the microwave). Water should make up the majority of your beverage choices, especially in hotter and humid climates where kids and adults are constantly in need of a refreshing beverage. Now, beyond water, what should your choices be --

For Kids (age 4 years and up)

-- in general no more than two 8-ounce 100% fruit juice beverages

-- and at least 2 cups of low fat or fat free milk.

Given the recent beverage guidelines, such as the School Beverage Guidelines and the Guidelines for Adults, food and beverage manufacturers are trying to make healthier beverage options available. I just came across this interesting drink called Bot Flavored Water soon to be available in Whole Foods. It is made for kids as a healthier alternative to juice -- lower sugar (9 g vs over 20 g found in juice), nothing artificial, providing mostly water. I would prefer that kids just drink water and enjoy juice no more than two times a day, but for those who do not like water this may be a good option.

For Adults

--just drink water or flavor it with natural juices (or if you must a low cal powder like Crystal Light).
--Also make sure that you are getting your dairy, two glasses of skim milk, in addition to one cup of yogurt (a bowl of cereal can count as one glass of milk).

By the way, I really liked the opinions shared in the following article (click here) on the New Beverage Guidelines -- read for yourself and tell us what you think.

New product at The American Dietetic Assoc. meeting

I just came back from the American Dietetic Association Annual Conference in Philli, PA where over 10,000 dietitians from around the U.S. came together to hear the latest science in nutrition and health as well as see the new healthier products that are hitting the grocery store shelves. My favorite pick were the new PopTarts -- they taste great.

Whole wheat PopTarts -- it is about time. Kids and parents love PopTarts and they are so easy in the morning, the only problem is, they are unhealthy. I do not remember the ingredient list entirely as there were so many ingredient and nutrition facts panels that I reviewed while I was there (my head is still buzzing), but I believe they did not have high fructose corn syrup and that the fiber content was pretty good (I am waiting on Kellogg to answer my nutrition and ingredient questions about this new product, but they are slow). We will have to keep an eye out to make sure that the product is, indeed, healthier. According to the reps, the product should start hitting grocery store shelves now.
As soon as I get my notes together, I will share some additional product information and nutrition and health outcomes that were discussed during the scientific sessions.

Eating like my kids results

Here is the result of Monday's trying to eat like my kids. First as a reminder, here are the foods we ate --
B-fast - oatmeal, drinking yogurt
Snacks - sunflower seeds, mandarin orange cup, banana
Lunch - sunflower butter and all natural jelly on whole wheat bread, raw almonds, natural fruit leather, skim milk
Snack - baked Cheetos, grapes, skim milk
Dinner - Cooking light recipe, Sept. issue, p. 172 Chicken Pot Pie and Skim milk
Here are the results (I have also included the percentage of hitting my recommended intakes based on my gender, age, and activity level).
-- 2176 calories which is 97% of my recommended amount of 2245 calories
-- my macronutrient breakdown was -- 51% carb, 21% protein, 29% fat (all within the optimal
ranges of 45-65% carb, 10-35% protein, 20-35% fat)
-- my omega 3's intake was very low at only 20% of the recommended 1.1 grams
-- my fiber was 100% at 25 grams
-- cholesterol was 45% of the ok amount of 300 mg at 135 mg
-- my folate and iron were low
This is not bad for one day. We typically do not evaluate a diet on just one day of eating but instead look at the entire week. So, if you have a bad day it is ok, because you can make up for it. To improve my eating this week, I will increase my omega-3 intake by eating salmon, walnuts and flaxseed bread over the next few days. Also, I will add orange juice to breakfast to help increase my folate intake as well as a serving of beans with dinner to help increase my iron (and folate intake).
I said I would do this the whole week, so I am still eating like my kids. So far, I have really enjoyed taking the time to sit down and eat breakfast with them.

Most Women Feel Fat

I have friends and lead weight loss groups of women that are not happy with their bodies. Most are moms that just never lost the baby fat or they lost the fat but are not back to their pre-baby shape. And now, with their hectic lives directed by their children, are finding it hard to fit in a healthier diet, not to mention exercise. Well, they are not alone, in a new survey of 2000 women sponsored by SlimFast, 78% of women said they are larger than they want to be, with more than half wanting to be a size 8 or smaller -- today the average size is 12. Ok moms -- we need to slow down and figure out a way to take care of ourselves. Our negative body image can be passed onto our children. For their sake, let's eat healthier and feel good about ourselves!!! Read my post on August 14th for some quick tips. Click here to read more about the survey.

Fatness is Sweeping the Nation, Save Yourself

OK, I cannot help but write these tips after seeing the CDC slides again (from my last post). These are some easy to incorporate behaviors to help you lose weight or not gain weight, try these for two weeks -
--eat at least 5 fruits and veggies a day - count at the end of the day, make up for the amount missing at dinner, e.g. I only ate 3 fruits today, so at dinner I need to have two servings of vegetables
--include a 1/2 cup serving of beans or lentils in your meals once a day -- make sure they are not cooked with bacon or with oil, just water (and maybe some garlic)
--snack on one big handful of your favorite nut or seed (1.5 oz or about 15-30 depending on size) once a day
--drink plenty of water, try to drink at least 5 8-ounce glasses of water throughout the day
By adding these foods, you will naturally replace other less "healthy" foods. You will also add important nutrients that can help you feel great and stay in shape. Lastly, add exercise to your day, even if it is only for 15 minutes... get that heart-rate up (Try this -- jump rope outside for 15 minutes while the kids play. Jump for 3 minutes and take a 1 minute rest, do this 5 times for a total jumping time of 15 minutes).
We want to hear from you in two weeks -- tell us your success stories!!! Or share some tips of your own.