As I said in my last posting, many people do not realize that the key to a healthy lifestyle is found at home, and that the most common diet and health sabotages are found in their very own kitchen. Last time we looked at how to detox the refrigerator to improve overall health and meet one’s health goals. This week we are going to get the problematic foods out of the pantry. Here are some guidelines to get started:
Grains (Bread/Crackers/Pasta/Rice/Tortilla)
It is recommended that a majority of the grains you consume should be whole. You can tell a grain is whole by looking at the ingredients list. The first word in the ingredients list should say “WHOLE”. If you see the words enriched, bleached, unbleached or wheat flour, it is most likely a white floured product that has been dyed brown to look whole wheat. Be careful of the food label claims such as, Whole Wheat, Multi-grain, Seven grain, 9-grain, 12- grain, honey wheat, split top wheat and whole grain white bread. The food label can be very deceptive. In most of the above cases, the product has been labeled to lead you into thinking it is healthy when in fact it is not. Another tall -tail sign of a whole grain product is how much dietary fiber it has. If a product is truly whole wheat, there should be at least 3 grams of dietary fiber. When adding pasta and rice into your diet, make sure you watch the portion size. 1 serving of whole wheat pasta or brown rice is usually 1/3rd cup cooked. As a result, it is very easy to over consume both products.
Breakfast Items (Cereal/Cereal bars/Granola Bars/Muffins/Oatmeal)
When buying breakfast foods, there are two things to consider:
1. How many grams of dietary fiber are in the product?
I recommended that breakfast items need to have at least 4 grams of dietary fiber per serving. Fiber is one of nature‘s miracle phytonutrients, which is component found in food that has added health benefits. Fiber is the part of complex carbohydrates that your body cannot breakdown/digest and therefore is not absorbed into the bloodstream. Since your body cannot absorb fiber, it is not able to absorb the calories or some of the carbohydrates from fiber. The most common complaint about fiber is the side effects of bloating and gas. Gas increases because our bodies do not have enough of enzymes needed to break down fiber. Have no fear, there are nonprescription items like Beano or gas-X to help relieve these side effects until your body gets acclimated. Increasing your intake of fluid, especially non-carbonated fluids like water and tea, will also help alleviate the unwanted side effects. Studies show that fiber can help lower cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, weight and certain cancer risks .Fiber is found in the plant sources in our diet, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, nuts and seeds. There are 2 types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. On a food label it will list how much “Dietary Fiber” there is in a product and then below breakdown how much of the dietary fiber is from soluble vs insoluble foods sources. Both types of fiber have their benefits and play an important role in overall health. To review the differences between insoluble and soluble fiber check out blog #6 (Fiber Every Day Helps Shed the Pounds Away).
2. How many grams of carbohydrate are in 1 serving?
For most weight loss diets, it is recommended to consume 60 grams of carbohydrate at breakfast. Carbohydrates at breakfast help to boost your metabolism and wake up your brain cells, especially when eaten within 30 minutes to 1 hour after waking up.
Fruits (Dried/Canned/Packaged)
It is a good idea to keep a variety of fruit in one’s pantry. When buying canned or packaged fruit, aim to buy fruit that it is prepared in its own juice, not in syrup. Some canned fruits are packaged and labeled as “sugar free” or “no sugar added”. If you consider buying this type of canned fruit to reduce sugar intake and calories, make sure that there is no sugar alcohols added to the products. Sugar Alcohol is a man made product, which when over consumed, can cause side effects such as intestinal cramping, gas, bloating and diarrhea. Nothing fun! Sugar Alcohol will usually be listed on the food label under the total sugar grams. If not, you can always check the ingredients list. Any words that end in “tol” are considered a sugar alcohol.
Vegetables (Canned) and dried beans
Aim to buy a pantry full of the free, non-starchy vegetables. Can’t remember which vegetables are free? Let me remind you. The following vegetables can be eaten in all day and will still aid in losing weight: artichokes, carrots, okra, tomato/veggie juice, artichoke hearts, celery, onions, turnips, asparagus, cauliflower, pea pods, water chestnuts, green beans, cucumbers, all peppers, watercress, bean sprouts, eggplant, salad greens, zucchini, beets, greens onions or scallion, sauerkraut, kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, spinach, all types of greens, brussels sprouts, leeks, summer squash, radishes, cabbage, mushrooms, tomatoes, bok choy, bamboo sprouts, chayote, jicama, daikon, and rutabaga. Another great vegetable group to have in the pantry is beans. Beans help to add fiber and plant protein to every meal, along with other vitamins and nutrients. When adding beans, corn and peas to ones diet, watch the portion size. A ½ cup of beans, peas and corn is one serving. On most diet plans it is recommended to only have 2 servings of starchy vegetables or bread at lunch and dinner. Canned new potatoes are another quick, healthy side item for a meal. New potatoes make it really easy to watch portion sizes because 1 new potato is a serving of potato.
Soups and other canned food items
Soups are always an easy meal to throw together. When buying soup, try to buy soups that are broth based and not cream. Cream based soups have a lot of unneeded calories and fat. If you do purchase a soup with more than 5 grams of fat in it, take the can and place it in the refrigerator 24-48 hrs prior to eating it. Most of the saturated fat with come to the top of the soup and harden so that you are able to scoop it out. Another great diet tip is to keep cans of chicken, beef and vegetable broth on hand to use to add moisture to low fat meats. Aim to purchase soups that are loaded with non-starchy vegetables, which are the free vegetables listed above. If you can, try to buy the lower sodium options of soup. Soup can add unnecessary sodium to ones diet. Remember that if you eat a diet this is high in fruits and vegetables and exercise on a regular basis, sodium is not as much of a concern.
Spices
Try to pack your pantry full with different types of spices. One of the hardest things about weight loss is reducing the fat intake in ones diet. Fat is usually what provides the flavor to food. When trying to lose weight, you have to get more creative with the use of spices to get flavor back into food. There are research studies that are currently looking at the impact of hot spices on the metabolism. It is thought that spicy foods could increase ones metabolism and help to burn more calories at that meal. Consider adding more spice to your kitchen and life!
Peanut Butter or any nut butters
Peanut butter and other nut butters are definitely a food that can sabotage ones weight loss desires. Why you might ask? A little goes a long way. Many people know that peanut butter and nut butters are considered a healthy fat. What many people do not know is that 1 serving of all nut butters is 1 ½ tsps! Many weight loss plans recommend that you only add 1-2 servings of fat to each meal, depending on the desire calorie range. As a result, all nut butters are easy to over eat and the portion needs to be watched when consuming.
Pre-Made Meals
Try to limit pre-made meals. They are usually filled with empty calories and refined carbohydrates. Slow cookers or pressure cookers are a healthier way to make a quick meal when time is limited. If you do purchase any pre-made meals, look at the total dietary fiber and aim for more than 4 grams per serving. Try to also keep that total amount of fat and saturated fat to a minimum. Remember the 1 serving of fat is 5 grams.
Take time today to go through your pantry and get rid of the foods that are sabotaging you and keeping you from reaching your health goals. Taking control of the food options in your pantry and refrigerator ensure that you are on the path to success. Next time, we will go through the freezer.
Till Then,
XOXO! The Dietnista
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