The Hot For the Holidays Challenge on Instagram (brought to you by fitgirlfuel and vmfitness) starts today and each day features a post to share an inspirational photo with the #fitfam to prepare for the holidays and help stay on track! Some photos include your goals, meals, selfies, and other inspirations and fun things.
Join me in the action by following me on Instagram @dietitianjess Happy December and Happy Holidays! Super interesting study done on how the color of the plate can effect how much you eat... turns out eating off red plates (vs blue or white) caused most consumers to eat less. Read the article below for details! Thoughts?? What color plates do you have??
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/29/health/seeing-red/index.html?hpt=he_c2 1. Keep portion sizes in check- a serving size of meat is the size of a deck of cards- that’s 1-2 slices of turkey- not five.
2. Eat mindfully- focus on the food you are eating and think about the nutrition and ingredients, changing how you think about food, changes how you eat your food. Eat slow and savor each bite, you will fill up faster that way! 3. Eat well balanced meals throughout the day to avoid overeating later- don’t skip lunch or breakfast, it will cause you to overeat later and eventually induce a food coma. Have your normal well balanced breakfast and lunch. 4. Be more active than usual to combat extra calories- think about getting an extra workout in that week. Thursday might be a difficult time to work out with helping prepare the meal or entertaining guests, so plan ahead. Or make up for it the next day shopping, walking around the mall all day. 5. Enjoy dessert in moderation- everyone likes pumpkin pie, but you don’t need a massive piece pilled with whipped cream to enjoy it. Take a small piece and consider making your own whipped cream at home (PS it’s really easy). 6. Go easy on the booze- as with any day, it’s only recommended to have 1-2 drinks, so don’t overdo it filling up on alcohol instead of delicious, nutritious food! 7. Find healthy alternatives to holiday favorites to share- that green bean casserole can be made healthier but ditching the canned cream of mushroom soup and making your own sauce. Serve mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes free of toppings (butter, salt, cheese, sour cream, brown sugar, marshmellows, etc). Try making your stuffing with whole grain bread. Consider a crustless pumpkin pie, we already talked about the whipped cream (see #5). Apple crumble instead of apple pie include more fruit and less fat and carbs. Or go bold and try healthy dishes completely different from your usual family recipes! 8. Don’t look at other peoples plates-this will only tempt you or allow you to justify eating more of something or in the reverse effect, make you feel guilty for eating more pie than the person next to you. This is a holiday and it’s nice to spend time with friends and family and enjoy a home cooked meal but it doesn’t need to be an excuse to overeat or stray from your diet. Happy Thanksgiving Friends!! Have a healthy, safe, and very happy holiday! The Food and Drug Administration has tentatively determined that partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), which are the primary dietary source of industrially produced trans fatty acids, or trans fat, are not generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for any use in food based on current scientific evidence. The Academy plans to comment in support of FDA's effort, which is consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to reduce artificial trans fats from the food supply. (statement taken from eatright.org)
Being a Registered Dietitian, I am in 100% support of the FDA, as well as my colleagues in the Academy. There are a few ingredients that I always avoid and two of them include trans fats and partially hydrogenated oils. Some popular foods that will be affected include: cookies, crackers, refrigerated dough and pie crusts, microwave popcorn, margarine, frozen pizza, and coffee creamers. These unhealthy fats increase the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease, and raise LDL (bad cholesterol). Basically a partially hydrogenated oil is taking a liquid fat and making it solid (therefore changing its chemical composition) to improve shelf life. Also this is the type of fat that adds crispiness and crunch to crackers and cookies. What do you think of this FDA mandate?? Do you agree?? What ingredients or foods do you try to avoid??? http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/chocolate-lowers-body-fat-new-research/nutrition-food-chocolate/
Inspiring article on a new study that shows a higher consumption of chocolate led to a lower level of total fat.... I guess I must credit chocolate... Thank you Chocolate for lowering my level of total fat and always being there! Haha! As interesting (and awesome) as this new research is, I must still remind everyone of the key word MODERATION! Having excess of any food can lead to weight gain, some don't forget everything in moderation :) Happy Hump Day! Just a funny reminder that too often we are taking diet advice from someone who we should not be…
Yes, it is okay to take diet recommendations from a doctor who has studied the human body in depth. Be careful when taking diet advice from a personal trainer or fitness instructor who often have little to no nutrition education. These exercise specialists are sometimes just telling you what they do that works for them or rattling off a diet plan they use for everyone. The best thing about consulting with a dietitian is that we are the highest level of experts in food and nutrition and have to go through a very extensive educational process to become Registered Dietitians. These are not easy credentials to earn! I frequently see on Instagram people giving diet advice who have NO training or education in the field. Seek education on diets before you follow them!! It’s your health and life you put at risk when you are not educating yourself on where the information is coming from, chose reliable sources! Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now…. Happy Friday!! I love to see our country making some changes to help combat obesity and improve overall health! Check out this article on working out during a layover at an airport! Whether you want to start a vacation off right or you're stuck at the airport during a layover, some airports are now providing fitness areas which I think is awesome!
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101160255 Some Halloween treats and tricks to create a more balanced and healthy Halloween experience:
1. Have your child eat a well-balanced dinner before going out trick or treating. This should help decrease snacking during the night. 2. Inspect all candy before your child eats anything. I used to think my parents were paranoid when they did but let’s be honest, more messed up things have happened in this world and better safe than sorry, better paranoid then dead. Throw away anything homemade (who knows if they followed all the proper food safety rules) or anything with a broken seal. 3. Healthier options to pass out besides candy: pretzels, popcorn, whole grain cereal, granola bars, fruit juice based fruit snacks, raisin boxes, juice boxes, toys, floss (just kidding). 4. Healthy Halloween party treats: Popcorn balls, carrot sticks, trail mix, sweet potato/pumpkin based baked goods, homemade candies, apples with nut butter and raisins, fig cookies, Halloween shaped whole grain pasta, oranges/clementines, bananas, black beans, are just some ideas. 5. One really fun and easy way to make anything Halloweenish is making a jack o lantern face out of anything… could be veggies on a pizza, bread, meat, etc. 6. Walk to trick or treat, don’t drive. Challenge yourself with hilly routes! If you’re passing out candy don’t sit at the end of your driveway, make those kids walk to your front door and earn that treat! *Make sure sidewalks are well lit for safety! 7. Moderate candy consumption post Halloween, one piece a day is a good amount. Combine the piece of candy with a healthy snack such as a piece of fruit and have your child eat the healthy snack first! 8. Get rid of extra Halloween candy by serving it in a snack bowl at Thanksgiving. You really don’t want to hold onto it any later than that. Plus one month of candy should suffice for any child (or adult). 9. If you hit the jackpot and ended up with a surplus of Halloween candy, remember you don’t need to eat it all yourself, parents can bring to work to share, or kids can bring to school or afterschool activities. Remember the real trick of Trick or Treat is tricking your kids to eat LESS candy! Avoiding the stomach ache and cavity aftermath of Halloween by following my rules is your treat! The Pomegranate is a wonderful fall staple! As one of the fruits highest in antioxidants, it often gets passed by in the grocery store because it is much harder to cut and serve than other fruits. There is a trick I used that is pictured below. Basically I cut it in half (just start the cut with your knife and then pull apart with your hands to save more seeds). Next I submerge the two halves in water for about an hour. Then I break the halves into pieces releasing the seeds into the water. I have found this is the best way to do this without breaking the seeds open and splashing red juice all over myself. This nutrient dense fruit can be used in many ways including juice, a topping to salads, addition to smoothies, creating a sauce, desserts, and can even be incorporated into main dishes. If you have any special ways of eating or opening a pomegranate, please share :)
Below is a link to some awesome recipes using the Pom! http://pomegranates.org/index.php?c=13 |