Variety-A Cornerstone Worth Polishing

Variety is one of the important cornerstones of nutrition. Without variety, we miss out on so many essential nutrients. I recently made an observation that I bet you can relate to, if you eat a typical American diet. We have the ability to put together the following three foods in various forms, but in essence eat the same thing over and over again. Take wheat, cheese, and tomatoes and you get: pizza, spaghetti with marinara sauce, cheese quesadilla with salsa, grilled cheese with tomato soup, grilled cheese with tomato, cheese tortellini with tomato sauce, bagel with cream cheese and tomato…the list goes on and on. We have mastered these three food items!

Unfortunately, our health relies on a bevy of nutrients found in more than these three foods. We expect a lot from our bodies, but unless we get the fundamental nutrients necessary to perform, we are not going to see good results or feel our best. Change the way you eat by choosing more variety each and every day. Try new foods and incorporate lots of colors in your recipes and meals and you’ll be getting more of the nutrients your body needs.

Do you find that you eat the same foods day in and day out?

Safe Trick or Treating for Special Diets

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to collect a pillow case full of candy and then not be able to eat it? There are thousands of children across America that want the fun of trick or treating, but due to special dietary restrictions can’t enjoy their loot.

It may be allergies (nut, dairy or soy for instance), gluten intolerance, vegan, or kosher restrictions that keep the candy off limits. When my son was very small he was allergic to nuts so we sorted through all of the candy he brought home and placed this bag of “nutty” candy on the porch for the candy witch. Usually this was 90% of what he had collected. The candy witch came in the middle of the night and exchanged the “nutty” candy for some other non food related goodie (toy, slippers, etc).

This year there is another option for young kids with special diet concerns www.notricktreats.com. Jon Zornow created a website where you can list the kind of candy you will be giving out so trick or treaters know which houses have the kind of goodies they want. You can list: vegan, organic, raw, fruits/veg, nut free, kosher, sugar free, gluten free, or non food. This is a new site, so spread the word and make Halloween more enjoyable for everyone.

Hershey is Offering to Pay You to Visit Your Dietitian

It’s an unheard of offer.  Hershey is collaborating with the American Dietetic Association to help Americans eat healthier. By downloading their coupon at www.themoderationnation.com you can visit with your dietitian for free. They are reimbursing the cost for up to $250 for one consultation. What could be better? Money is no longer a valid excuse. If you’ve been debating about making an appointment, now’s your chance. This offer won’t last forever so jump at the chance to discuss your diet with an expert! If you are near Louisville, give me a call at Nutrition Works (502) 339-9202.

Calories Posted

The new law is requiring chain restaurants to post the calories of their items on the menu boards at their restaurant outlets. You may have started seeing this new information popping up even before the mandatory date has arrived. This information can be used to your health advantage. You will now be able to really know what is in the food you’ve been ordering for years. Brace yourself, it may knock your socks off! Portion sizes are often so large that the calories are much higher than expected, even for the healthiest choices.

Please don’t be fooled into thinking you can get more value for your dollar by ordering food with more calories. Some studies are already showing this to be happening. We already have an overweight epidemic in this country. Use the calorie information to help you make wiser choices so you can manage your weight more appropriately.

Multivitamins Offer Dieters Edge

For many people who don’t eat all of their fruits and vegetables and skimp on whole grains and other important foods, taking a multivitamin supplement is invaluable. It certainly helps to fill in the gaps of an unhealthy diet.

Another twist to taking multivitamins has just come out. In addition to the nutrient benefits, now there is a new study from China showing evidence that people who take multivitamins have an easier time losing weight than people who don’t take them (Read the full article in the July/August 2010 edition of Eating Well magazine).

Why? They’re not certain,  but it is posible that our bodies know when we are not eating well and not getting the necessary nutrients to function properly. When this is recognized by our bodies it stimulates the appetite so you can eat what you need. If in turn you are getting what you need, then your appetite is lowered. A multivitamin may trigger the appetite control center to be down regulated so you are not as hungry. This translates into fewer calories consumed and weight loss.

Just one more good reason to eat right and supplement with absorbable products.

Cheating

Is it really cheating when you have a piece of chocolate or indulge in some premium ice cream? Some people would call it that, I call it being normal. No one can be perfect in their eating behaviors all of the time. And wouldn’t that be boring anyway?

We all have our favorite foods that call out to us every once in a while–even dietitians slide off of the straight and narrow path sometimes. Check out this RD bloggers research on the subject…

35 Dietitians and A Guy Gone Wild!

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/eat-right-around-chicago/2010/05/dietitians-gone-wild.html

Splurging is ok as along as you stick to healthy food 85% of the time. What foods drive you to splurge?

Easter, Another Candy Holiday

It’s April and we just finished the last candy holiday, Valentine’s Day, six weeks ago. Be smart this year and don’t get sucked into the vortex of candyland. Candy is a treat and should be handled as such.

Easter comes once a year and is a festive occasion so it’s ok to splurge a little. But think about what type of candy is really special to you and choose wisely. Afterall, most candy is really just sugar, fat and often artificial coloring.

Dark chocolate may be your best option since it contains antioxidants called flavonoids. At least there will be some kind of redeeming quality to your treat. Choose dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content to reap the benefit.

Stick to small portions of any candy and balance out the extra calorie intake with added exercise and smaller portions of other foods.

Enjoy your Easter!

Making Passover Healthy

Typically, we expect to fill up on matza and matza products like matza meal, matza farfel, matza brie, matza balls, etc and in the end most people get stopped up. Then we try to counteract the craziness with prunes.

This year, try something different. Eat mostly fresh fruits and vegetables and keep the matza intake down to a minimum. Instead of matza smeared with butter and jam for breakfast, have a smoothie made with frozen fruit, fresh banana, vanilla yogurt, and and skim milk. Load your chicken soup with chicken, carrots, celery and even other vegetables (not just matza balls). Have a baked potato loaded with veggies and some lowfat cheese instead of matza pizza.

Simple changes will keep your plumbing working smoothly. You might even realize you really can get all of your vegetable servings in a day! Happy Passover!

Changes Worth Making Take Time

Do you feel stuck? Maybe you’ve tried over the years to change your habits, but nothing seems to work and you’re right back where you started? You may have a laundry list of dietary changes that you would like to make eventually, but if you can focus on just one for the time being, your success rate will rise dramatically. Changes have to be made in a realistic fashion. We want to see quick results, but the truth is, we created our bad habits over a longer period of time. In order to be fair to yourself, you should allow enough time to make healthy lifestyle changes slowly so they become second nature. Cut yourself some slack when you slip up. As long as you get back on the right path, there’s no harm done.

Make a list of the changes you’d ultimately like to make. Then choose one that you feel is a top priority. Create a goal that is specific, realistic and measurable. If, for example, you would like to increase your current 3 cups of water per day intake to 8 cups per day, you might set your goal to look like this: I will drink 5 cups of water on 5 days this week. Five cups is easier to consume than 8 cups so it is much more realistic than trying to go from 3 cups to 8 cups all at once. Also, the goal allows 2 days off–no pressure, just in case you don’t meet the 5 cups per day. By having real numbers to work with, you can keep track of your progress. By the end of the week you really know whether you’ve met your goal or not.

Each week modify your goal slightly so you can build on your successes. One change at a time really does work! A dietitian can help you assess your nutritional status and help you with your dietary goals.

Here’s more great information from other dietitians–  your nutrition experts!

Beyond Prenatals (Debra) – Vitamin D in Pregnancy and Beyond
Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RD – Can Dietitians Have Real I.M.P.A.C.T?
Carrie Miller – What Nebraska Dietitians Are Saying
National Dairy Council- Nutrient-rich foods build a healthy diet
Janel Ovrut MS RD LDN – My Top Tips for Registered Dietitian Day!
Heather Pierce, MS, RD, CDE – Enjoy Food
Elizabeth Rahavi, RD – The Art of Nutrition Messaging
Shelley A. Rael, MS RD LD – Food Is LIFE, Nutrition is HEALTHY Life
Kerry Robinson, RD – A Food Safety Message with IMPACT
Marianne Smith-Edge, MS, RD – RDs are the Premiere Food and Health Communicators
Kris Sollid, RD – Unintended Consequences of Simple Messaging
Angie Tillman, RD, CDE, LDN- Take Time to Care for Yourself

March-National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month and the theme this year is ” Nutrition From the Ground Up”. Our best sources of nutrition come from the ground so now is a good time to evaluate your diet from this perspective. How much of your food is animal based and how much is plant based? Do you eat the 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables that’s recommended?

Take on the challenge of recording what you eat this week. Tally your foods by food groups to see how you fare. You can check your diet intake against your personal food guide pyramid at www.mypyramid.gov. If you are not getting enough plant based foods, then you’re missing out on valuable nutrients–fiber, minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals…

It’s almost spring, a great time to turn over a new leaf and start something new.