Do these foods seem alike to you?
Baked potato
Snickers bar
Pineapple juice
Skittles
Sliced peaches
English muffin
Fig Newton
Popcorn
Green beans
Chocolate iced donut
Honey
Fried rice
Cornbread
Cheerios
Spinach
Lentils
As different as they all seem to be from each other; they all belong to the carbohydrate food group. It's the group that accounts for the largest percentage of food most of us eat. It's the group that confuses many of us as we try to create a nutrient-rich, low-calorie, but flavorful eating plan that we can enjoy as we lose weight.
This week we'll take a look at the foods whose main job is to provide our bodies - especially our brains and nervous systems with energy.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Could I Have Diabetes?
In very simple terms, diabetes is a set of health conditions that come about because the body has become unable to process glucose (sugars) properly. In a normal, healthy person, the sugars from food sources are broken down and utilized for energy or stored for future use with the aid of the hormone insulin. A person who has type 1 diabetes is unable to produce insulin. A person with type 2 diabetes is still able to produce insulin, but his or her cells are unable to respond to it. In both cases too much glucose ( sugar) can build up in the blood and other tissues, and - if untreated - can damage organs and blood vessels.
Like high blood pressure, you can develop type 2 diabetes and not be aware of it. The sooner you know if you have diabetes, the sooner you can take steps to control it and prevent complications, so it's important that everyone know what to watch out for.
Yesterday, we talked about the fact that being overweight or obese dramatically increases your risk of diabetes. It is such an important factor, that just reducing your weight by 7 - 10%, if you are overweight, can enable you to avoid developing diabetes.
It's also important how - or rather - where you store your fat. If you tend to have a big waist and abdomen, rather than big hips and thighs, your risk of developing diabetes is higher. Lose the ab fat and watch your risk go down. In women, a waist circumference greater than 35", and in men, greater than 40", increases your health risks.
Other signs and symptoms that may indicate insulin resistance or diabetes include:
The food group most closely associated with diabetes is carbohydrates. Carbs are either loved or loathed by people who want to reach a healthy weight, and it's a complicated food group to decipher. And that's what next week's posts will be about --- all about the world of carbohydrates!
Like high blood pressure, you can develop type 2 diabetes and not be aware of it. The sooner you know if you have diabetes, the sooner you can take steps to control it and prevent complications, so it's important that everyone know what to watch out for.
Yesterday, we talked about the fact that being overweight or obese dramatically increases your risk of diabetes. It is such an important factor, that just reducing your weight by 7 - 10%, if you are overweight, can enable you to avoid developing diabetes.
It's also important how - or rather - where you store your fat. If you tend to have a big waist and abdomen, rather than big hips and thighs, your risk of developing diabetes is higher. Lose the ab fat and watch your risk go down. In women, a waist circumference greater than 35", and in men, greater than 40", increases your health risks.
Other signs and symptoms that may indicate insulin resistance or diabetes include:
- Frequent trips to the bathroom to urinate
- Unquenchable thirst
- Unexplained, unusual fatigue or weakness
- Tingling or numbness of fingers, hands or feet
- Blurred vision
- Dry, itchy skin
- Bruising or cuts that are slow to go away
The food group most closely associated with diabetes is carbohydrates. Carbs are either loved or loathed by people who want to reach a healthy weight, and it's a complicated food group to decipher. And that's what next week's posts will be about --- all about the world of carbohydrates!
Dodging the Diabetes Bullet
Preventing life-altering chronic illness like type 2 diabetes is one of the best reasons to strive to reach and maintain a healthy weight.
This information comes from Bob Green's Best Life website; it was written by Janis Jibrin, M.S., R.D., Best Life lead nutritionist
Seven percent of the population has diabetes--that's 21.6 million people! The number jumps to 9.6 percent for people age 20 years old and up, and it strikes a whopping 21 percent of Americans age 60 and above. As we get older, more of us will succumb to the disease. Fortunately, most cases of diabetes can be prevented by good diet and exercise habits. That means that right now is the perfect time to adopt the healthy habits, such as the ones below, that can reduce your diabetes risk.
Get moving. Exercise (both cardio and strength training) makes your muscles' cells more sensitive to insulin, the hormone that removes sugar from the blood. Plus, it helps you lose weight and maintain your weight loss. To lose weight, work up to 60 minutes of cardio six days a week. To reap the benefits from strength training, do at least 12 reps of at least six different exercises two or three times a week.
Switch to whole grains. Whole wheat, corn and wheat bran have been strongly linked to diabetes prevention. But oats and barley also appear to reduce diabetes risk. The less refined the grain, the better (think steel cut oats versus rolled oats) because it takes your body a lot longer to convert coarsely ground grain into blood sugar than it does for refined grains.
Reach/maintain a healthy body mass index. Body mass index, or BMI, is a measurement of height to weight. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy; 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight; and 30 and above is obese. To find out your BMI, use the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute's BMI calculator:
Body Mass Index calculator
Tomorrow:
Could I Have Diabetes?
This information comes from Bob Green's Best Life website; it was written by Janis Jibrin, M.S., R.D., Best Life lead nutritionist
Seven percent of the population has diabetes--that's 21.6 million people! The number jumps to 9.6 percent for people age 20 years old and up, and it strikes a whopping 21 percent of Americans age 60 and above. As we get older, more of us will succumb to the disease. Fortunately, most cases of diabetes can be prevented by good diet and exercise habits. That means that right now is the perfect time to adopt the healthy habits, such as the ones below, that can reduce your diabetes risk.
Get moving. Exercise (both cardio and strength training) makes your muscles' cells more sensitive to insulin, the hormone that removes sugar from the blood. Plus, it helps you lose weight and maintain your weight loss. To lose weight, work up to 60 minutes of cardio six days a week. To reap the benefits from strength training, do at least 12 reps of at least six different exercises two or three times a week.
Switch to whole grains. Whole wheat, corn and wheat bran have been strongly linked to diabetes prevention. But oats and barley also appear to reduce diabetes risk. The less refined the grain, the better (think steel cut oats versus rolled oats) because it takes your body a lot longer to convert coarsely ground grain into blood sugar than it does for refined grains.
Reach/maintain a healthy body mass index. Body mass index, or BMI, is a measurement of height to weight. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy; 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight; and 30 and above is obese. To find out your BMI, use the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute's BMI calculator:
Body Mass Index calculator
Tomorrow:
Could I Have Diabetes?
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Super-size the Healthy Way
Summertime and the gardens are full of green, yellow, and red fruits and vegetables!
And there are no better food groups to super-size for nutritional value and filling up on a low calorie eating plan.
That's the idea behind a way of eating called Volumetrics.
Basically, Volumetrics is designed around the idea that people like to eat. Literally. We like the ritual of eating. We like to chew. We like for the process to last a while until we feel satisfied. We don't like the idea of our 400 -calorie meal being about 1 cup of rice and that's it. We don't want to feel deprived.
So nutritionist Barbara Rolls, PhD, designed an eating plan that allows you to eat more, fill up, but not gain a lot of weight. What's the secret?
The hook of Volumetrics is its focus on satiety, the feeling of fullness. Rolls says that people feel full because of the amount of food they eat -- not because of the number of calories or the grams of fat, protein, or carbs. So the trick is to fill up on foods that aren't full of calories.(webmd)
In other words you can pile your plate high with foods that have a high water and fiber content like fruits and vegetables and eat a lot for very few calories, as opposed to the small amount of fattening food you would have on your plate for the same number of calories.
Rolls suggests visualizing it this way:
for the same number of calories, you could have a big bowl of vegetable soup, or 1/6 of a cheeseburger. Which would you be able to spend more time eating? The soup....so, the soup would actually be a more satisfying meal.
So to feel satisfied and lose weight, go ahead and pump up the volume and super-size your servings of fruits and vegetables this summer!
You can learn more about Volumetrics here.
And there are no better food groups to super-size for nutritional value and filling up on a low calorie eating plan.
That's the idea behind a way of eating called Volumetrics.
Basically, Volumetrics is designed around the idea that people like to eat. Literally. We like the ritual of eating. We like to chew. We like for the process to last a while until we feel satisfied. We don't like the idea of our 400 -calorie meal being about 1 cup of rice and that's it. We don't want to feel deprived.
So nutritionist Barbara Rolls, PhD, designed an eating plan that allows you to eat more, fill up, but not gain a lot of weight. What's the secret?
The hook of Volumetrics is its focus on satiety, the feeling of fullness. Rolls says that people feel full because of the amount of food they eat -- not because of the number of calories or the grams of fat, protein, or carbs. So the trick is to fill up on foods that aren't full of calories.(webmd)
In other words you can pile your plate high with foods that have a high water and fiber content like fruits and vegetables and eat a lot for very few calories, as opposed to the small amount of fattening food you would have on your plate for the same number of calories.
Rolls suggests visualizing it this way:
for the same number of calories, you could have a big bowl of vegetable soup, or 1/6 of a cheeseburger. Which would you be able to spend more time eating? The soup....so, the soup would actually be a more satisfying meal.
So to feel satisfied and lose weight, go ahead and pump up the volume and super-size your servings of fruits and vegetables this summer!
You can learn more about Volumetrics here.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Top Ten Lists
I am a huge fan of any article that lists the TEN BEST or the TEN WORST of anything. I figure it simplifies my life to know these things.
webmd.com, one of my favorite wellness websites, has listed the TEN WORST foods for your weight and health that are probably lurking in your refrigerator right now!
To find our what they are and how to make healthier subsitutions, click here to see the worst foods in your fridge.
Anything surprise you? Probably not, if you have been following our blog. But since it is summer time and the season of salads, please take extra care not to over serve yourself when it comes to salad dressing. Too much ranch dressing and you may end up with the same numberr of calories in your innocent salad as you might have had in a Big Mac.
webmd.com, one of my favorite wellness websites, has listed the TEN WORST foods for your weight and health that are probably lurking in your refrigerator right now!
To find our what they are and how to make healthier subsitutions, click here to see the worst foods in your fridge.
Anything surprise you? Probably not, if you have been following our blog. But since it is summer time and the season of salads, please take extra care not to over serve yourself when it comes to salad dressing. Too much ranch dressing and you may end up with the same numberr of calories in your innocent salad as you might have had in a Big Mac.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Just Do It!
When you see those words "Just Do It", what instantly comes to mind? I am willing to bet you were seeing the Nike "swoosh" before you got to the word "it"! Why? Our brains are wonderful computers for making associations.
If you think about it a little more, you'll admit you are probably *programmed* to associate many sights, sounds and smells - as well as words - with FOOD and eating!
Try reading these words:
Movies
Carnival
Thanksgiving
Birthday
Did you instantly visualize:
Popcorn
Corn Dog ( or funnel cake - depending where you live!)
Turkey with all the trimmings
Cake
This instant association of people, places and things to fattening foods can lead to overeating and destruction of a healthy eating plan.
But luckily, we can use the same power of association to program ourselves to do something else instead of eating. Especially at holiday time.
Here is the newest thing to put in your weight loss "tool box":
Let's say you have had breakfast, a snack, lunch, and a healthy snack like triscuits and string cheese. It's 3 p.m. and a colleague's retirement party is starting - complete with iced cake, nuts, mints, chips and punch. You really aren't hungry and you aren't even really craving sugar, but ...it's there. What do you do? When you are at the party, near the buffet, just visualize
If you think about it a little more, you'll admit you are probably *programmed* to associate many sights, sounds and smells - as well as words - with FOOD and eating!
Try reading these words:
Movies
Carnival
Thanksgiving
Birthday
Did you instantly visualize:
Popcorn
Corn Dog ( or funnel cake - depending where you live!)
Turkey with all the trimmings
Cake
This instant association of people, places and things to fattening foods can lead to overeating and destruction of a healthy eating plan.
But luckily, we can use the same power of association to program ourselves to do something else instead of eating. Especially at holiday time.
Here is the newest thing to put in your weight loss "tool box":
There's no mistaking what it stands for, is there?
STOP.
Here's how to use this mind - tool. We mentioned self-talk before and what a powerful technique it is just to start thinking of yourself as a healthy-eater. The things you say to yourself are important!
"I don't eat junk food."
"I used to drink real soda, but I don't anymore."
"I only eat small portions."
"I only eat when I am hungry."
Simple thoughts, but if you say them to yourself enough, you begin believing them and seeing yourself as someone who has a completely new, different way of relating to food, and eating. Each time self-talk prevents you form over-eating, you gain new confidence -- and food isn't as powerful over you as it used to be.
Use the stop sign as an extra image to visualize when you are in a situation that tempts you to steer off course.
Let's say you have had breakfast, a snack, lunch, and a healthy snack like triscuits and string cheese. It's 3 p.m. and a colleague's retirement party is starting - complete with iced cake, nuts, mints, chips and punch. You really aren't hungry and you aren't even really craving sugar, but ...it's there. What do you do? When you are at the party, near the buffet, just visualize
.
You can use it anyway you want -- you might say to yourself, stop - do I really want this enough to blow my eating plan for today? The stop sign gives you time to re-group and make a decision. Even if the decision is that you will have a small piece of cake and then hit the gym for an hour!
So when it comes to using visualization techniques...just ...
Friday, July 16, 2010
Taming the Hunger Beast
Re-vamping your way of eating in order to eat more healthy foods and to lose weight can leave you feeling hungry for a while until your apostate, metabolism and digestive system adapt. For the first time in a long time, you are probably down-sizing your portions, choosing lighter, less calorie-laden, less greasy, fatty foods and you may be eating less often. If your body is used to being stuffed all the time on 2500 calories or more, you may feel hungry if you suddenly cut that too 1500 calories per day.
Try these strategies to control your appetite.
Eat regularly. A consistent eating schedule can help tame your appetite. Break that 1500 calories up into 6 eating sessions every day. You will be surprised how quickly your stomach and your brain will adapt to the idea that there will be "just enough" food coming in about every 3 hours. Make sure most of your meals and snacks include high-fiber foods such as berries, dark green veggies and whole grains (an easy snack is a little single-portion box of shredded wheat -- with or without milk).
Stay hydrated. Drinking at least six cups of water each day can help keep you satisfied with less food. Remember - sometimes we reach for snacks when we are really thirsty! Add lemon or even cucumber slices to quench your thirst. Craving a sweet drink? The sugar-free "straws" of Crystal Light are a good option.
Use the 10-minute rule. When hunger strikes between meals and snacks, set a timer for 10 minutes, do something distracting, and then reassess whether you're still hungry. This also gives you time to figure out how to have a healthy snack if you decide yep, you are really are hungry.
Check your emotions. Ask yourself if you're hungry or just bored ....or tired....or lonely. In other words, what really needs to be fed and nourished?
The good news is that in time your body - and mind - will adapt to your new way of eating.
Try these strategies to control your appetite.
Eat regularly. A consistent eating schedule can help tame your appetite. Break that 1500 calories up into 6 eating sessions every day. You will be surprised how quickly your stomach and your brain will adapt to the idea that there will be "just enough" food coming in about every 3 hours. Make sure most of your meals and snacks include high-fiber foods such as berries, dark green veggies and whole grains (an easy snack is a little single-portion box of shredded wheat -- with or without milk).
Stay hydrated. Drinking at least six cups of water each day can help keep you satisfied with less food. Remember - sometimes we reach for snacks when we are really thirsty! Add lemon or even cucumber slices to quench your thirst. Craving a sweet drink? The sugar-free "straws" of Crystal Light are a good option.
Use the 10-minute rule. When hunger strikes between meals and snacks, set a timer for 10 minutes, do something distracting, and then reassess whether you're still hungry. This also gives you time to figure out how to have a healthy snack if you decide yep, you are really are hungry.
Check your emotions. Ask yourself if you're hungry or just bored ....or tired....or lonely. In other words, what really needs to be fed and nourished?
The good news is that in time your body - and mind - will adapt to your new way of eating.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
