The Next Meal is Coming

We all have different patterns of hunger, but if you eat three healthy meals and plan 2-3 snacks to eat when your body needs the energy, you will always know another meal/snack is coming and not be so tempted to overeat “to hold you over”. Make sure to plan ahead for those crazy days and keep nutritious snack foods in small containers. A trigger for overeating is getting too hungry, but you can prevent that with pre-planning and a good grocery list. What can you add to this week’s grocery list for snacks?

What Did You Have For Lunch Today?

What did you have for breakfast today? How about lunch? Did you enjoy those meals and did they leave you feeling totally satisfied and full? If you ate mindfully, noticing the aroma, taste, texture and color of each food, you not only enjoyed your meal but you were totally satisfied and can remember each thing you ate. When we are distracted by a computer, TV, reading, cell phone or any activity that removes our attention from the process of eating, we don’t listen to our bodies hunger and fullness cues, making us at risk for overeating. The taste/enjoyment level is diminished unless you focus on the food and savor each bite. Did you focus on your lunch today?

Do You Love Your Food?

Did you ever eat food that you didn’t really love? Maybe you thought you’d like it, but it didn’t taste quite as yummy as you expected, but you ate it anyway. Consciously choose to eat only the foods you really love, when you are physically hungry and stopping before you reach total fullness. If you only love sweets, you obviously need to choose some healthy foods that you like (you can’t dislike them all) but don’t waste calories on foods you don’t really enjoy. My favorite food is my husband’s spicy chili. What is your favorite food?

Sugar Cravings

Sugar cravings can make even the strongest person appear to have no control. When you understand what causes this intense desire, you can more effectively take charge. For those that crave the sweet stuff, triggers from previous experiences release dopamine, the “feel good” neurotransmitter, causing this longing that it very difficult to overcome with sheer willpower. Triggers can be places, emotions, people, bodily sensations such as pain, just to name a few. What do you think is the first step in handling a trigger?

Afternoon Energy Slump

It strikes about the same time every day… 2-4 pm. Your energy is wearing down and you are craving something sweet to eat to keep your head from dropping on your desk. Research shows this is the time that we have a mini-dip in core body temperature, similar to the bigger one we experience at night. To combat this, eat protein and fiber for lunch, take an energy break (stretches, quick walk, flight of stairs) and plan a complex carb and protein snack- whole wheat crackers and peanut butter, string cheese and fruit.

Preserving Muscle with Protein

Eating protein and fiber with each meal is a recommendation that I make for everyone that provides a feeling of fullness. A study done at the University of Illinois published in The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, suggests that eating protein may preserve muscle loss in dieting postmenopausal women. It helps keep the amount of fat in relation to muscle in better proportion. The study also indicated that the increased muscle improved balance and performance. What are your favorite sources of protein?

Hot Dogs & Diabetes Risk

We love our hot dogs on the grill in the summer, but if you missed the news report, the Harvard School of Public Health scientists published their research results. Eating a 2-oz. serving a day of processed meat increases the risk of diabetes by 50% and eating a 4-oz serving a day of red meat (beef, pork or lamb) increases the risk by 20%. The good news- substitute nuts, whole grains and low-fat dairy and decrease the risk by 16-35%. The sodium, nitrites and nitrates in the processed meats increase the risk factor. Marinated chicken on the grill is sounding good!

Serve from the Kitchen & Eat Less

Keep the food on the counter or stove in the kitchen and fill your plate from there. Bringing the food into the dining room will likely mean a 19% increase in the amount of food that you will consume. According to Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating, having food at least 6 feet away gives us a chance to stop and ask if we are really hungry enough to go back for more. Better to be mindful…

Is Your Salad Healthy?

A salad loaded with veggies is a great way to get in all your vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. But when you add high-calorie, high-fat bacon bits, cheese, croutons and dressings, salad loses some of its value. Try adding beans, extra veggies, hard-boiled eggs, grilled or broiled chicken breast or tuna, and homemade dressing. If you don’t like olive oil and balsamic vinegar, try this Maple Vinaigrette: 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup and dash of sea salt and pepper.

Changing Your Bad Eating Habits

Identifying your challenge areas in eating will benefit you in changing those habits. Do you stuff yourself at meals? Do you eat quickly at your desk? Do you dine out often, choosing high-fat, high-calorie meals? Do you snack frequently, even though you’re not really hungry? You may fit into one or more of these areas. Keep track by writing down what you eat, who you are with and what you were feeling at the time… for just 3 days. What will you find?

Avoid the All-or-Nothing Trap in Eating

Many people attempt a new healthy eating plan, only to become discouraged and abandon it when they aren’t “perfect”. Adopting a healthy eating plan is a gradual, lifelong process, so to avoid the all or nothing trap, try the 80-20 technique. Plan to eat healthy, whole foods 80% of the time with 20% leeway for vacations, holidays and socials gatherings. If you can fit in more than 80%, superb! If you are going to a 4th of July BBQ, don’t stress, enjoy!

Adding Foods for Weight Loss

If weight loss is a goal, instead of focusing on the foods that you need to cut out of your diet, start adding all of the tasty fruits and veggies that are abundant this time of year. Add new grains like quinoa, amaranth, barley, bulgur and spelt. Experiment with recipes and cooking classes that feature healthy, whole foods. Expanding rather than limiting your choices is the key to successful weight management. What new or healthy, interesting food have you tried?

Losing Body Fat

Losing body fat is a gradual process. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, using a linoleic-acid rich oil, such as safflower oil daily (1 teaspoon) decreased fat composition of women by 6.3%. Here is a yummy citrus salad dressing using safflower oil: 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice, 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, 3 tbsp safflower oil. Whisk together; season with salt and pepper. Makes about 1/3 cup. From Jennifer Chandler, author of Simply Salads.

Too Much TV Makes You Fat

If your plan to unwind tonight includes lounging in front of the TV, you may want to limit the time. According to the Nurses’ Health Study, for every 2 hours spent watching TV, the risk of obesity goes up 23%! The positive spin is that you can lower that risk: for every 2 hours spent standing or walking in the home, it decreases the risk of obesity by 9%. Pick out your favorite show, enjoy it- before or after walking the dog or gardening or doing the laundry (yuk), or… what keeps you active?

Summertime Vacation Overeating

Summertime and vacation getaways bring relaxation and fun but they also can mean over indulgences in food and drink. Living a healthy lifestyle does not mean being on a diet, but maintaining wellness for your mind and body. Food is fuel for your body but also for enjoyment. Rather than ordering a meal like fried fish with french fries and rich dessert every night on vacation, pick just a few of your favorite indulgences. Eat healthy, nourishing foods most of the time and have fun!

Sleepy and Hungry

We’ve been hearing about sleep deprivation and weight gain. According to Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD and her colleagues at the New York Obesity Research Center, when you’re sleepy and hungry, you don’t make wise food choices and tend to overeat. Woman are especially susceptible, eating more calories than men and more likely to choose fatty foods. If you had a sleepless night, start your next day with a breakfast of protein, whole grains and fruit , prepare pre-measured healthy snacks and plan a healthy lunch and dinner. What healthy snacks do you pack?

Does Your Diet Work?

If you’ve been trying to diet to lose those extra pounds, no doubt you’ve experienced those feelings of deprivation. When you diet, you attempt to suppress thoughts of food, but food soon becomes your dominant thought. Feeling deprived increases cravings, making your “diet” more difficult to follow. The internal struggle makes you more vulnerable to negative emotional states, such as anxiety, depression and boredom. To be successful at losing weight, you do not have to go hungry or deprive yourself.