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Fiber for Weight Loss

Chances are you are missing out on a great (and easy) way to lose weight or maintain your healthy weight. On average, women only get about 50% of their recommended fiber intake (25 grams a day). We just do not eat enough fiber-rich foods on a daily basis. While many think of fiber in terms of digestive health or cholesterol reduction, fiber is also a great weight loss and healthy weight maintenance aid. In one study, researchers found that not only were fiber-rich whole grain foods related to a lower weight in women, but that the women who ate higher fiber diets gained half the weight of those eating mostly refined carbs over a 12 year period. Also, overweight and obese women benefited the most from eating fiber-rich whole grains. Fiber increases satiety, so you stay satisfied longer and it decreases the amount of sugar and insulin released into the blood stream. This helps decrease fat storage in your body. Here is the good news, it is easy to eat more fiber. A new study shows just how easy it is to increase your daily fiber significantly by eating a couple bowls of cereal. In the study they used All Bran as one of the test cereals, just 1/2 cup has 10 grams of fiber. Here are some recommendations for starting off the day in a fiber-rich way:
-Try eating a high fiber cereal like All Bran with low-fat (or non-fat) milk -- you may like it.
-If high fiber (at least 5 grams) cereals are not your style, pick a whole grain cereal and sprinkle in a higher fiber cereal such as All Bran Bran Buds (1/3 cup has 13 g fiber) with low-fat milk.
- Now add an apple (3 more grams of fiber) and you are now almost half way there (depending on which cereal you picked, you may be over half way to meeting your goal of 25 g of fiber).
Let's complete the day to get you to your fiber goal. After having your fiber-rich breakfast, eating the following foods throughout the day will help you reach 25 g.
- eat a medium sized pear with lunch for 5 grams and a slice of whole wheat bread 2 grams
- eat 1/2 cup beans or lentils with dinner for another 5-10 grams depending on the bean or lentil
- eat another high fiber bowl of cereal with low-fat milk as a snack if you are hungry after dinner for another 5 grams.
Total fiber -- 25 grams or more

Mom's diet may make for fat babies

A new study from the Journal of Neuroscience found that what you eat while pregnant can result in overeating and obesity in the child. The study was done on rats, however, it does seem to make sense that exposure to a high-fat diet in utero can lead to changes in brain development in the fetus, which create an appetite for fat. The offspring from those fed the high fat diet ate more throughout life, began puberty earlier (a common issue with overweight children as well) and weighed more as compared to those offspring from animals fed a balanced diet.
Bottomline eating a balanced, healthy diet during pregnancy offers advantages to you and your children:

• it will help you gain the right amount of weight so taking it off post-pregnancy is easier
• it helps to keep your child's weight down and him healthy throughout his life

While I would be the last person to tell you not to enjoy a some indulgences during pregnancy - chocolate was part of my diet everyday for all of my pregnancies - just make sure you balance it out with lots of nutritious fruits, veggies and whole grains.

Tactics to keep the weight off

While losing weight is certainly a feat, keeping the pounds off seems to be a bigger challenge for most people. Why? As you lose weight your calorie needs decrease because you're carrying around less mass and therefore, to keep losing weight or even to just stay at your present weight, you have to take in less and less calories over time or increase the number of calories you're burning. Here are some proven tactics to keep those lost pounds, lost:

• Exercise. A new study found that exercise and not the type of diet you follow is the real key to keeping off the weight. Researchers found that regardless of which diet was followed, low-fat or moderate fat, some weight regain was inevitable; they say increasing exercise is a more effective approach.
• Eat breakfast. One study found that women who eat breakfast have lower BMIs, a measure of overweight, than women who skip breakfast. And you should include some milk or yogurt in that breakfast, too.
• Drink milk. A new study found that eating three servings of dairy each day helped people maintain weight loss while eating more calories than the people that only had one serving of dairy each day. Both groups successfully kept off the 10 percent of body weight they'd lost (for the 6 months of the study) however the 3-a-day dairy eaters had about 150 more calories each day than the 1-a-day. This suggests drinking milk or eating yogurt may allow someone trying to maintain weight loss to eat a little more and still keep all the weight off.

Are bananas a magic diet food?

There's a diet craze going on in Japan called the Morning Banana diet that's been all over the TV and web sites. Check out this article on WebMD. Your first thought may be "why is there a diet craze in Japan? Aren't they a pretty lean population?" It was my first reaction but I guess it's a good indication that the issue of overweight has gone global.
Essentially the diet says that in the morning if you eat only bananas and water, have no dairy products, alcohol, or food after 8 PM then you will lose weight. It allows any food for lunch, dinner and snacks. Sound ridiculous? Well, much of it is - there's nothing magical about bananas that make it a diet superfood moreso than any other fruit - but there are some principles in the plan that (when tweaked a bit) can help in losing weight and keeping it off which we talk about in the Baby Fat Diet.
1. They say: Drink only room temperature water. We say: Stick primarily to non caloric drinks; water is an excellent choice, but tea and coffee are okay too and have lots of disease-fighting antioxidants.
2. They say: Don't eat after 8 PM. We say: Stop eating 2-3 hours before bed; late night eating is usually mindless munching of empty calories.
3. They say: Have only bananas and water for breakfast. We say: Eat a fiber-filled, well balanced breakfast. Have as many colorful fruits and vegetables as you can in your day, aiming for at least 5; they are filling for few calories and have tons of nutrients.
4. They say: Exercise only if you want to. We say: Incorporate movement into your day as much as possible by actively playing with your kids and make an effort to work up to 30 minutes a day of deliberate exercise; it's very important to helping take the weight off, keep it off and keep you healthy for life.
As for the Japanese, they traditionally eat lots of fish, brown rice and vegetables, foods that are certainly healthful and relatively low in calories. I'm thinking just go back to that eating plan and overweight won't be a problem.

School lunches - are they healthy?

Most children love buying lunch at school -- it is a very big step towards Independence once they begin Elementary school. (That is unless you have a very picky eater and send them to school with their lunch every day - as a dietitian, I find that sometimes allowing picky eaters to buy lunch at school once a week can help them break bad habits.) A study was recently conducted that looked at the healthfulness of school lunches. When comparing the nutritional intake of those who bought school lunch to those who brought their lunch, the results were surprising. Those purchasing lunch actually had higher vit A, C, B6, folate, calcium, thiamin, iron and phosphorus intakes. They also drank more milk and ate more vegetables and had fewer sweets, sweetened beverages, and snacks. On the flip side, although the number of calories were similar the amount of fat and saturated (bad) fat as well as sodium were higher for those purchasing lunch. So, the schools still have some work to do in improving their lunches. Bottom line: It is a good idea to balance bringing lunch and buying lunch. Let your children pick two days a week to buy their lunch and prohibit a la carte items (in many schools you can put a block on this). On the other days, pack a healthy lunch and have your child buy milk at school. Here is an example of a healthy sack lunch--
- whole wheat bread with either cheese and all natural lunch meat without preservatives or all natural peanut, almond or sunflower butter with all natural jelly.
- a fruit or two
- trail mix with high fiber cereal, almonds and semisweet choco chips
- milk - buy at school

Dieting causes excess pregnancy weight gain

A new study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reports that dieters and restrained eaters tend to gain more weight than recommended during pregnancy. Many who diet or have restrained eating habits may feel "free" to eat the foods that they typically stay away from. The deprivation felt before pregnancy can cause overeating during the pregnancy. The result is gaining excess weight. This extra weight can put you at risk for delivering a large baby, a c-section, and a shorter time spent breastfeeding as well as being overweight after having the baby. Interestingly and also alarming is that research shows that excess weight gain during your pregnancy puts your baby at risk of being overweight by age 7. So, what can you do? Look at your pre-pregnancy eating habits, do you jump from diet to diet, do you feel deprived in what you allow yourself to eat, do you tend to feel guilty when you eat something you enjoy? If your answer to these types of questions is yes, then you may be at risk of gaining too much weight during your pregnancy. The good news is once you have identified yourself as at risk, you can deal with it -- try the following to help yourself.
- Visit MyPyramid for pregnancy and breastfeeding and estimate how many calories and servings of foods from each food group you need to have a healthy pregnancy
- Ask your doctor to recommend a dietitian to help you plan your meals and calories needs.
- Get a subscription to a healthy pregnancy magazine to support your healthy living behaviors
- Make sure and stay active to keep the feel good hormones circulating (with your doc's permission)
- Get at least 7 hours of sleep to help curb your cravings
- Eat every 2-3 hours to keep yourself from overeating

Great lunchbox addition

There's a great product that I've been putting in my kids' lunchboxes - it's called Wateroos. Not only are they healthy - they're really just water with a touch of flavor but no sugar or calories - but the kids love them b/c they look just like juice boxes and have cute characters on the front. Starting kids off early and teaching them to enjoy the pure, natural taste of water is extremely beneficial - developing this good habit avoids the need to drink sweet or flavored beverages and in most cases lots of sugar or artificial sweeteners. It can be really hard to break the habit of overconsuming sugary sweet or diet drinks once you're an adult and realize it's best to stick to water. Drinking too many calories is a very common habit that I see in my patients who need to lose weight. The first thing we cut out are coffee drinks, juices, sodas and smoothies; it's much more satisfying to eat your calories than to drink them. Even diet drinks can be overdone and aren't really good for your teeth. So, the earlier you can develop the water habit, the better.
There's also a good website, www.drinklesssugar.com, which compares different lunchbox drinks so you can see how much sugar is in various beverages.

Eat to lose weight

I just had a conversation with the nursing staff at my doctor's office yesterday concerning weight loss. They had been trying to lose weight and had successfully lost some weight but were now at a plateau. These women are educated and know what they should be eating, but they were not aware of how much and when they should be eating. This became obvious when I dug a little further and found that both went the whole work day without eating, so from 8-6pm they did not eat a thing. Additionally, one of them had not eaten yet, and it was already noon. This nurse in particular even made the comment that she used Weight Watchers to successfully lose the bulk of her weight and they made her eat all the time. After speaking with them the possible problem became clear -- in response to their baffling question of "why am I not losing weight" I was able to provide a simple answer...YOU MUST EAT TO LOSE WEIGHT! Going all day without eating will only sabotage your efforts at losing weight (and staying energetic and happy and let's not forget, healthy). In fact, the US weight loss registry shows that those who lose weight successfully eat breakfast at the same time every day. So, what does that tell us? We need to eat on a schedule. The body needs to know when to expect food, so that it does not try to conserve energy. We want the body to feel free to burn calories. Another important factor are all of the nutrients that are missing from their diets because of their limited food intake during the week. You also need key nutrients to help your body burn energy efficiently. Additional problems with not eating all day can also include overeating at other meals, feeling as if it is okay to eat higher fat foods since you did not eat all day, etc. (You know all the inner talking we do to rationalize unhealthy eating.) So, here is my advice...
1. Eat breakfast at the same time everyday to break your overnight fast -- make your body confident, so that it will burn energy efficiently.
2. If you do not have time for a sit down lunch during the day, that is okay, just make sure to bring healthy snacks with you and eat every 2-3 hours during the day.
For example,
-- if you eat breakfast at 7 am, by 10 am make sure and have a piece (or two) of fruit.
-- by 12 pm make sure and have an all natural peanut butter (2tbsp) sandwich with no added sugar jelly (1 tbsp) and whole wheat bread
-- by 2 or 3 pm have a homemade trail mix (high fiber cereal, handful of almonds, raisins and a few semisweet chocolate chips) and another piece of fruit
3. Make sure and eat a healthy dinner with at least two vegetables if you did not eat any veggies during the day.
4. If you are hungry before you go to bed, eat a high fiber cereal and skim milk as a snack.

Dinner dilemma solved

I hear time and time again from my friends and patients with young babies or children at home - most of whom are trying to lose a few pounds - that making a healthy dinner is an insurmountable chore. With all else there is to do, finding time to make a balanced meal gets pushed to the wayside. I feel their pain. When I'm done with work and shuttling the boys to and from activities, grabbing takeout just seems so much easier. But while it's quick and easy, eating takeout certainly won't help with keeping your health or weight in check. Cooking a homemade meal means you know exactly how much salt and fat was added into your food. Enter the slow cooker (or Crock Pot, as your mom used to call it). Toss in some chicken breasts, frozen veggies, a can of crushed tomatoes and a half pound of whole wheat pasta, let it simmer all day and you have a delicious, ready-to-eat meal when it's time to collapse into your chairs. You can use just about any lean protein (seafood, turkey, lean beef, pork tenderloin), vegetables, starch and source of liquid for a well-balanced, all in one meal.
While I'm not a slow cooker queen, like some, every few months I rediscover my slow cooker and love how easy it is to get dinner on the table. The meal is nutritious, low in fat and simple to prepare. I can pretty much use ingredients I have lying around. So go ahead, rediscover your slow cooker, too.

Paltrow exercised away the baby fat

Did you catch Gwyneth Paltrow on Oprah this week? I missed the episode but I did see an article yesterday with her comments on how she got her body back after baby number 2. It was refreshing to hear that not only did it take her 2 years to lose the baby weight, but it took hard work to take off the pounds. She credits lots of exercise for helping her lose the weight. While she worked with a celebrity trainer, there's nothing she did that regular people can't do themselves. It's really about motivation and sticking with it. I know for myself, taking off the baby weight and then maintaining my weight long term requires that I exercise daily - in addition to eating right most of the time (chocolate daily is a must have). I have some equipment in my basement and when I put the kids to bed at night, I go down there and enjoy an hour of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune while I work out. No nannies, celebrity trainers or state-of-the-art gym needed. You can do it, too. Buy a jumprope or an exercise video and get started. You'll be looking like Gwyneth in no time - or at least the best, fittest version of you (which is even better).

More kudos for the Mediterranean diet

A new study came out showing the Mediterranean diet prevents numerous diseases, like heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's and even Parkinson's. While the Mediterranean diet is not new and we've known that it's a healthy eating pattern, this study analyzed the diets of more than 1.5 million people - so it's conclusive.

Eating like our Greek and Italian friends means loading up on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, fish and even olive oil and cutting back on red meat, dairy products and processed foods. The good news is that most of the those foods will also help you to lose weight since they are rich in nutrients and fiber so they fill you up without filling you out. The diet is really about eating whole foods that are either naturally low in all fats or high in only healthy fats, which keep your blood flowing smoothly.

To get yourself started on a Mediterranean style of eating, cut back your red meat intake to only once or twice a week and replace with a nice, healthy piece of fish, like tilapia or salmon, and a side of lentils. Get rid of the butter from your fridge and replace with olive and canola oil. You can order pre-filled olive and canola oil spray bottles that make portion control easy from Gourme Mist. This ensures you're not overdoing it on the added fat because even if it's the healthy kind, too much fat means too many calories.

Eating high protein breakfast sustains your diet

A new study out of Purdue University finds that eating a high protein breakfast - participants had eggs and Canadian bacon - leads to a sustained feeling of fullness throughout the day. Feeling satiated can lead to eating less at subsequent meals or going for a longer time without getting hungry again, making weight loss easier. Another study found that having two eggs for breakfast helped overweight adults lose more weight than those who ate a bagel with the same number of calories. Again, it's likely due to that feeling of satiety. Fiber and protein, because they take longer to digest, are the two nutrients that promote longer lasting feelings of fullness.
While having an egg or lean meat at breakfast can be a good high protein choice, low fat dairy can serve the same purpose. A high fiber cereal or oatmeal with skim milk or yogurt are also satiating breakfasts.
While I'm on this topic, I came across a new product, called Lightfull, which promotes itself as a satiating snack. It's a yogurt-like drink that has 5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein for only 90 calories. The company sent me some samples so I gave it a try and you know what, it was pretty true to its claims. I had one for breakfast with half an English muffin and really didn't feel hungry again until after noon. Normally, I need a mid-morning snack to tide me over til lunch. I'm going to give some samples to my weight loss patients and see how it works for them too. Check it out and see if it works for you.

Holidays and weekends could be sabotaging your weight loss

Came across a great article that hit home. It's about a new study that found that dieters regularly comsume more calories on the weekends than during the weekdays and those extra calories were making weight loss impossible. The reason it hit home for me is that one of my patients is having that exact issue. The scale won't budge, yet Monday through Friday his diet is pristine. The weekends are sabotaging all of his great eating during the week. Alcohol, eating out and less physical activity are all culprits. Interestingly, according to the study people who are extremely strict about their diet and do not give themselves breaks to cheat - like weekends or holidays - are 1 1/2 times more likely to keep off the pounds.
So, as we go into this Labor Day holiday weekend - keep your diet on track and do not allow those extra calories to sneak in. Here are some tips to help you:

• Eat a high-fiber breakfast with some protein (eg. oatmeal w/skim milk, egg whites and whole wheat toast + a piece of fruit) --make sure to eat enough to keep yourself satisfied, skimping on breakfast can backfire; I find about 400 calories at breakfast is right for most women
• At BBQs fill up your plate with salad, veggies, whole grains if there are any, and a small piece of lean protein; skip anything with mayonnaise
• If you want a drink, have one and make it a glass of wine or light beer; those fruity cocktails are really high in calories
• Exercise, at least 30 minutes each and every day - even holidays and weekends
• Keep a food journal and write down what you eat each day of the weekend; it holds you accountable
• Weigh yourself on Monday mornings; knowing you'll have to face the scale may help you to stay on track

Look for many more great tips to help you lose the baby weight and keep your diet on track in our new book The Baby Fat Diet -- available for preorder and on bookshelves this December.

Back to school healthy lunchbox ideas

As the lazy days of summer wind down and kids head back to school, you may start thinking about what to pack in the lunchbox. This is something I struggle with every week of the school year: getting my kids to eat a nutritious lunch that can be prepped fast. Here's an article I wrote with 8 easy, healthy lunch options. By the way, these are great lunches for yourself, as well. They are all nutrient packed and have less than 500 calories, so can help you stay (or get back) on track with your diet this fall. Since they are full of fiber and protein, feeling satisfied through the afternoon is a guarantee. So once again, eating like your kids is beneficial to your health and your waistline!
Tip: For me the quickest way to get through the grocery store with healthy food in my cart is to make a list ahead.

New Quick and Easy Recipe

I have another recipe to share with you that I created with ingredients found in my fridge and pantry -- my family really liked it and so it passed the test for blogging!

1 lb cooked chicken breast -- you can boil or bake it (I boiled the chicken the night before)
1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup no-fat sour cream
1/2 cup low-fat Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion (I used my small chopper)
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (I used the small chopper again)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 cup organic, low sodium tomato sauce
Whole wheat tortillas (or use corn for a lower calorie option)
1 tbsp olive oil

1. Chop the cooked chicken breast in a chopper (I cut up the chicken and used my small chopper since it is easy to clean) and place into pan with olive oil
2. Add all ingredients (except tortillas) and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes (you may want to adjust some of the ingredients based on your desired consistency)
3. Using a tablespoon, place mixture in center of tortilla, spread and roll tortilla - repeat until all mixture is used up (or you run out of tortillas).
4. Place tortillas in baking dish and drizzle more tomato sauce over top if desired and cover with foil.
5. Bake at 425 for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Enjoy with brown rice and small red kidney beans
Nutrition info for two tortillas --
340 calories (made with 2 whole wheat tortillas) or 180 calories (made with 2 corn tortillas)
13 grams protein and 5 grams fat (with either the whole wheat or corn)

Amazing Olympians and their diets

Are you watching the Olympics? I'm addicted to it. In fact, I've been up every night well past my bedtime watching the swimmers, divers, gymnasts and volleyball players. It's so inspiring to see these athletes performing such amazing feats. The other day I was on the treadmill jogging and watching the 100 meter runners racing. I felt like we were running together - of course, I was going about 1/100th the pace they were going.
Watching all of these extremely fit individuals led me to think about the diets they follow to fuel the record breaking performances. I found some articles talking about the diets of amazing gold medal swimmer, Michael Phelps and his teammate, Ryan Lochte. You have to see what they are eating - it's mind boggling! While their calorie needs are really high because they're burning tons of calories, I would think their diets would be pretty pristine. Not so, for some of the athletes - filled with fast food! Gymnasts seem to be a little more conscious since maintaining a sleek physique is part of the deal - and they don't burn quite as many calories.
So, enjoy reading about what the athletes are eating but I wouldn't follow their lead - when it comes to diet, anyway. Let them inspire you to get off the couch and go for a run or a bike ride, instead. Enjoy the games!

New moms are drained

A new report confirms what all new moms already know -- having a newborn is demanding and stressful. In addition to trouble sleeping (3 AM feedings, anyone?), the report found that 40% of the women had trouble taking off the baby fat and 24% experienced chronic backaches. I'm guessing they're related - it can be challenging to exercise if your back is injured. They also found that a large percentage of the women were back at work by 12 weeks postpartum, which adds another challenge.

So, to all you new moms out there it's important to cut yourself a little slack. Just like you wouldn't expect your newborn to start crawling or walking immediately after entering this new world, you shouldn't expect that you'll immediately be able to spring right back into your old body or prior energy level. Take baby steps. Set small, realistic goals for yourself. For this week, try this goal: each day eat 1 more fruit and 1 more vegetable than you currently do. Go for a walk this weekend with the baby in the stroller.

And know this, there is a light at the end of tunnel - life does get easier. I always say that as a new mom, it's all about finding your groove -- getting used to the new norm. And by making small healthy lifestyle changes along the way, before you know it, you'll be movin and groovin right back into your skinny jeans!

Restaurants posting calorie counts

If you found out there were way more calories in your favorite soup and sandwich combo than you thought, would you start ordering differently? That's what is happening at my husband's office. He works in New York City and about a year ago the city passed legislation requiring labeling on menu boards for chain restaurants. (Since then a number of other cities have passed similar legislation.) When my husband and his co-workers recently saw that several of their favorite lunch eateries started posting the calorie contents for the items on the menu board and they were significantly higher than they thought, their orders changed. One of his colleague's favorite soups was astoundingly high in calories and quickly dropped off the list for ordering a "light" lunch. This is a good reason why labeling of foods at restaurants is so important - it's extremely hard to guess the number of calories in a dish prepared by someone else and we can be underestimating by hundreds of calories.
So, while it's always a question as to whether people will change their eating habits by just knowing how many calories are in the foods they enjoy, this has clearly been the case in my husband's office. I know that I would have a hard time ordering anything with a huge number of calories staring back at me on the board. Luckily, I live in the suburbs and can blissfully (and ignorantly) enjoy my favorite foods - for now. I'm kidding, of course. My hope is that menu labeling will spread throughout the country and perhaps make a real impact on the public's health and waistline. Because, obviously for my husband, this is making a real difference in the foods he's choosing and I know I have a definite interest in him living a long and healthy life. Do you think it would be helpful to see the calories right on the menu or board at your favorite eating establishments?

Yummy (healthy) salmon patty recipe

Here is a recipe that I adapted from the Chicken of the Sea Salmon Pouch. The kids loved it – they dipped the patties in ketchup.

Ingredients (makes about 10 patties)
2- 7 ounce Pink Salmon pouches (skinless and boneless) or you can used the canned Salmon (skinless and boneless)
¼ cup omega-3 fortified light mayo
2 eggs
1 ½ cups whole wheat bread crumbs (divided)
½ cup wheat germ (divided)
¼ tsp garlic salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
Optional - finely chopped onions 1 cup and finely chopped red bell pepper 1 cup

-- Combine Mayo, optional ingredients, lemon juice, garlic salt and stir in salmon, egg and 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and ¼ cup wheat germ – mix until well blended.
-- Form mixture into balls and roll in remaining bread crumb/wheat germ mix and flatten into cakes about ½ inch thick.
-- Add patties to skillet with 2 tbsp olive oil and cook. Or you can bake at 425, just spray baking sheet with either olive oil or canola or vegetable oil and spray the salmon cakes with the oil as well and cook about 30 minutes.

Let me know what you think.