2 Thoughts March 30, 2009

Today I have 2 things on my mind. The first is a word of encouragement. As you embark on a new week, set one small nutrition goal for yourself that is farely easy to accomplish this week. My goal for the week is to make sure I include a vegetable in my lunch every day. When I do this, it is pretty much guaranteed that I will get in my minimum 5 pieces of produce a day. Without my lunch time veggies, I quickly fall behind. Although veggies are not the most fun thing to eat at lunch (especially when you see your neighbor chowing down on chips), I always feel so much better in the afternoon after eating them. This is the motivation that drives me to want to reach my goal this week. I’m battling a cold so I want to feel my best. So what’s your goal for this week? Every small decision for better health is a great decision!

My other thought is about a book I just started reading called The Omnivore’s Delemma  by Michael Pollan. I am usually a very slow reader but I am moving farely quickly through this very interesting read. So far it is about where our (Americans) food supply comes from: commodity corn. It is a lot of information that you won’t hear about in the mainstream media. I have already told my husband that this book might change some things about the way we eat. I’m sure I will have more discussions on this blog with what I learn. Check out this book if you are interested in nutrition topics. Don’t forget that I also have a blog topic on nutrition books that I recommend.

Sacrifice and Suffering March 26, 2009

Recently, a client and I were discussing her progress in healthy lifestyle changes. She made a statement that I thought was truly profound. She stated, “I am making sacrifices to be healthy, but I am not suffering.” This sums up what healthy living is about: choices. It is always going to be challenging to make healthy decisions but it shouldn’t feel like you are suffering.

Think about your day of eating. What sacrifices will you make to be healthy? Is it passing up the french fries to get a fruit cup at a fast food restaurant? Is it bringing a healthy snack to work instead of raiding the candy dish at 3pm? We all have choices we need to make to be a healthy person but we shouldn’t feel like we can’t live a normal life.

Roasted Veggies March 23, 2009

Roasting changes strange or sharp-tasting vegetables in something magical. Yes, magical. Take cauliflower for instance. It takes pretty bad raw. It is a cruciferous vegetable, which means it is tremendous for your health but contains sulfur in its chemical structure. This sulfur has a bitter taste which actually “sticks” to your tastes buds. This is is why you taste broccoli and cauliflower in your mouth long after you ate it. By roasting veggies, you caramelize them which brings out their sweeter flavors. It really enables you to actually enjoy some vegetables that you never really liked. Here is a pretty standard recipe for roasting. Hard veggies tend to roast better. I always include onions and garlic because they taste so good.

1. Preheat over to 450 degrees.
2. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil and then spray with cooking spray.
3. Spread chopped veggies (I like to use any combination of cauliflower, potatoes, onions, garlic, egg plant, broccoli, carrots, squash) and spray with cooking spray. I prefer olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle veggies with kosher salt and fresh, cracked pepper. Other seasonings like Montreal chicken, crazy salt, Herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning also work well. Toss the veggies using tongs or your hands.
4. Bake on middle rack for 15-25 minutes, until edges or browned and the veggies are tender. Toss veggies once in the middle of baking.

Gatekeepers March 19, 2009

I recently heard the term “Nutritional Gatekeepers.” This is the person in a family who does the food buying and preparing and holds the nutritional fate of the whole family in their hands. I think this is a tremendous term that really grabs the significance of this person’s role. Typically this person has been the wife/mother but I definately see this role being taken on by fathers, grandparents and even children.  Most of the time, the Gatekeeper’s pesonal food beliefs are projected on to other family members. For instance, if a Gatekeeper does not like cooked broccoli, the rest of the family will likely not eat it at home. A Gatekeeper may not be comfortable preparing a certain food, like fish, and therefore the rest of the family will not eat it. Even further, a Gatekeeper may not like to cook at all and therefore the family eats out often or very simple “from a box” meals.

In the grand scheme of life, nutritional Gatekeepers may not seem like a big deal. However, as we look to make significant changes, as a whole culture, in the way we approach food, the Gatekeeper role must be recognized and taken seriously. Think about your family and who holds this roll. How do you think they/you are doing with the nutrition responsibilities for the family? Being a good Gatekeeper starts with good education. If you are not knowledgable about healthy eating, work with a Dietitian. We don’t just help people lose weight. We’ll grocery shop with you, help you meal plan and teach you cookng techniques. If you feel alone as the Gatekeeper, talk with your significant other about sharing the responsibility or having more support. I really like to see couples sharing the role of Gatekeeper because I think it brings some balance to a family. It’s not necessary but it engages more people in the healthy eating process. For instance, mom might cook but dad grocery shops. Or dad grills and mom makes veggies. To take this even farther, involve your kids in the food gathering and preparation process. Remember that one day they will be their own Gatekeeper and you are training them.  

So please take the Nutritional Gatekeeper role seriously. Hopefully this blog can continue to give you fresh perspective on how to be a great Gatekeeper.  Have a healthy day!

Smoothie #2 March 17, 2009

I have been pretty committed to my original smoothie recipe for the past year or so. I recently saw a new recipe that I had to try. I tweaked it a little and really loved it. It is really different than the berry recipe. I love that you get a vegetable in breakfast.

1/2 cup store bought carrot juice (I used Bolthouse Farms)

1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt

1 banana, frozen (cut in chunks before freezing)

1/2″ piece of fresh ginger, peeled (use the amount to your taste)

1-2 tbsp ground flax seed

Mix together and enjoy. This will wake you up in the morning!

Theme Parks Part 2 March 9, 2009

My experiment was a success! I was at Universal from 9:15 am – 5:15pm. I started my heart rate monitor and pedometer when I stepped out of the car in the parking lot and turned it off when we returned to the car. I had a total  of 13,464 steps while at the park. (After walking around Mall of Millenia for dinner I ended up with 15,313 steps.) My heart rate monitor registered 906 calories, max heart rate of 132 bpm and average heart rate of 80 bpm. I learned that riding a roller coaster can increase my heart rate by 30 bpm.

I think my eating was also a success. I took pictures of everything I ate.

   Breakfast at the hotel: 2 boxes of Raisin Bran, 1 cup skim milk, small banana

 

 

 

    Morning  Snack: Reduced Fat Cheese, tangerine

 

Lunch at one of the park restaurants: Rotisserie chicken salad with walnuts and cranberries, citrus vinaigrette dressing on the side, 1/2 cup black beans, 1/2 cup yellow rice

Afternoon Treat: “Sundae on a Stick”  ice cream bar

Dinner was at Chic fil-a on the way home: Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich

Evening Snack: Annie’s Chocolate Graham Bunnies

Nutrition Facts for the day

Calories: 2147

Fat: 80 grams

Fiber: 37 grams

Protein: 83 grams

Reflections: So all in all, I think this is a pretty good day. I was honestly trying to stay under 2000 calories and just missed it. It really is easy to over eat. But it’s also getting easier to eat healthy at theme parks. Bringing snacks along is a huge help! I chose my ice cream treat in the afternoon after having several hours to think about what I truly wanted to splurge. Unfortunately, the ice cream bar was not that good. Such a bummer!! Mickey Mouse bars are way better. I wish I hadn’t wasted the calories on what I chose. Oh well. You live and learn.  Below are some other pictures from my experiment.

My snack bag filled with granola bars, tangerines, and Annie’s Bunny snacks

My husband’s lunch: Rotisserie Chicken wrap and roasted potatoes. Also very yummy.

I was encouraged to see a food stand that advertised having fruit. My family told me (who went to Disney the day before without me) that fruit was available all over the park. This is so awesome!

Fiber: 37 grams

Theme Parks March 6, 2009

Recently, I have had several clients inquire about how to “be healthy” at the Orlando theme parks.  They have seemed almost scared by all the yummy indulgences they will encounter. When you are being told it’s ok to be a kid again, passing up humongous turkey legs or giant sundaes is not easy. (I must say that the Mickey Mouse bar gets me every time.) Plus, you tell yourself, “I’ve doing so much walking.”

So guess where I am headed this weekend… Universal Studios. (Fortunately this means no Mickey bar to tempt me.) Tomorrow I will be strapped up with my heart rate monitor and pedometer to determine just how “active” you are during a day at the theme parks. I am also on the lookout for healthy alternatives to greasy food and sweet treats. I already have my healthy snacks packed to take with me so I am not completely at the mercy of the park.

Check back in next week to see what I learned.  Happy weekend!

Practice Healthy Choices March 2, 2009

Right now I am teaching a 12 week nutrition and lifestyle class. I am really enjoying the opportunity to walk alongside people as they make significant changes for better health. Recently, our weekly topic was on staying motivated.

One of the participants mentioned to me that she had lost about 6 pounds but was discouraged because she felt like there was more she should be doing to lose weight. After probing her a little longer, we both discovered that she was eating healthy and enjoying her food, had increased energy, exercising regularly, cutting back on some junk foods yet appropriately indulging from time to time, and had just had a successful vacation with no weight gain.  So my response to her was “What more could you be doing that wouldn’t feel like a crazy, drastic change?” All the changes she had made were totally doable. It’s not that they were easy changes, but they were doable.

When many people try to lose weight, they do something drastic which usually produces drastic weight loss. However, when they are bored, tired of, or ”off” that drastic change, the weight usually comes right back.  Most people I work with admit that they are looking for lifestyle changes and not a diet plan.  Changing  your lifestyle takes a lot of effort and a lot of time; you are working against years of habits that are not easy to break.  So I encourage you to be patient with yourself and practice living healthy each day. Yes, it is a practice. Some days you will do “awesome” and other days your old habits or temptations will creep back in your life and deter you from your goals. This is pretty normal though. Recognize the bad decision, remind yourself what you are working towards and get right back into healthy choices. I always say that one healthy choice, even amidst many other unhealthy choices, is still a choice for better health. Every decision is important.

M.I.A March 1, 2009

On Friday I took the board certification exam to become a sports dietitian. I have been studying for about 2 months. This is why my posting in February was next to nothing. Sorry about that! I’m now back in action. I have 8 weeks time to kill before I find out if I passed. What’s been on my mind, due to studying for this exam, is complicated metabolic processes, carbohydrate/protein needs of athletes, identifying eating disorders, the appropriate carbohydrate concentration of various sports products and so on and so on. As I sort through all this information I will post something that is application and helpful to you, the general public.