Exercise a matter of time?

A new study from Wake Forest shows that people who have flexibility at work tend to have better health habits including getting more exercise. The researchers surveyed 3200 workers over the course of a year. Interestingly when a person's work situation became more flexible (from the beginning of the study to the end of the study) certain health habits improved but they were not necessarily more apt to workout. In some cases having more time meant more time to exercise, but for others it seemed not to make a difference.
Of the people that I know who exercise there are two types of personalities. One type would exercise no matter what their work or home situation; this person fits it in early in the morning, late in the evening and on weekends. She makes sure that there is a convenient way to get in her workout. Exercise is a regimen and is scheduled the way that meetings or other important appointments are. The other type of personality exercises when it is convenient but working out tends to fall farther on the list of priorities so may fall off the list altogether. I would say this is the more common personality.
As we approach January 1 and the date of New Year's resolutions including many peoples' vows to exercise more, it would be of benefit to try to become more like the first type of exercise personality - the one that makes exercise like brushing your teeth or taking a shower, something that's a necessary part of the day. Start by finding the time of day that works for you, schedule it in and make it a no excuses must-do. I'm not a morning person, so for me the best time is in the evening after I put the kids to bed and before my husband comes home from work. I have equipment for my home and there's a tv show on at that time, which I enjoy. I tell myself in order to watch it, I have to be on the treadmill or elliptical machine. There's no negotiations.
Flexibility at work, at home or not at all, if exercise is part of the routine, it will surely be accomplished. And when we're talking about seeking weight loss and lifelong weight maintenance, exercise is a necessary component. As your resolution this year, find the way to make exercise a must-do part of your life.

Delish dish in just 10 minutes

It seems like my day has gotten shorter. Although I know that intuitively a day is still 24 hours as it always was, it just feels like I've lost a number of hours somewhere. (And when I say "somewhere" I mean changing diapers, doing infinite loads of laundry, cleaning up spills from under the high chair, fetching milk, water, yogurt, crackers, etc, playing game after game of Candyland, you know what I mean). When it comes time to make dinner I need things that are quicker to make than ever and more importantly, from ingredients that I have in the house. (If I have to run to the grocery store, forget it. I'll just order a pizza.) So, I am thrilled to share my newest recipe creation that takes - get this - 10 minutes! Here's what you'll need to buy in your weekly grocery shopping:
1/2 pound frozen or fresh shrimp
1 bag steam-in-the-bag veggies (Birds Eye SteamFresh Asian mix is what I used - any are fine)
1 bottle of Asian salad dressing (Ken's Sesame Ginger Light is what I used)
Boil-in-bag brown rice (5 or 10 minute)
1 bag frozen edemame or soybeans

Serves 2. (Double ingredients if you want to serve 4.)
First put the water on to boil for the rice. Run 1/2 pound of shrimp under cold water to defrost (or use fresh). Put a saute pan on medium-high heat for the shrimp. Put a bag of rice in the boiling water - when there's five minutes left on cooking the rice throw 2/3 cup edemame into the boiling water with the rice bag. Pop the veggies in the microwave for 5 minutes. Peel the shrimp and throw in the heated pan with 1-2 Tbs of the salad dressing. Cook about 2-3 minutes until shrimp are no longer pink. Everything should be done at the same time. Drain the water from the rice bag and edemame. Divide among two bowls: the rice, the veggies, the edemame, and the shrimp.
Voila - dinner's done in 10 minutes! It's really healthy, too - you've got veggies, whole grains, fish and legumes with just a touch of sodium from the dressing. The portions are a good size - my husband was definitely satisfied with the meal. This one is definitely being added to my rotation.
Gotta run - just heard the cereal bowl being thrown from the high chair!

Fertility Diet follow up

I got an email yesterday from the authors of the Fertility Diet in response to my last posting about the book. Apparently they had gotten one negative, rather lengthy review on Amazon from a woman that took issue with the book. (They were pleased to see a positive response from a dietitian to counter her opinion.) The critic's main argument is that the book takes too many leaps by making recommendations based off of just a few studies and that women will believe that changing their diet is a cure for infertility and fail to seek help from their doctors. While she presents an interesting case, I don't agree with her analysis. When analyzing whether recommendations are sound I look for several things - these are the questions you can ask yourself when deciding if a "diet" is appropriate:
- Is it based off of research? Is there a body of research and not just one study? Are the studies large, lengthy and reputable?
- Do the recommendations jive with what we know from other research?
- Will following this eating pattern harm the person in any way?
- Is there a lifestyle component to the recommendations?
Since the recommendations passed these criteria and following the eating pattern is more healthful for multiple reasons, I gave it a green light. In addition, I think that people are wise enough to know that while diet and lifestyle are an important part of health, seeing a doctor for a specific condition is a necessary aspect of care.
Nutrition is an interesting field because we learn new information everyday while we have to make recommendations based off of the best knowledge that we have at the time. So, while nutrition is a definite science with hard data there is an element of judgement that comes into play. To make the best diet choices for yourself, you can look to credentialed experts for help and be your own judge by asking and answering the right questions. And most important of all - will eating this way work for you, can you implement these recommendations into your daily life? Only YOU can answer these questions.

Trouble getting pregnant may be related to diet

A new book called "The Fertility Diet" has some interesting insight into the potential link between what a woman eats and her ease with getting pregnant. I would normally think something with this title could be folklore, however, the diet is based on research from the Harvard School of Public Health and the book is written by the study authors. They're on the Dec 10th cover of Newsweek along with an article summarizing the data. The researchers looked at over 18,000 women that are part of the ongoing Nurse's Health Study, which is a huge, long-term research project assessing the effects of diet on a number of diseases. They found that women who readily got pregnant ate a diet with lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, vegetable oils, and plant proteins and ate less trans fats and animal protein. The women who had fertility and ovulation issues were eating nearly the opposite. Interestingly, they also found that consuming whole milk foods - ice cream, cheeses, full fat yogurt -was beneficial for fertility. The book also mentions exercise and maintaining a healthy weight as key lifestyle factors in promoting fertility.

Bottomline: The book gets the green light for overall soundness and balance. The Fertility Diet promotes a healthy diet rich in the foods you should eat the most - whole grains, fruits, vegetables - and those you should eat the least - fatty meats, baked goods, and processed snack foods. While having full fat dairy is more controversial since it is high in saturated fat, dairy overall is rich in calcium and other nutrients your body needs. Just stick to 1-2 appropriate portions per day if the dairy is full fat: 1/2 cup ice cream, 1 oz cheese, 1 cup yogurt. If you've been trying to get pregnant and are having trouble, paying attention to your diet and making healthier choices is certainly a step in the right direction.

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.