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Tag Archives: nutrition
Are You Ready for the Super Bowel?
No, the title of this story does not contain a typo.
Let’s face it — estimates show that a basic Super Bowl extravaganza could contribute a whopping 3,000 calories, the majority of which is derived from fatty, fried foods. But before you scroll to another article, let me say that this is not one of those “don’t eat this” and “eat lots of that” stories. I’m thinking way beyond that point — I’m here to tell you what you need to do to help those wings and things get out of your body once you’ve swallowed them!
To prevent that potentially uncomfortable, bloated feeling, here are a few tips that are sure to move you … even if your team doesn’t score any goals! Continue reading
Does End of World Mean End of Diet?
So if tomorrow was the end of the world what would you eat today? Would you make a big salad with lots of veggies and fruit so that you could go on to your next life with a healthy frame of mind? Or perhaps instead, you’re the type that will order a big bowl of Fettuccine Alfredo tonight and definitely not ask for sauce on the side.
Whatever you decide, you don’t have to wait for an apocalypse to enjoy your favorite dish. If you choose wisely most of the time, you can also enjoy wearing your favorite size. Balance on your plate, and in your life, should be on your menu everyday.
So what would I have if I knew tomorrow was dooms day? I’d go for the most expensive bottle of red wine I could find, enjoy every bite of butter melted over a steamy bowl of pasta, have a cappuccino made with whole milk and a sprinkle of cocoa, finished off with a warm dark chocolate molten lava cake!
Meanwhile, I’m baking cookies that I’ll call, “Oh Mayan Cookies” made with the Cacao Nibs shown above — very appropriate.
Don’t Let Halloween Get Scary at the Scale
Halloween brings back fun family memories and I was thrilled to be interviewed for this story below. Don’t let this holiday derail your diet!
‘Oops, I ate the Halloween candy!’ Holding back when it comes to candy and kids.
BY: KAREN SPRINGEN
OCTOBER 15, 2012
When you trick or treat for Halloween, do you sneak some of the kids’ candy for yourself? Maybe you dip into the supply of Reese’s Pieces you bought to “give away.” Or maybe you sample some of the sweets your kids collect. You don’t mean to do it. Honest. But every year you find yourself saying, “Oops, I did it again. I ate the Halloween candy!”
You could avoid temptation by not giving out any treats. But do you want to be the Halloween Grinch? Nah. So to find out how you (and I) can be part of the holiday without getting a Peppermint Patty belly, I talked with registered dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix, author of Read It Before You Eat It: How to Decode Food Labels and Make the Healthiest Choice Every Time. Excerpts:
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Tagged candy, diet, Halloween, kids, nutrition, trick or treat, weight
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Breaking Your Fast Without Breaking Your Diet
According to Jewish tradition, everything a person does is written in the Book of Life. No deed goes unrecorded, whether good or evil. During the Ten Days of Penitence, beginning with Rosh Hashanah this Sunday and leading up to the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, we reflect on days past, as well as ponder the future.
These High Holy Days are a time for deep thought, self-examination, and contemplation. What better occasion to look back on the past year and ask yourself: Did I take care of my body?Am I making the healthiest food choices for myself and my family?Am I setting a good example when it comes to my eating habits?
For some people the sound of the shofar—a ram’s horn whose blast signals the end of Yom Kippur—is like the sound of a gunshot before a race: There’s a mad dash from temple to table after evening services. Following the Yom Kippur fast, there seems to be a feeling of “entitlement” to eat one meal that’s the size of three! Would you ever think of going into a restaurant and ordering some cantaloupe, a dish of pickled herring in cream sauce, one bagel with cream cheese and lox, another bagel with whitefish salad, and then topping it off with a piece of babka and a few cups of coffee? I’ve never seen this ordered by one person in one sitting when dining out, but I have certainly seen this array of food consumed countless times by friends and relatives (who shall remain nameless) at my table.
So, you ask, how can you make this diet-challenged event guilt free? Continue reading
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Tagged diet, holidays, nutrition, Rosh Hashanah, tradition, weight loss, Yom Kippur
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Back to School — and Back to the Table
I’ve read and written many back-to-school stories: on the importance of not skipping breakfast, the skill of packing a lunch that won’t get thrown away, and the need for incorporating high-energy snacks between meals.
But this story is about eating together as a family, at the table. It doesn’t matter if the “table” is at home or at a restaurant; nor does it matter if the meal is breakfast, lunch, or dinner. What matters is having that family meal. When you share a meal, you’re more likely to share a conversation, share a feeling, or share a memory. Studies have shown that families who eat together generally have healthier diets—richer in fruits and veggies but lighter on fried foods and fat—than families who don’t. Regular family meals have also been associated with higher grades and lower rates of substance abuse and depression in children.
So how can your table become a magnet for family members? These tips may entice them: Continue reading
Beans: The Undervalued Superfood
We’ve all heard the expression “shop the perimeter of the store.” But if you skip the middle, you’re missing out on a wealth of wholesome, delicious food choices. Your supermarket shelves are filled with hidden treasures that you shouldn’t pass up. Like beans, one of the most neglected and under-valued items.
Beans provide myriad health benefits, and they fit into several different food groups: Although they are rich in complex carbs like breads and starches, as a plant-based food, they feel right at home in the vegetable group, offering an array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, like their veggie companions. They can also hold their own in the protein group, supplying protein aplenty. Unlike some other members of this group, beans provide little to no fat and are cholesterol-free. In fact, beans actually lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels instead of potentially causing them to increase, as some animal proteins have been shown to do.
Though they’ve been around for centuries, beans are a modern-day superfood. Why? Let’s count the ways. Continue reading
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Tagged beans, complex carbohydrates, dietitian, healthy, nutrition, superfood, undervalued
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Hungry…or Just Bored?
Can you recognize the difference between a physical craving and an emotional longing for food? Sometimes it’s hard to tell them apart. A stressful day may bring on the urge for a gooey bedtime snack, but if that desire had struck two hours after a filling dinner, it’s more likely that eating would be an attempt to satisfy your mind, not your stomach.
Let’s look at the discrepancy between being hungry and having the hunger for food. A physical craving is based upon actual hunger, created by the body’s real need for food. You may feel your stomach rumble, or you may have a headache and feel weak or find it difficult to concentrate. Once you eat, you should feel “full” and stop eating.
An emotional craving, on the other hand, is often triggered by needs other than true hunger, like stress, boredom, or loneliness. These types of cravings can also be created by environmental cues such as a tempting television commercial, the scent of a food, or the sight of your favorite dish (even if you’re not hungry). Emotionally driven cravings are rarely satisfied, no matter how much you eat, because it’s not food that you need to “fulfill” you. Food, at that point, will only make you feel full and filled.
When you eat for the wrong reason, it often leads to binge eating, weight gain, and guilty feelings… not good side dishes to a meal. But these strategies can help you decide whether to respond when you could swear that food is calling out your name: Continue reading
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Tagged bored, calories, cravings, cues, diet, emotions, environment, nutrition, self-talk, snack, stress, television, thirst
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Eight glasses a day?
https://www.facebook.com/nestlepurelife
I’ll bet that when you saw this title, you knew I was referring to drinking water. Most people assume that they need 8 glasses of water a day, but that recommendation should not be based upon a one-size-fits-all prescription. In many cases, this amount is underestimated.
Water is essential for everyone. Every system in your body depends on water, the vehicle that carries nutrients to your cells and carries toxins away. There is no other nutrient that is so essential to health and yet contains absolutely no calories, protein, fat, carbs, sodium, sugar, additives, or preservatives. Although you know I’m always complaining about the misuse and overuse of the word, “natural” on food labels, water is truly a natural food.
So how much water do you really need? This answer depends on your age, where you live, your state of health, your activity level, and how you live your life. Your body needs to replenish the water it loses from perspiration, breath, urine and bowel movements. The elderly may need more water due to a decreased ability to detect thirst with age. In fact, I have found that some older adults purposely try not to drink water because they don’t want to urinate as frequently. It is also particularly important to pay attention to your fluid needs if you live in a warm climate or if you’re exercising, you have to replace fluids regularly to prevent dehydration (see symptoms of dehydration in my previous blog.)
The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is approximately 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day. Although any beverage hydrates, no beverage excels at this job as water. You’ll find that sugary beverages rarely quench thirst as well as water and sweet drinks come in concert with unwanted calories and without nutritional value. In fact, studies have shown that if you swap one sugared beverage a day for a year for water, you can save hundreds of calories. By doing this simple exchange, not only will you not gain weight, but you can gain greater a sense of well-being.
Why not take the Nestle Pure Life Hydration movement and pledge to make a simple switch and swap? Go to www.facebook.com/nestlepurelife and see what a difference drinking water will make in your life.
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When What You Wear Makes You Aware
Buds are blooming, sweaters are stashed, and calories are cut. It must be Spring!
This is the time of year when many of us realize that the pecan pie at Thanksgiving, pastries at Christmas and Chanukah, and Valentine’s Day chocolates are still appearing somewhere on our bodies. If even the thought of a pair of shorts or a bathing suit puts you in a cold sweat… this story is for you.
I am here to guide you to a diet that will help you shed pounds without feeling deprived. You won’t need to buy fancy products, your food won’t resemble cardboard, and you won’t feel like you need to lock yourself away until the calendar turns to June. This unique plan is called, “The CS Diet” and here are the rules: Continue reading
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Tagged clothing, common sense, diet, fashion, nutrition, obesity, spring, weight loss
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Celebrate RD Day – Take a Dietitian’s Advice Today
Hair in a bun, white uniform, and less than fashionable shoes? If you think this is what a dietitian looks like…you’d better look again.
I have been a registered dietitian for over three decades and if there’s ever a profession that owns the expression, “You’ve come a long way, baby,” it belongs to the dietitians.
I applaud the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) for developing a spokesperson program to represent the voice and face of their organization. Whether wearing the hat of the interviewer or interviewee, as a past Academy spokesperson myself, it is still thrilling to know that I can pick up just about any popular magazine and be assured that I will see many of my colleagues quoted throughout the stories within. When you’re listening to a news story or reading an article, be sure to look for the letters “RD” after the name of the expert reporting, to be sure you’re getting credible info based upon a blend of science and common sense.
It’s no a coincidence that every March, during National Nutrition Month, that the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics celebrates registered dietitians across the nation. This year’s campaign to “Get Your Plate in Shape” is a great time to take a closer look at what’s on your plate and think about how just a few changes in choices could help you to look and feel your best. You too can celebrate RD Day, March 14, 2012 by eating up some good advice and putting your best food forward!
And if you’d like to find an RD near you, please visit The Academy’s website at eatright.org or go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpfRZXpLk5Y to view the names and faces of over 1600 RD’s from across the country and across the globe.
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Tagged Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, diet, dietitian, health, MyPlate, nutrition, RD
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