Cracking the Food Label Code

Today, it was said “that you have to have a P.H.D to be able to read food labels and decipher fact from marketing”. While this might seem exaggerated, misreading food labels can be what stands between you and your weight loss/health goal.  Cracking the Food Label code does not have to be hard. Let me see if I can simplify it for you.  Below is a typical food label and what I recommend that you look at when deciding on whether or not you are going to purchase a product.

Serving Size: It is important to look at the serving size of packaged foods to avoid unwanted calories, especially when you are trying to lose weight. Many companies will decrease the serving size to make the calories look more appealing. If you are not careful, you will consume more of the product thinking it is low calorie when in a normal serving it is not.

Servings per Container: It is good to know how many servings are in a package to help you better visualize what 1 portion is of the product. When you see that there are more than 5-10 servings in a package you know that you will need to be more aware of your serving size. The foods that are adding to America’s waist line are the foods that it is the easiest for us to overeat. This is why carbohydrates often get blamed for Americans being overweight. It is not the carbohydrates themselves, it is the fact that it is easier to overeat on them.

Calories:  It is always good to know how many calories you are consuming. However, be careful. Just because a food is low in calories does not mean it is healthy for you. Many low calorie foods do not contain any fiber and/or nutrition. As a result, every calorie you consume, you absorb. High fiber foods might appear to have more calories, but because of the fiber content you do not absorb all of the calories. Remember fiber is like nature’s vacuum, it cleans out excess.

Total Fat Calories: Remember that your fat calories should only account for 20- 30% of your total daily calories. If you take the fat calories and divide by 9 this should be the number that is next to the amount of total fat grams. Remember that 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories. As a result, usually the more fat grams in a product the more overall calories it has.

Total Fat Grams: Remember that 5 grams is 1 serving of fat. Your total daily fat grams should be between 35 to 65 grams per day for most calorie ranges. As a result, you need to take your daily fat recommendation and divide it by the amount of meals that you normally consume in a day. This should be the max amount of fat grams that you consume at one meal. Ex: 1500 calories diet = 50 grams fat divided by 3 meals/day= MAX 16 grams of fat per meal.

Total Fat Percentage%: The percent daily value is based on a 2000 calorie diet. Some people need to eat more than this, but a majority of people should eat less. The % Daily Value is a reference point and cannot be 100% used in deciding a healthy versus non healthy food. Usually if a product states that there is 5% or less of the % daily value of fat than the product is considered a low fat product. If it is 20% or more of the percent daily value of fat than the product is considered a high fat product.  

Saturated Fat Grams: Saturated fat is the second worst type of fat there is when it comes to health. The saturated fat grams represent how much of the total fat in the product comes from saturated fat specifically. Any fat grams unaccounted for are most likely from mono- or poly- unsaturated fats. Too much consumption of saturated fat will encouraged the liver to make more total and LDL (bad) cholesterol. As a result, a diet high in saturated fat has been associated with heart disease.  Remember saturated fat is usually solid at room temperature.

Saturated Fat Percentage%: It is recommended that you consume 10% or less of your total daily calories from saturated fat.

Trans Fat Grams:  Trans Fat is the worst type of fat for you. It is recommended that you avoid all Trans Fat. Trans Fats are made when you change vegetable oil into a semi-solid fat. Trans Fat has also been shown to increase bad cholesterol and risk for heart disease. There are different types of Trans Fat. Some are man-made, such as partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated oils, and some others are found in animal products, such as meat, cheese, butter and dairy products that contain fat. Keep in mind that even if a product claims to be” Trans Fat free” this means that there could still be ½ gram of Trans Fat per product serving .

Cholesterol: It is recommended that most people consume less than 300 mg of cholesterol a day. If you have Diabetes or known heart disease it is recommended that you only consume 250 mg of cholesterol a day.

Sodium: It is recommended for most Americans to consume 2500 mg or less of sodium per day. If you have Diabetes or known heart disease it is recommended that you only consume 1500-2000mg of sodium per day. If you have high blood pressure, consuming too much sodium can make it worse. Eating less sodium (salt) is a good idea for everyone.

Total Carbohydrates grams: It is recommended for most women to eat 45-60 grams of Carbohydrate per meal and for men to eat 60-75 grams of Carbohydrate per meal.  Carbohydrates should make up 45-55% of your total daily calories. Remember that 1 gram of Carbohydrate is 4 calories, which is also true of 1 gram of Protein.

Dietary Fiber grams: It is recommended that each product contain more than 4 grams fiber per serving. See my previous blog on the benefits of fiber to review why the higher the fiber a product the better.

Sugar Grams: Do NOT pay attention to the amount of sugar in the product. As long as you are paying attention to the total amount of carbohydrate you are seeing the big picture. Usually products that contain a lot sugar will be high in carbohydrates. If a product is high in sugar, most of the time it is considered a refined/simple Carbohydrate and should be eaten sparingly.

Protein:  Remember that 7 grams of protein is 1 ounce. Your total daily protein grams should be between 63 to 105 grams per day for most calorie ranges. As a result, you need to take your daily protein recommendation and divide it by the amount of meals that you normally consume in a day. This should be the max amount of protein grams that you consume at one meal. Ex: 1500 calories diet = 75 grams protein divided by 3 meals/day= MAX 25 grams (3.5 ounces) of protein per meal. Remember that your recommended daily protein intake includes ALL dietary protein; animal and plant. It is recommended that Protein make up 20-30% of your total daily calories. Remember that 1 gram of Protein is 4 calories, which is also true of 1 gram of Carbohydrate.

Vitamins and Minerals %:  As I have said before, the percent daily value is based on a 2000 calorie diet. Some people need to eat more than this, but a majority of people should eat less. The % Daily Value is a reference point and cannot be 100% used in deciding a healthy versus non healthy food. Usually if a product states that there is 5% or less of the % daily value of a nutrient than the product is considered low in that nutrient. If it is 20% or more of the percent daily value of a nutrient than the product is considered high in that nutrient.

Allergens: These are listed here for people who have food allergies.  The most common allergens listed are peanuts, milk, wheat, gluten, soy and lactose.

Sugar Alcohols: This is not required to appear on the food label so you might not see it on a majority of the food labels you read. However, I recommended that you read the ingredients list carefully to see if the product does contain sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols are a man made chemical. They are known to have a laxative effect and increase gas, bloating and stomach discomfort. Sugar Alcohols are any word in the ingredients list that ends in –TOL. Examples: maltitol, lactitol, sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol and erythritol.  Isomalt, glycerol, and hydrogenated starch hydrolysate are also types of sugar alcohols. There are some sugar substitutes that use sugar alcohols as their sweetening agent. You have to read the ingredients list to find this.

Whole Wheat VS not Whole Wheat: To verify that a product is truly whole wheat, you want to make sure that the first ingredient listed says the word “WHOLE”. For example, it might say whole wheat bread or whole grain flour.  If you see the words enriched or bleached or unbleached wheat flour, the product is not a whole wheat product. It should be your goal to make a majority of the grains you eat whole.

Decoding the food label is a learning process.  Once mastered it can make achieving your weight loss and health goals extremely easy. Beware of all marketing. Remember that companies are trying to sell their product and will say anything to entice you. The food label is always the best place to find the most accurate information to help you make a healthy decision.

XOXO! The Dietnista

The Ultimate Secret to Weight Loss - Foods You Can Eat All You Want!

Happy New Year!!!!

Can you believe it is 2012? It amazes me how fast time flies. It is during this time of year that most people begin to reflect on their goals and resolutions, as I talked about in last week’s blog.  It is a time that reminds people that for every day that passes that they do not take care of themselves, they increase their risk of being diagnosed with health problems such as Type II Diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease and cancer. The frustrating thing is 4 out of 5 of these diseases can be prevented.  The time is now to take charge of your health! Any little changes that you make in your weight, diet and exercise routine can help improve your overall health. Over the past 2 months, we have talked about the importance of breakfast and reviewed healthy meal ideas to start your day. Now we are going to look into the recommended meal pattern for the rest of your day.

One of the hardest parts to weight loss is the feeling of hunger. Most people do not feel physically or emotionally comfortable when their stomach is growling or uneasy. As a result, they give in and over consume calories. You have to remind yourself that the calories you currently consume fuels your current size. As a result, fewer calories consumed should fuel a smaller you. This means that we have to help you to get through those times of discomfort.

I am going to give you a list of foods that you can eat all you want, all day long, non-stop and not worry about calories. This list is the secret to weight loss and weight maintenance. The only catch is that they cannot be fried and you have to limit or avoid adding fat to them. Examples of added fat are butter, margarine, all oils, cheese and salad dressing. They can be eaten raw or cooked. They can come from fresh, frozen or canned sources. If you purchase them in a can, try to wash them off before cooking them to limit the amount of sodium they might contain.  Consuming large amounts of the following foods will help to lower your blood pressure, bad cholesterol levels and decrease your risk of most cancers. They can be consumed with meals and in between meals to help limit hunger pangs.  

Are you ready for the list? Here it is…

Artichokes	Carrots
Artichoke Hearts	Celery
Asparagus	Cauliflower
Green beans	Cucumber
Bean Sprouts	Eggplant
Beets	Green onions or scallions
Broccoli	Kohlrabi
Brussel Sprouts	Leeks
Cabbage	Mushrooms
Bamboo Sprouts	Chayote
Okra	Tomato/Veggie Juice
Onions	Turnips
Pea Pods	Water Chestnuts
Peppers (all)	Watercress
Salad greens	Zucchini
Sauerkraut	Tomatoes (all)
Kale	Greens (all)
Spinach	Radishes
Summer Squash	Bok Choy
Jicama	Daikon
Rutabaga

The only people, who should eat some of the above foods with caution, or consistency, are people who take anticoagulant medications to aid in blood thinning, such as Coumadin or Warfarin.  If you take any of these medications, I recommend that you talk to a Registered Dietitian so that they can explain to you the recommended dietary modifications when taking anticoagulants.  The general recommendations are to be consistent with your Vitamin K consumption on a regular basis. This means you can eat foods that contain vitamin K, you just have to be consistent on the amount that you consume on a daily basis. Too much, or inconsistent amounts of Vitamin K can limit the effect of the drug. Females who take Coumadin or Warfarin should restrict their average Vitamin K consumption to 90 mcg, while male adults should not consume more than 120 mcg, if they want to avoid unnecessary consequences. Vitamin K is usually found in green leafy vegetables like the above, which is why I bring this to your attention. If you do not take Coumadin or Warfarin, then you have nothing to worry about.

Bon Appétit!  Use these foods at meals, and snacks to help fill you up. You can mix them into your dish or eat them by themselves. You can literally go to the store and get one of the steamable bags of these specific vegetables that contain no sauce, eat all you want and still lose weight.

Good luck with your New Year’s resolutions! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter!

Until next week…

XOXO! The Dietnista

 

Holiday Tips & Tricks – Surviving the Holidays When Trying to Lose Weight

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Are you ready for the holidays?  I know this week we are supposed to talk about lunch, but with Thanksgiving just around the corner I thought it would be a better idea to discuss some holiday survival tips.

Did you know that the average American gains over 5 pounds during the holidays? What is even more amazing is that it takes consuming 3500 more calories to gain 1 pound of weight. That means the average American consumes over 17,500 calories more during the holidays than throughout the rest of the year. This is most likely due to holiday foods being higher in fat and sugar.  When you stop and think about it, we don’t just consume these higher calorie foods on the day of the holiday itself, but the days to follow because of leftovers. As a result, you can see how easy it is to consume over 17,500 more calories without meaning to. Here are some survival tips to deal with the holidays to help you avoid the increase calorie consumption and its’ unwanted side effects.

First…..Modify your typical holiday recipes so starting out there are fewer calories.  If you are not sure how many calories are in your favorite recipes, check out www.sparkrecipes.com to get the nutritional breakdown.

To reduce sugar:

To keep the recipes sweet, use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar to reduce the overall calories in the recipe. Make sure that you are using the version of sweetener that can be used in baked goods. Splenda and Equal both make a version of sugar and brown sugar that can be used in cooking. Limit/Avoid all sweeteners that contain sugar alcohols. These can cause unwanted side effects such as: gas, bloating, loose stools, and diarrhea. Everyone has a different tolerance level before the side effects take place. Sugar Alcohols are any words that end in “-tol”.  Check the ingredients list of all sugar substitutes and “sugar free” or “no sugar added” foods to see if they contain sugar alcohols. Another way to give the allusion of sweetness is using extracts such as vanilla or peppermint. Some common spices, such as nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and allspice, help enhance the sweetness as well.

When using fruit in recipes, use fresh or frozen fruit and limit the canned or dried. If you do use canned fruits make sure that they are in their own juice instead of in syrup, even if it is light syrup.  This is another way to limit the unwanted calories.

To reduce fat:

Lighten up the ingredients during preparation when there are lower fat options available (e.g. skim milk, low fat sour cream, fat free condensed milk, 2% cheese, light butter, light cream cheese, etc.).  Try using pureed fruits, such as prunes or applesauce as half of the needed oil, shortening, margarine or butter in the recipes. Instead of using fat in recipes to add flavor, try calorie free seasonings and herbs.

Making turkey soup or stew for the holidays? Try to make it ahead of schedule so that you can put it in the refrigerator. The fat will harden on the top of the soup and you can scoop it out before reheating.  This will also work with any canned vegetables or soups that contain fat. You can tell that a canned product contains fat by looking at the food label. Where it says “total fat” anything over 5 grams is considered a serving of fat.

Limit alcohol intake. Remember that all alcohol digests as a fat, not as a carbohydrate like most people think. The other problem with alcohol is the average person has a tendency to consume 60% more calories when drinking. As a result you are getting extra calories from the alcohol itself and the appetite increase that it causes.

To increase fiber:

Use whole wheat flour/pastas/bread and rice in recipes where these products are needed. You can also add in fiber supplements such as Benefiber, Metamucil and Konsol Psyllium fiber to increase fiber content.  In some instances you can use products such as, Fiber One, All Bran or oatmeal to enhance your crust or breading in your recipes.

Add extra vegetables and beans to soups and casseroles. Try to use non-starchy vegetables, such as artichokes, asparagus, green beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, green onions, greens, mushrooms, stewed okra, onions, pea pods, peppers, radishes, sauerkraut, spinach, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips, water chestnuts, and zucchini, to avoid adding extra calories into the recipe.

To reduce salt:

When using canned foods that contain sodium, pour the contents of the can into a strainer and run water over them. This will help to wash a lot of the salt off the food.

Finally…..to avoid holiday weight gain….. Get moving.

Try to double your exercise routine the weeks before and the weeks right after the holidays. This will help to limit the impact that the unintentional calories can have on weight and overall health. Remember it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound of weight. So when trying to lose, you have to burn 3500 extra calories to lose 1 pound of weight. Frustrating, I know.

Most importantly, enjoy the time with family and friends.  I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

XOXO! The Dietnista

Eating Every 4 to 6 hours a Day Can Help You Shed the Pounds Away

Happy Tuesday!  I hope you had a good week last week and a great weekend!

How did this week’s challenge go? Were you able to keep up with everything you ate? Did you notice any eating patterns? Were you able to find the nutritional break down on your meals? Did anything surprise you? How many calories did you eat on average per day?  How many grams of Carbohydrate, Protein, Fat and Fiber did you consume on average per day?

My goal is to help you break down your diet and figure out eating patterns that you can change to improve your overall health and achieve your personal goals.  Together, over the next couple of weeks, we will walk through your diet and help you to achieve this goal. Continue to keep track of what you are eating.

Let’s start out by looking at the basics. Did you eat three meals a day every day this week? 

A big mistake that most people make when dieting is in order to decrease calories, they will skip meals. This is never a good idea.  Picture your body like a car. You would never get in the car and try to drive across country with the gas tank sitting on empty, right?  Right! The car would break down on the side of the road and you would ruin your engine.  Your body is the same way. Calories are your bodies “gasoline” (or energy) source.  With the right breakdown in calories, you can help your body to run more efficiently and smoothly. Now on the opposite side of the equation, you wouldn’t sit at the gas station and overfill your car with gasoline so that gas was spilling onto the concrete, right? Right! It is the same idea with your body. There is a fine line that when crossed, you have over-consumed food and therefore consumed too many calories, which will contribute to weight gain.

To make sure that you have enough fuel for your body and to help limit hunger, you should try to eat every 4 to 6 hours during the time you are awake.  This will help keep your energy level up and gas tank full.  Now to make sure that you don’t consume too many calories, let’s make it simple. If you are a female, take your goal weight and multiply it by 10. If you are a male, take your goal weight and multiply by 11. That should be the amount of calories that you try to consume per day to achieve your weight loss goal. Example:  Female - If your goal weight is 150 lbs......take 150 x 10= 1500 calories daily. This is the maximum amount of calories that you are trying to reach per day to facilitate weight loss. The bare minimum amount of calories that any one should eat without medical supervision is 1200 calories. Anything less than a 1200 calories diet needs to be discussed with your doctor.

Please keep in mind that I understand everyone has individual needs when it comes to their health. So if you have any specific questions please let me know and I will try to answer it as best I can without having all of your medical history and health concerns. The advice I give is general advice.

This week’s challenge: Figure out what your realistic target weight is. Where would you feel comfortable in your own skin? Where would you be happy? Take that number and multiply it by 10 and try to limit your daily calories to that amount.  If your target weight requires you to eat less than 1200 calories based on the calculation, I would recommend increasing your exercise to achieve your weight loss goal. Current research shows that just losing 5% to 15% of your weight can help drastically reduce your risk of health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and high cholesterol.

Need helping tracking your food? Check out the following I-phone apps and websites:

www.myfitnesspal.com (also an app for iPhone)

www.my-calorie-counter.com

www.caloriecount.com (also an app for iPhone)

“Lose It!“ app on iPhone

Don't forget to "Like" me on Facebook to stay up-to-date on my Dietnista Tips of the Day. 

Good luck!

The Dietnista

To lose weight, or not to lose weight...that is the question.

Hello again!  Let’s start with the topic that is on most people’s minds...weight loss.

I know that you are probably hoping that I give you this simple weight loss secret that will help you to shed all the weight you want in minutes, maybe even seconds.  I wish!  If it were that simple I would be a millionaire by now and America would not be the fattest nation in the world. The fact is a lot of diets out there simply do not work, at least in the long term. Many diets label 1 food group as the enemy. The reason people are overweight.  They claim that you can eat all the protein and fat you want, and you will still lose weight as long as you avoid Carbohydrates.  If that was true, why wouldn’t we just remove all of the carbohydrates from the American diet? Wouldn’t that fix the problem? As I am sure you can tell I am being sarcastic.

People tell me all the time that high protein, low carbohydrate diets helped them to lose weight fast. However, when you ask them how long they have been able to keep the weight off, most will admit that they have gained back most of the weight they lost, if not more. The frustrating thing is it is not their fault that they gained the weight back. The body was not meant to live without Carbohydrates.  Let me put these diets into a different perspective. If I gave you 2 chocolate candy bars, and told you that is all you could eat in a day, would you lose weight? YES. But would you be healthy? NO. Would you be able to live the rest of your life only eating 2 chocolate candy bars a day? NO. Without getting too technical, this is an exaggerated metaphor as to why these high protein, low carbohydrate diets seem to work in the short but leads to long term failure and health issues.

Did you know many studies are looking at the link between high protein, low carbohydrate diets as the cause for the increased risk of diabetes, heart disease (high cholesterol/stroke risk), and kidney disease?  It is even thought that eating too much protein can cause your skin to wrinkle faster. There are now many websites and books dedicated to educating America about the dangers of these fad diets.  The only thing that all diets have in common that is necessary for weight loss is calorie restriction.  There is not one food group that is “BAD” for you or one food group that is “GOOD” for you.  It is all about balance and moderation.  Calories in vs. Calories out.  I believe in the philosophy that small changes in your lifestyle can lead to big results, without feeling like you are depriving yourself.  As you continue to read my blog, you will notice that there are very few things that I will ever recommend you avoid completely.

This week’s dare: write down everything you eat and drink on a daily basis for the next 7 days. Try to keep a detailed log. Try to measure food and look up the nutrition when possible. If you can, keep track of the Carbohydrates, Protein, fat and fiber. Below are some sources you can use to look up information:

Calorie King book and website (www.calorieking.com)

www.sparkpeople.com

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

Good luck!  :-)

Keep Your Oil Off My Buns

Welcome to my blog - Keep Your Oil Off My Buns!

You may be asking yourself why I've named my blog this.  Well, do you know that asking for no oil or butter on a sandwich at a fast food restaurant may save YOU over 150 calories of solid fat?  Fact.

That's my goal with this blog; to help point out little tips like this to help save you some calories and sort diet fact from diet fad. 

Now, you may be asking yourself, why you should listen to me.  Everytime I turn around these days it seems there is another diet book coming out from someone claiming to be an expert.  The truth is, that the majority of them are not. Well, this is what I do. I am an expert in my field. 

Don't you find it interesting that the more diet books that come on the market, the more unhealthy we become and the larger we get as a nation?  And I'm not just speaking to the overweight.  There are lots of healthy-weight individuals who face the same, if not more, health problems.  If the answers were already out there, then our great nation wouldn't be in the state that its in.  I'm not trying to say that there is one reason why America is one of the fattest nations in the world.  There's never just ONE reason.  It's about an entire lifestyle that has developed over decades. 

I hope my blog points out little changes that you can make on a daily basis to help you live a healthier life.

Until we meet again,
The Dietnista