Go NUTS!

Do you go nuts for nuts?  Well you should!  These small, crunchy delicious treats pack a powerful nutritional punch.  But remember too much of a good thing can be bad!  Though nuts supply us with fiber, protein and healthy fats they are also packed with calories.  So in moderation, nuts are a great addition to a healthy diet.  Studies suggest that nuts may reduce your risk of heart disease and some cancers, as well as help you live longer.  A great addition for American Heart Month! 

As a dietitian-nutritionist people often ask me "what is the healthiest type of nut?"  To that I give an answer that can be applied to many similar "what is the healthiest (fill in the blank)?" type questions... variety and balance are key.  For example, almonds are highest in fiber which keeps you full while pistachios have the least amount of calories per ounce, plus the shells slow you down.   Walnuts are highest in ALA (a type of omega3 fatty acid found in plants) than other nuts, but Brazil nuts have the highest content of the antioxidant/mineral selenium.  So unless you are looking to naturally supplement a specific vitamin, mineral, or food component, your best bet is to have a variety of nuts in order to ensure a better balance of nutrition.

Here are 4 healthy ways to enjoy nuts:
1) When possible, choose raw unsalted nuts
2) Choose a variety of nuts for different nutrition properties
3) Limit your total intake of nuts to 1-2 oz per day depending on your calorie budget.
4) Be sure to enjoy not just the health benefits but the flavor and crunch too!

If you are interested to learn more about weight management stay tuned for more from Vida Nutrition.  We are soon going to launch an online series modeled after our signature program: 7 Easy Steps to Permanent Weight Loss! 

Looking for easy, delicious and nutritious dinner plans?  Check out our Weekly Dinner Plans.

Vida Nutrition was founded by Registered Dietitian and Licensed Nutritionist Dina Garcia.  She loves showing people how simple changes = BIG results!

Image courtesy of Grant Cochrane/freedigitalphotos.net




     

10 Tips To Limit Your Intake of Sugary Foods

As I mentioned in my Anti-New Year's Resolution post you may find better long-term success if you set small monthly resolutions instead of a DIFFICULT and hard to sustain New Year's Resolution.  One small resolution for January could be to limit your sugary drinks, snacks, and desserts to just 3 servings per week.

First, here are a few examples of what a portion or serving of "sugary" food could be:

• 12 oz can of soda or juice drink/mix
• 2x2 inch square of cake
• 1 cupcake
• 3x3 inch square brownie                           
• 1 medium cookie
• 3 oreo cookies
• 1/8 of a pie
• 3 tbsp syrup
• 1 oz of chocolate

10 Tips to Help You Limit Your Intake of Sugary Foods:

1. Use fruit puree on your pancakes and waffles instead of syrup.
2. Find alternatives to drinking soda.  Check out my post Eat Your Juice for delicious low sugar drinks! Be cautious of replacing soda with juice if you are trying to manage your weight.
3. When you do have your sugary treat make sure it is something you are really going to enjoy and take the time to eat it slowly and savor the flavor.
4. Eat a well balanced diet full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and some nuts.  A balanced diet will help ensure adequate vitamin and mineral intake and control hunger which can give you more willpower against temptation.
5. Find ways to reduce your stress.  Stress is a recipe for sweet cravings.  
6. Limit the sweets that you have in the house.  If you do have some in the house keep them tucked away.  Out of sight, out of mind.
7. Snack on fruit if you need a sweet treat.
8. Limit your use of artificial sweeteners.  They are sweeter than sugar and may create a need for sweet in your brain.
9. Practice good sleep habits.  Inadequate "good" sleep can lead to an increase in appetite and cravings.
10. Find ways to distract yourself if you have cravings for sugar.  Fill your life with people, activities, and events that make you happy.  You'll be too busy to have cravings. 

Blog Image courtesy of Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Break The Fast

Eat Breakfast Everyday!

Most of my posts to this blog are things that you may already know.  However, I understand that knowing and doing are two different things.  I also know that making today's fast paced lifestyle a healthy one can be a challenge.  That is why it is important to make small gradual changes.  When one healthy change becomes a habit, try to then create another healthy habit.

Many people tell me that they simply aren't hungry in the morning.  This is usually because 1) they have never been breakfast eaters, coupled with 2) the immense adapting capabilities of our bodies.  If you never give your body breakfast, your body will adapt it's hunger ques allowing you to bypass the need to eat in the morning.  So for non-breakfast eaters I generally ask them to start off slow, eating 100-150 calories for breakfast.  Then to work their way up to a calorie level to meet their needs.   Below is a chart giving a recommendation of how many calories you should eat at breakfast, given your total daily caloric needs.  The range is to account for whether or not you get calories from snacking in addition to your meals.  Also keep in mind this is only a guideline and doesn't account for individual needs or eating habits.

Daily Caloric Need	Recommended Calories for Breakfast
1200	300-400
1400	350-450
1600	400-550
1800	450-600
2000	500-650
2200	550-725

Eating breakfast , especial one that is sufficient in calories and healthy, has been shown to lower caloric intake later in the day and contributing to a lower overall caloric intake for the day.  Below are a few sample breakfasts and their calorie levels.  You can adjust the portion sizes and/or omit items to meet your specific calorie needs.

Breakfast Option 1- 400 calories

2 cups Cheerios (200 calories)

1 cups fat-free milk or soymilk (100 calories)

1 medium banana (100 calories)

Breakfast Option 2- 370 calories

Thomas'® 100% Whole Wheat Bagel (250 calories)

2 tbsp Light Cream Cheese (60 calories)

1 Cup of Berries (60 calories)

Breakfast Option 3- 410 calories

Egg sandwich:

1 whole egg + 1 egg white (100 calories)

2 slices of  whole wheat toast (160 calories)

1 Slice of cheese (100 calories)

1 Tbsp Light Margarine (50 calories)

Breakfast Option 4- 390 Calories

1-1/2 cups Special K® Protein Plus Cereal (240 calories)

1 cup fat-free milk or soymilk (100 calories)

2 tbsp walnuts (100 calories)

2 Tbsp Dried Cranberries (50 calories)

Breakfast Option 5- 325-370 calories

1 cup cooked plain oatmeal (150 calories)

2 tbsp walnuts or almonds (100 calories)

3 tbsp dried cranberries (75 calories)

1 tbsp brown sugar (45 calories)- optional

Splenda/Truvia and cinnamon- optional

Breakfast Option 6- 410 calories

Yogurt Parfait:

6 oz low-fat/fat-free Greek yogurt, any flavor (150 calories)

1 cup berries (60 calories)

2 tbsp of nuts (100 calories)

1 Nature Valley® Oats & Honey crunchy granola bar- crumbled (100 calories)

Breakfast Option 7- 320-420 calories

Orange-Berry Smoothie*:

1/2 cup vanilla soymilk (50 calories)

1/2 cup orange juice (60 calories)

6 oz low-fat/fat-free Greek yogurt (150 calories)

1 cup fresh or frozen fruit-unsweetened (60 calories)

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder- should equal 15 gm protein (100 calories)

1/2 cup ice cubes-optional

*blend all ingredients in a blender

Breakfast Option 8- 390 calories

Veggie Omelet with:

2 egg whites + 1 whole egg (130 calories)

1 cup veggies of choice sauteed in cooking spray (15 calories)

(I like mushrooms and spinach or tomatoes, onions, and peppers)

1/4 cup cheese (feta or mozzarella) (100 calories)

1 slice of whole wheat toast (80 calories)

1 tsp light butter & 1 tbsp jelly (65 calories)

Sorry this post was late!  I was busy planning projects for National Nutrition Month.

Happy National Nutrition Month to ALL!!!!

Is Food Meant to be That Color?

I bet when health experts say to eat a rainbow they aren't referring to skittles®.  While this blog is about making small changes, this change may be a bigger challenge than we expect:

Cut Out the Artificial Colors!!

Growing up my brothers and I would have to beg our mom to buy Fruit Loops® or Fruity Pebbles®.  Thank goodness my mother had common sense and rarely gave in, her argument being, in addition to the unnecessary sugar content, "all that fake color can't be good for you."  Even though she probably didn't know all the reasons these falsely colored cereals weren't good for us, none the less, she was right.  

There are people on both sides of the artificial color debate.  Some say that there isn't enough evidence that the current FDA approved artificial colors are harmful.  Others believe that the current body of evidence, pointing to various side effects such as contributing to ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and/or cancer, is enough to have the colors banned.  Many European countries have already banned most or all of the artificial colors we use here in the United States.  

I'm not here to debate the level of harm artificial colors can cause.  Although, I do believe that basic common sense, as it did my mother, should tell us not to eat them.  My advice being, to cut out foods with artificial colors.  My philosophy on healthy eating involves getting as close to the way nature intended.  I was appalled when I read that the reduced-sugar jelly I almost bought had red #5.  To me the obvious fake color made it look less appetizing.         

While many foods are obviously artificially colored, ie: most powdered drink mixes, juice drinks, and fruit flavored candy.  There are many more that require a closer look.  The only way to be sure if a food does or doesn't contain an artificial color is to read the ingredient label.  

The most widely used artificial colors in the United States includes:

• Blue #1 and Blue #2
• Green #3
• Red #3 and Red #40
• Yellow # 5 and Yellow #6 

To open your eyes to where artificial colors can be hidden, here is a list of common items that may likely contain artificial color.      

• Yogurt
• Ice Cream
• Pickles
• Jelly/Jam
• Baked goods
• Crackers
• Ketchup
• Sauce/dressing 
• Dips/spreads
• Juice Drinks
• Cereals (even ones that aren't obvious and rainbow colored)

Next time you're out shopping make sure you read the ingredient list, even on your least suspecting foods.  If you're eating at a restaurant your guess is as good as mine. 

Another Meaning to Going Green

Mom always said to "eat your greens"

For generations we have heard that we need to eat our green vegetables.  Most people who told you to eat your green vegetables growing up probably didn't even know why they are so important to eat.  We are continually learning more and more benefits of eating fruits and vegetables and that includes the many benefits of green vegetables.  Most people know that vegetables contain vitamins and minerals but what a lot of people don't know is that vegetables, including green vegetables, are chalked full of phytonutrients (plant nutrients).  Phytonutrients help plants fight off disease; mold, bacteria, fungus, bugs, etc.  

Vitamins and minerals are essential to keeping you alive.  Phytonutrients, however, are not essential to keeping you alive but what they do is very extraordinary.  They help your body function at its best and can help prevent many diseases including cancer.  Thousands of phytonutrients have been discovered but only hundreds have been studied in depth.  Research supports that phytonutrients work best when combined with other phytonutrients.  Some fruits and vegetables have a hundred or more phytonutrients.  What this means is that it is best to eat phytonutrients and not seek them from a pill, powder, liquid or other type of supplement.  Since most supplements don't contain hundreds of types of phytonutrients they aren't going to be as effective as eating the whole plant.  Plus, the processing that plants undergo as they are put into supplement form may make their phytonutrients less effective.  

If that hasn't convinced you to eat your greens, how about the fact that they are low in calories and high in fiber.  Making them a great way to fill up and not out.  In other words, they are a great food to help you lose weight and/or maintain a healthy weight.  

Here are some suggestions on ways to get in some dark green vegetables everyday:

1. Pack a vegetable in your lunch every day.  Even if you are having a carry-in or a catered lunch at work add your vegetable to whatever is being provided.  
2. Dark leafy greens piled high on a sandwich or in a wrap are a great way to get at least 1/2 a cup in.  Because leafy greens are so light and fluffy 1 cup of greens actually only counts as 1/2 cup toward your vegetable intake.  
3. Buy a bag of broccoli that is already cut up.  It doesn't get much easier than opening a bag and munching away.  You can also add the pre-cut broccoli to a stir-fry, steam it, or add it to your spaghetti sauce.
4. Use dark leafy greens, such as spinach, arugula, romaine, or field greens, instead of iceberg lettuce when you make a salad.
5. Dice up some green peppers and load them on your pizza or stuff your omelet with them.  You can also cut them into strips and crunch away!
6. If you don't like cutting vegetable try asparagus.  After washing it, hold a stalk with both hands about a quarter to a third of the way up from the bottom and bend it in half.  It will snap in 2, discard the fibrous bottom portion and steam the rest.  Kids love to help with this too. 

         
So I challenge you to eat 1 cup of green vegetables everyday.  While 1 cup of vegetables per day is well below the recommended amount for most people this should leave plenty of room for all the other colors of vegetables in your daily diet. 

Go The Distance

Although I am a Dietitian this blog is about more than just healthy eating, it's about helping create a healthy lifestyle.  Making a daily caloric balance is not only about calories in but calories out.  In other words, limiting what we eat isn't always enough, we also need to kick up the calories we burn.  So I am going to have you:

Go The Distance

Let me explain what I mean by this.  Find ways in your daily routine to walk a few extra steps.  You may even find it helpful to clip on a pedometer so see trends in your daily distance walked.  If you want a concrete goal, aim for 10,000 steps per day on your pedometer. Here are a few ideas to help you STEP IT UP, and go the distance:

1)  There is something that feels great about getting that front row parking space.  "I did it!  or "My lucky day"  might cross your mind.  But parking at the back of the parking lot so you have to walk farther to get to the door of your destination should provide you with a better sense of accomplishment.  You may find that you actually save time as well, because you won't waste it driving around looking for the "best" spot.  The best part though, you will rack up extra steps.

2)  Take 10 minutes out of your lunch break to take a walk outside.  Doing it before you eat may be your best bet.  After eating you may not feeling like doing too much moving as your circulation goes to your stomach for digestion.  If you have an hour lunch break spend 30 minutes walking and 30 minutes eating.

3) When the mid-afternoon lull hits you, instead of reaching for a caffeinated beverage, try a quick 5-10 minute walk outside.  Even though it may be difficult to get a away, even for 5 minutes, you may find that you are more productive when you get back and in the long run you won't miss those walking minutes one bit.

4)  On the weekends find outdoor activities that require you to walk around.  Visit fairs, expos, the zoo or even a cruise around the mall.

5)  Instead of sitting while you're on the phone pace back and forth or walk around the house, remember every step counts.


Though it doesn't seem like much, increasing your steps can really make a big impact.  Remember if you burn  an extra 50 calories per day that will equal 5 pounds in a year, 100 calories per day and we're talking 10 pounds.  You can easily see how adding these small steps can equal HUGE results.


  

Hydration is key

Got Water?

Most everyone knows that drinking water is healthy.  Now I'm going to ask you to actually do it.  Drink at least 3 liters (about 13 cups) of calorie free fluid per day if you are male and 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) if you are female.  While this is in line with the Institute of Medicine's recommendations for fluid intake, it is still controversial if we actually NEED that much fluid.  However, drinking that much can help ward off hunger.  Often times our body mistakes thirst for hunger, so being well hydrated is key to managing our calorie intake.   It is also good to aim high in case we fall short for the day.  Being dehydrated can cause headaches, lightheadedness and nausea.   Staying hydrated is also important by aiding our liver and kidneys to detoxify our bodies.  If drinking 2-3 liters per day of straight water is too boring for you try mixing in some of these other calorie-free beverages.

• Club Soda or Seltzer Water, squeeze in a lemon wedge for the perfect combination of bubble and tang.
• 1-2 cups of coffee/day 
• Iced or hot tea.  If you want less caffeine and more antioxidants go for green or white tea instead of black tea.
• If you must have something sweet you could opt for diet soda or a sugar-free lemonade, however I encourage limiting artificially sweetened beverages.

Shall I Say CHEERS!!!!