Fabulous, Filling FIBER!

So much emphasis is placed on what NOT to eat when we want to lose weight - no sweets, no pop, low-sugar, no-fat - that we can forget there are foods we absolutely should eat every day! Good, filling, nutritious foods that do good things for our waistlines outside and our digestive tract inside!

Those foods are the ones that are high in Fiber!

Fiber is the part of plant foods that that your body doesn't digest and absorb.

There are two basic types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Both are good, so you really don't have to "memorize" which is which; however, insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool and can help prevent constipation - a great reason to be sure your daily diet is fiber-rich! Vegetables, some fruits, wheat bran, barley, brown rice and other whole grains are good sources of insoluble fiber. 

Soluble fiber may help improve your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Whole oats, dried beans, and some fruits like apples and oranges, are good sources of soluble fiber. So yes, there is some truth to "an apple (unpeeled) a day keeps the doctor away!

By now you've probably noticed that these are carbohydrate foods! And you're right! These are the "good carbs" that you want to fill 3/4 of your plate with!

In fact, the only problem with fiber is that most of us don't get enough!  Man or woman, make 25 grams or more of all fiber your daily goal. Starting the day with a whole grain cereal will help. The Uncle Sam's brand has almost 10 grams of fiber per serving; that's about as high as you can get in boxed cereals. Then making sure you have vegetables, beans, seeds and whole grains during the rest of the day should help you meet your goal.  You really need to label-read to see if you are getting 25 grams of fiber in your usual day.

Fiber is the friend of anyone who is curbing calories to lose weight because most of the high-fiber foods are not only low in calories, but really help you feel full and satisfied so you don't get hungry so quickly and won't tend to want a "sugar fix".   That's because these high-fiber foods are digested slowly and don't cause a spike and fall in your blood sugar level.

And for those who need more fiber in order to fight a tendency towards constipation, most people can safely take over-the-counter store-brand fiber capsules as a supplement. In fact, fiber supplements can aid in our digestive issues like gas, bloating and diarrhea (that is not illness-based). The usual dosage is up to 6 capsules to start with a full glass of water when you get up in the morning. You can start with 3 and build up to six if you want. Sounds like a lot, but most people find they adapt to the schedule pretty quickly - and appreciate the benefits.

To read more about the benefits of  living the high-fiber life, click here.

Help! I'm Not Hungry; But I'm Eating!

Ever feel like saying that?

Mindless eating is different from boredom or emotional eating....when we snack because we are bored, upset, lonely, stressed or depressed, we usually know why we are moved to move toward the refrigerator. That kind of eating can be tackled with specific behavior techniques.

We know that food is our sustenance  - it keeps the wondrous machines that are our bodies going and functioning. And believe me, I believe in eating 3 meals a day and snacking twice a day...and I want that food to be healthy, nutritious and delicious. We want to eat just enough to satisfy us both physically and emotionally and to fulfill our nutritional needs.  Sounds so simple, doesn't it?

But we all are subject to triggers or cues to eat even when we are not hungry or even thinking about eating.


Time of Day : Our bodies become trained to expect food at certain times. So hormones are secreted that tell our brains we are hungry and ready to eat.

Sight:  Even if you have just eaten a full lunch, if  you walk into a meeting or store or even see a billboard or tv commercial that has food you like on display, your body may respond automatically in mouth-watering anticipation.

Smell: I'll admit it, when I drive past Burger King and smell the "char-broiling", I want a hamburger! And I don't even eat fast food hamburgers! Scent is one way we cue our bodies that food is near. Once triggered, it induces insulin secretion that makes us think we are hungry.

Temperature: The colder then temperature gets, the more people tend to eat - your metabolism drops when it's time to eat and eating warms you up. Heat is a signal of being satisfied. Now you know why restaurants keep their thermostats set so low!

Alcohol:   Just as too much alcohol can impair judgement about many things, it also alters our perception of appetite and can make it harder to push ourselves away form the table.

And finally, just the variety of food and flavors, can make us eat when we are not hungry.  One reason to steer clear of buffets when you are watching your calories --- especially breakfast bars! Notice how even after a large meal, we still want to and DO make room for dessert? Nutritionists say that's because our desire for sweets has not been satisfied during the meal, so try having some fruit during dinner to see if it will curb this natural sugar craving.

There you have it - six eating triggers that you may not have realized work against your efforts to eat right and light! Always remember, ask yourself "Am I hungry?" before taking that first bite!

Do Cars Make Us Fat?

According to a study published in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health, there is a lower rate of overweight and obesity in countries where most people walk, cycle or use public transportation to get around on a daily basis instead of driving their own cars. This makes sense, but it certainly doesn't mean that cars, themselves, make us fat.

Physical activity is the other side of the weight management balance scale. Weight - for most of us - is a matter of the simple calories in = calories out energy equation. We do use a certain number of calories every day just to maintain our metabolism, our breathing, our body's movement and  processes, and to fuel our brains. But if we take in more calories than we burn off, they get stored as fat.

It's sadly - alarmingly - true that just as we have increased the amount and kinds of fattening foods we eat on a regular basis since 1980, we have also decreased the amount and kinds of regular physical activity we used to get - both as children and adults.

We DO tend to drive places that we once would have walked to. Our children are no longer scheduled into daily physical education classes for the entire school year, every year. Many more jobs are non-active and sedentary than ever before. Modern conveniences like remote controls and cell phones even diminish the time we walk around our own homes.

And then there is screen time.

The average American child spends nearly five hours per day in front of  a tv screen, says the Kaiser Family Foundation, and that doesn't count time in front of a computer monitor. The average home has 4 television sets, and it's not just the kids who are watching them. On average, adults watch four hours of television and then spend another four hours a day with computers, video games, iPods and cell phones. We are "wired" to watch  - and our waistlines are suffering for it.

Alternatives to passive screen use like DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) and the Wi Fit game systems make time in front of a tv screen active, fun and calorie-burning, but of course, have an expense.  Good old-fashioned outside play, walking, running and biking, on the other hand, are virtually free.
Click on the Kidnetics link to read about more ways to limit screen time and promote physical activity in your family

So a simple prescription for weight loss is one of the first sentences I wrote in one of the very first blog posts: Eat less ~ Move more!

Why Does America Have an Obesity Epidemic?

If you are or have ever been concerned about your weight - in other words, if you are reading this blog - you have no doubt noticed the abundance of diet and nutrition books and programs on the market . It's an industry that accounts for $40 billion in sales annually. The newest spin-off of our weighty crisis is books that are being written and published to help explain how we got in this fix to begin with.

A recent New Yorker article selected facts from several of these books that may give you some (ahem) food for thought!

"Eric Finkelstein is a health economist at a research institute in North Carolina. In “The Fattening of America”, written with Laurie Zuckerman, he argues that Americans started to put on pounds in the eighties because it made financial sense for them to do so. Relative to other goods and services, food has got cheaper in the past few decades, and fattening foods, in particular, have become a bargain. Between 1983 and 2005, the real cost of fats and oils declined by sixteen per cent. During the same period, the real cost of soft drinks dropped by more than twenty per cent.
“For most people, an ice cold Coca-Cola used to be a treat reserved for special occasions,” Finkelstein observes. Today, soft drinks account for about seven per cent of all the calories ingested in the United States, making them “the number one food consumed in the American diet.” If, instead of sweetened beverages, the average American drank water, Finkelstein calculates, he or she would weigh fifteen pounds less."
 Ordering fast, cheap food at drive-throughs as an alternative to shopping and cooking at home is another example of an action that used to be considered a "special occasion" treat but has now become a daily habit for too many of us. 

In “The End of Overeating” David A. Kessler, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration,  explains why this has contributed to our ever-expanding waistlines.
Fat, sugar, and salt are key ingredients in fast foods that are high in calories and are studied by the food industry to "hook" us into wanting more. Ever wonder why the burger, fries, and soda form the basic "meal" at a fast food restaurant? Fat, salt, sugar. We are well-programmed now to want that when we go to a fast food restaurant.

Going back to the days when most families sat down at the table to a home-cooked meal rather than opening the bag and unwrapping the burgers could be one important step in helping halt the growth of our girth. Not easy - but worth it!

The Rule of 4

A simple way to plan a low-calorie meal for lunch and dinner is to follow the rule of "4":

Choose a 9" plate - that's what is sometimes called "luncheon size" - not the over-sized plates often sold as dinner plates these days.

Divide your plate into 4 sections.

In one of the four section, place a whole grain ( brown & wild rice, barley, couscous, whole wheat roll), in the next 1/4 section, place a low-fat protein ( grilled chicken breast, turkey cutlet, Veggie burger, 3-4 ounce lean steak, brown beans). Notice that these portions will be fairly small to fit within the 1/4 sections.

Finally, place low-sugar, high-fiber vegetables - broccoli, spinach, green beans,cabbage, cauliflower, squash, carrots,  in the last two sections.

There you have it! An easy "recipe" for a healthy way to plan your biggest meals of the day.

Are You A Skinny Sipper?

Fruit juices, nutrient-boosted waters, energy drinks, smoothies, protein shakes, Instant Breakfast, and liquid diet meals.....are they ever a good idea when you are trying to lose weight?

Well, sometimes yes, but mostly no. Like everything else in life, though, moderation is the key when getting your nutrients from beverages.

One of the pros for any beverage is that they are easy to measure - so you can pour a standard serving, read the label, and know exactly what you are getting.  And they are usually filling. One of the minuses, is that what you are getting may be high in calories and loaded with sugar and salt.

If you choose to drink juice, make sure you are getting 100% fruit juice - not a "juice drink" and by all means, please check the sugar content. With any bottled or canned beverage, compare the ingredients and the calorie content --- you can often save hundreds - literally -- of calories by eating a piece of fruit than drinking its counterpart in juice. An orange is also less expensive than an 16 - ounce bottle of orange juice.

There's something about chewing food that is much more satisfying than drinking a "meal."  Additionally, the fiber in whole, real food is beneficial to digestion and  helps us feel full - usually longer than a meal replacement drink.

To find out more about what kinds of liquids affect our diets in a positive or negative way, click here to view WebMD's slide show called "Best & Worst Drinks for Weight-Loss".

I just can't sign off without reminding you that pure, simple, cheap water is always a beneficial choice.

Water, Water, Everywhere...

Water is not only the most common substance on earth -- it's also the most common substance in the human body ...making up more than 60% of a person's weight.

The water in our bodies performs all kinds of tasks: transporting nutrients to the cells, keeping eyes, mouth, nose and other membranes moist, flushing toxins and waste out, maintaining temperature, lubricating joints and protecting organs. Yet many of us don't drink enough water daily from all sources to properly hydrate this wonderful system.

Add stress, exercise, or illness to your day, and it is possible to become dehydrated.  Dehydration can be uncomfortable - even causing light-headedness and muscle cramps - at worst, it can become life-threatening---that's just how important water is to our bodies.

How much water should you drink each day? Somewhere in the range of 8 - 10 eight-ounce glasses is just about right. Sounds like a lot -- and I know it is a lot more than some of us get --- but it is possible to get that - and to get it in some surprising ways.  Other liquids besides plain tap water can help you meet that quota - including fluids in watery foods like watermelon, celery and tomatoes. Tea, coffee, juice and even soda ( which I don't recommend!) help meet the 10 glasses a day goal.  But pure water, whether from a tap or bottle is the real thirst-quencher and liquid cleanser your body craves! 

When we are aiming to lose weight, water is a powerful ally!  Did you know that sometimes we think we are hungry - even craving salty foods - when in actuality we are thirsty! So when you start to get a snack, ask yourself: am I thirsty. Even drinking water before eating a snack - or a meal - can help you feel fuller and avoid over-eating.

Whether you like your water plain, or with a twist of lemon or lime: you can indulge in this calorie-free, life enhancing liquid anytime you want!