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

Soup's on!

As the weather has begun to turn colder in the northeast and I feel like just hibernating, my "winter" instincts have started to kick in. I don't know if you experience the same thing, but it seems like every year when the weather dips my appetite gets stoked. Almost like Mother Nature is trying to pad me up for the winter. (Coincidentally, it coincides with the feast of the holiday season. Go figure.) This year in my attempt to keep myself satisfied and fitting into all my cute sweaters (not hiding in the big bulky ones) I've rediscovered an old friend - soup. Since my "winter instinct" also involves wanting to cook comfort foods, making a big pot of figure-friendly soup goes along quite well. Knowing how nutritious they are, I've been trying to add more beans to my diet so I started by buying a bag of 16 bean mix - it was like $1.19 for a pound and makes a huge amount of soup. After following the directions for a quick rinse and soak (about an hour), I threw them in a pot with 3 cups of low sodium chicken broth, 3 cups of water, sliced carrots and celery to simmer for a couple of hours. While it was cooking I did some work, then played with my kids, got them into bed and even worked out. Voila! My husband and I have had a filling meal of 16 bean soup for dinner every night this week. Making your own soup is so easy and it's much lower in sodium than the canned kind and you can add all kinds of nutritious ingredients. Next week after turkey day I'm going to take the carcass and make a big pot of turkey stock, throw in a bag of split peas and have meals for another week. Just thinking about it makes me feel warm all over! Yum.

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.

Are energy drinks a tired mom's answer?

One perusal down the refrigerator case at your convenience store and you'll see an incredible phenomenon taking place in the drink market. A huge array of high priced, highly-caffeinated energy drinks. With the exploding energy drink market - over 300 new energy beverages introduced in 2006 - it's obvious we live in a sleep-deprived, overly-fatigued society, and no one feels it more than the new mom. We're looking for a magic elixir to refresh our energy and recharge our batteries. Are energy drinks the answer? If you're pregnant or nursing the answer is definitely NO. But even for other moms, you need to read the label carefully. There are a lot of ingredients being put into energy drinks that you may not want in your body in the amounts they contain. As an example, guarana, found in many energy drinks, in high doses can cause heart palpitations and raise blood pressure. A recent study presented at the American Heart Association annual meeting indicates the potential dangers. Most energy drinks also contain significant amounts of caffeine, which can cause dependence and highs and lows in energy. You also have to watch for the calories; similar to regular soda at 70-150 calories per 8-ounces in the non sugar-free versions, they can pack on pounds if it becomes a daily habit. Bottom line: Try natural energy boosters first.

• Eat regularly
• Drink plenty of water
• Take power naps (20 minutes does wonders)
• Exercise moderately for 30 minutes a day

If you still feel lethargic, visit the doctor for a check up to rule out potential health issues.

For those who still want their energy drinks: An energy drink once in a while likely won't cause much harm but you're better off avoiding them. Save only for special circumstances where high doses of caffeine is crucial - like the morning after being up all night with a sick baby and you have a big presentation to give.

Anti-aging and Dr. Oz on Oprah

Did you happen to catch Oprah today? I happend to hit the gym at 4pm today and caught Dr. Oz on Oprah talking about staying young -- that is a topic of interest as I am starting to look very tired in the mornings, even with a good night's sleep. He just put out a new book and was detailing some of his strategies for staying young -- I loved the recommendations for keeping your house free of toxins. I can't wait to tell my husband that I am not crazy when I ask him to take his drycleaning out of the plastic bags right away and drive with the windows down to air them out. He also had recommendations on diet, he recommended vit D supplements, and high antioxidant foods. The vit D supplements may make sense given that new research finds that there is vit D deficiency in many of the elderly who live in the North -- for those of you in sunnier states, direct sunlight for 15 minutes a day takes care of your vit D needs. Also, eating high antioxidant, fresh foods is a great way to take care of yourself -- luckily, Mother Nature loves antioxidants and if you eat your 5-10 veggies a day, you are probably getting a good amount of antioxidants. Great antioxidant foods include -- berries, citrus fruits, grapes, nuts and seeds, dark green veggies, onions, garlic, whole grains, and yes, cocoa and chocolate. Dr. Oz also talks about calorie restriction as a way to slow aging, although there is some research on this subject, we do not know all the possible effects of essentially starving your body. For most moms not eating enough food can have a detrimental impact on your mood, energy level, and ability to think clearly, as well as modeling good eating behaviors for your kids. Also, most people when cutting down on calories, may cut out several important foods needed for long-term health. If you determine that calorie restriction is something you want to try -- talk to your physician and get a referral to a dietitian so they can help you do it in a healthy way.
My advice on staying young, aside from not smoking, using sunblock and exercising, is to eat a healthy, balanced diet everyday with --
- 10 servings of fruits and veggies,
- only whole grain carbs,
- at least one serving of beans and nuts a day,
- only low fat meats and low fat dairy,
- and very important --- leave lots of room for laughter and play time with your family and friends.
If you want to read more about Dr. Oz's recommendations or take his stay young quiz, click here.

Breastfeeding for cancer prevention

Yet another reason to breastfeed. A huge report just came out of the American Institute for Cancer Research that focuses on the most important lifestyle changes you can make to prevent cancer. Lots of the recommendations are the same as you've heard before for an overall healthy lifestyle and for weight loss: exercise, eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, limit sugary, processed and fast foods, limit salt intake. The one recommendation that I was surprised to see on the list was to breastfeed and to do so exclusively for at least 6 months. It's interesting to me because the whole focus of the report is on cancer prevention. So, in addition to the weight loss benefits, the bonding aspect and the numerous ways it protects the infant from illness, the mother gains protections against breast cancer and perhaps even ovarian cancer by breastfeeding. For you new moms and moms-to-be, if you needed another nudge to get you to breastfeed or to keep you breastfeeding, here you go.