December 15, 2008
Popping corn for the Christmas tree? Plain popcorn is a healthy snack. Popcorn is a whole grain, is rich in fiber and has a low glycemic index (less likely to spick blood sugar and cause hunger and weight gain). When air popped, three cups of popcorn has only 93 calories! Can’t take it plain? Sprinkle it lightly with Butter Buds, or Salt Sense, or even cinnamon mixed with a sugar substitute!
December 1, 2008
Seconds, anyone? When serving meals at home, keep serving dishes away from the dining table so diners have to get up for a second serving.
November 15, 2008
Engage children in meal planning, grocery shopping and meal preparation. This helps them learn healthy eating and gives them “ownership” to what is being served. Children are more likely to eat foods they have helped prepare.
November 1, 2008
To avoid gaining weight at work, bring meals from home. You can “up” the level of brown bagging it by having an attractive lunch tote (say, Vera Bradley!) and putting a “surprise” in your lunch (like a piece of dark chocolate). Not organized enough to pack an entire meal? Try packing half a turkey sandwich or yogurt, and then buy soup or a salad.
October 15, 2008
Never use food as a reward or punishment. Children who were rewarded with or denied desserts, for example, are more likely to seek those same foods as comfort when they become adults.
October 1, 2008
Check out the size…One reason people struggle with cutting calories is that restaurant portion sizes keep growing. The National Institute of Health reports today’s 6 inch bagel has 350 calories---210 MORE than a 3 inch bagel 20 years ago. A good way to cut restaurant portion calories is to ask for a take home box when you order your food. When your food comes, put half of it in the box right away. Benefit, a more normal portion size and a second meal you don’t have to cook!
May 1, 2008
Going out to eat for Mother’s Day? A good way to cut restaurant portion calories is to ask for a take home box when you order your food. When your food comes, put half of it in the box right away. A double benefit—you eat a more normal portion size and then have a second meal that you don’t have to cook!
April 15, 2008
Study after study shows that when people are given more food, they eat it, regardless of hunger. It is often our eyes and the plate that tell us to stop eating, not our stomachs. Fast food solution? Order a Happy Meal at McDonald’s instead of a regular meal. Who needs all those extra fries? You’ll save your waist and get a bonus prize as well!
April 1, 2008
Make it your standard practice to only bring food items home from the store that say “reduced calorie,” “light,” etc. Compare these “lighter” products to the original food and notice the differences. You may only be saving a small amount in calories, fat, etc. but at least it is “one step.” Caution: Just because the label says it is “light” or “reduced calorie,” it doesn’t mean that you should consume more!
March 15, 2008
Make breakfast easy…cook oatmeal overnight in a slow cooker. Hard-cook eggs in advance then grab one as you go out the door. Wash fresh fruit when you get home from the grocery so it is clean and ready to take in a hurry.
March 1, 2008
Hate breakfast? Think outside the box with some healthy foods you do like. Cold pizza, a lean hamburger patty, cottage cheese or a salad are all acceptable substitutions for regular breakfast foods.
February 15, 2008
Never skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast will find you hungry later in the day and into the evening. It is a self-perpetuating cycle---overeating at night can interfere with being hungry for breakfast. The National Weight Registry, which keeps data on people who have lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off, reports that the vast majority of these people make breakfast a habit.
February 1, 2008
Out of reach and out of your mouth? A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that when candy was within an arm’s reach, people ate almost nine chocolates a day. If the candy was two yards away, the number of chocolates consumed was an average of three. Solution...get rid of the candy dish on your desk.
January 15, 2008
Soups are a great comfort food in the cold of winter. However, the type of soup can be a factor for healthy eating. Choose soups with a broth base and ones loaded with vegetables. Make a big pot and have enough for a couple of meals so you have more time to play outside!
January 1, 2008
Diets should not deny you the foods you love. They should, however, reduce the portion size of the foods you love. Diets that include only limited kinds of foods or restrict you from eating all types of foods are destined to fail.
December 15, 2007
No more clean plates! You will be healthier and feel better after a meal if you stop eating when you are full, even if it means leaving one or two bites on your plate. Begin a mindset mantra, "When I am done eating, I’m done!"
December 1, 2007
Mixed foods and flavors can actually increase consumption. Think about this the next time you eat something like Chex Mix. Do you keep eating until you get one more pretzel? Then, after you eat the pretzel, do you check the bag to find one more peanut? The same holds true for kettle corn. After a few salty bits aren’t you looking for the sweet pieces, and then going back for the salty ones?
November 15, 2007
Starting a meal with a low calorie, broth-based soup may help you cut calories, according to a study done at Pennsylvania State University. In a recent study, participants who started their meals with soup consumed 20 percent fewer calories. Starting a meal with soup can be a good way to feel satisfied, and to take the "hunger edge" off before the main part of the meal is served, resulting in less consumption. Soups should be broth-based, however, not cream-based!
November 1, 2007
Why do we overeat? Brian Wansink, Director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University says one reason is overload. People eat as much as 40 percent more when they are given a variety of foods from which to choose. Think of how much you overeat at a buffet or at Thanksgiving dinner where there is so much to choose from! The solution: Keep meals and meal choices simple, consisting of one or two healthful dishes.
October 17, 2007
Package snack foods items in small snack bags. Try to make each bag 100 calories or less. Then, when you are hungry, grab one of those bags and know that when you eat the whole bag, you haven’t done harm to your waistline.
October 1, 2007
In order to lose a pound a week, we need to reduce our calories by 500 calories per day. We can either do that through increased exercise, reduced consumption, or a combination of both. Is it simple? YES! Today, at breakfast, if you use lite syrup on your pancakes instead of regular, you’ve reduced calories by 110. At lunch, use mustard on that sandwich instead of mayo and save another 100 calories. At dinner, choose a boneless, skinless chicken breast over a fried one from KFC, and save another 220 calories. Take a nice, leisurely walk for 30 minutes after dinner and you’ve burned 74 calories. Result: Making these simple “one step” changes reduced 500 calories in your body today. EASY! |
