A Regular Soda a Day Will Bring Health Problems Your Way!

This week I want to take some time to address one of the largest sabotages when it comes to weight loss, liquid calories. When losing weight many people spend time focusing on their food calories and they forget to account for liquid calories.  It has been said that when one is trying to lose weight, they need to increase their liquid consumption. In today’s society, people will try to increase their fluid intake by increasing their intake of juice, soda, sweet drinks, coffee, tea and yes, even with alcohol. The only liquid calories needed by the body are water and milk. The fact of the matter is that average person needs around 90 oz of fluid per day and half of the daily fluid needs to come from water. The reason you need more than 40 oz of water per day is to flush/clean your kidneys and supply the needed fluid to the organs to help them properly function. Dehydration can lead to changes in blood pressure, pulse rate and mental status. Dehydration can also lead to increased hunger, which in turn can cause weight gain. Milk is the only liquid calories needed because it provides the recommended amount of calcium per day. (To refresh yourself on the importance of calcium, refer to blog #7.) Milk also provides some of the daily need of Vitamin D, B vitamins and phosphorus.

 According to Advisory Committee on Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 2005, those who consume a lot of added sugars from drinks, such as fruit juice, coke, flavored drinks and sweet tea, tend to consume more calories and fewer vitamins and minerals. This is true of any type of added sugar, whether it is sugar cane, honey or agave nectar. As a result, research shows there is a link between drinking sugary drinks and an increase risk for Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer and Obesity.  Why you might ask? Great Question! Sugary drinks increase the risk of diabetes because 15 grams of carbohydrate, which is around 4 oz of most sugary drinks, spikes the blood sugar 50 points in 15 minutes. This is a rapid spike in blood sugar. When the blood sugar spikes, the body forces the pancreas to produce enough insulin to compensate. Overtime the repeated rapid blood sugar spike will wear down the pancreas and cause it to not be able to produce enough insulin to compensate. As a result, the blood sugar starts to rise in the blood and the diagnosis of Type II Diabetes follows. Research shows that the insulin resistance that is usually associated with Type II Diabetes is thought to increase the risk of certain types of cancer. Weight gain, which can be caused by the extra liquid calories, is also a factor that can increase the risk of cancer. The more weight one has from fat vs. muscle, the higher the risk of cancer. Sugary drinks also increase the risk of heart disease because all refined sugar can be made into triglycerides in the body. Triglycerides are bad cholesterol that is found in the blood.  People who have triglycerides above 200 are thought to have an increase risk for heart disease.

The big picture is that there are no added health benefits to consuming calories from liquid, unless consuming milk. Sugary drinks decrease the amount of calories and carbohydrates that you eat throughout the rest of the day and therefore decrease the nutrients and fiber that you could have consumed. Many sugar drinks claim to prevent/limit dehydration because of the sodium and potassium content. I would rather you drink water and eat fresh fruits and vegetables. There is a reason that most fruits and vegetables are in season during the summer, which is usually a time we need our electrolytes replenished. Alcohol is actually digested more as a fat than it is as a carbohydrate.  There are 7 calories per gram in alcohol. As a result, when trying to lose weight you need to count any alcoholic drink as a fat source to limit yourself from overeating. It is recommended that a man consume no more than 2 alcoholic drinks per every 24 hrs and a woman is limited to 1 alcoholic drink per every 24 hrs. Serving Examples of alcohol are: 12 ounces of Beer or 5 ounces of Wine or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquors.

 If you are going to consuming liquid calories, you have to account for them in your overall daily calorie, carbohydrate and fat total to increase your success in weight loss and overall improvement in health. There is nothing sweeter than the feeling of successful weight loss and good health.

XOXO!!

The Dietnista

Start Snacking Light and Start Snacking Right

Hello Friends! From the start of my blog, I have tried to simplify what a healthy diet should look like. We have talked about what to eat at what should be your 2 largest meals, breakfast and lunch. Now I want to take some time to address a very important topic, snacking. There are many different opinions on snacking. Some believe that snacking is only going to lead to too many calories and therefore weight gain. Others believe that 3 meals and 2 snacks a day is the key to weight loss/maintenance.  I personally believe that it is all dependent on your daily schedule, and that you need to eat every 4 to 6 hrs to increase your metabolism, maintain your blood sugar/energy level and achieve optimal weight. 

The Keys to Snacking light and Snacking Right are the following:

1.       It is all about the timing.

As I said earlier, you should eat every 4 to 6 hrs while awake. This means that the decision on whether or not to snack is all dependent on your daily schedule.  If breakfast is at 7 am, then lunch should be between 11am to 1pm, a snack should be between 3pm to 5pm and then dinner between 7pm to 9 pm.  If you are someone that stays up into the early morning hours then you could potentially be eating a snack again between 1am to 3am. This is why research shows that there is a correlation between being overweight and sleeping less than 6 hrs a night. It is because people have a tendency to eat more the longer that they stay awake. Also, if you are feeling tired all day you have a tendency to crave more Carbohydrates, which provide blood sugar for energy and release our happy/feel good hormones into our brain.

2.       Choose the snack food wisely.

Make the snack count towards improving your health. Make your snack at least 4 grams of fiber per serving or more. A high fiber snack will help fill you up while lowering your cholesterol, lowering your weight and balancing your blood sugar. Snacks that are high in fiber also have a tendency to not be as calorie dense and are usually lower in fat and sugar. Also, use your snack to fill in any nutrient gaps that you have in your diet. For example, if you do not get enough calcium in your diet you could add a low fat dairy snack like yogurt or a glass of milk to your day.

3.       Think of snacks as being mini meals.

The problem with snacking is the amount of extra calories that one can potentially add to their overall daily intake that they do not technically “count” as calories.  As a result, I want you to think of your snacks as mini meals. A snack should be no more than 15-30 grams of Carbohydrate, 5 grams of fat and 7 grams of protein.  A snack should be no more than 250 calories. Remember, in order to lose weight you will have to cut the calories back at another meal in order to have extra calories to snack.  Just 150 more calories a day can put on an extra pound a month so you have to be careful!

4.       Plan Your Snacks Ahead of Time.

You have to plan ahead if you are going to snack. This will stop you from getting caught some where eating an unhealthy, calorie dense snack that does nothing but add unnecessary calories to your diet.  The best thing to do is keep healthy, high fiber snacks at work, in your car, in your house and in your reach. Decide when you are going to snack during your day so that you know which meal you need to decrease the calories at to make room for the snack. Planning ahead also helps you to make better choices because you have already thought out what you want to eat instead of letting the moment’s wants guide you.

5.       Satisfy your craving.

Find a healthy snack option that will help satisfy whatever you are craving/wanting. I would rather you eat what you are in the mood for in moderation, than force yourself to eat something that you really do not want. I routinely tell my clients to take the sweets off of the peddle stool. Denying yourself what you really want only makes things worst.  You have a tendency to overeat calories of another product to try to squash your craving of the product you want.  Now days, there are many healthy snack options that satisfy your hunger for something sweet/salty while still being lower in calories and higher in fiber. Great examples are the Fiber One Brownies or Fiber One High Fiber granola bars.

What do you think? Can you snack light and start snacking right? Let me know what snack items you have found that you feel are healthy and satisfy your need for salty/sweet. Please feel free to email me or post any questions or comments you might have. I am here to help you accomplish your health goals.

XOXO! The Dietnista

Great Things to Munch When It Comes to Lunch

Can you believe another week has flown by? We have been working towards better health together for over 4 months now!  How has it been going? Have you been able to make the small changes to your diet that we have discussed?  I hope so! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments or if there are any topics you want me to discuss.

Over the past month we have discussed the importance of lunch and the nutrients that it should provide. I started off by giving you an outline of where your Lunch calories should come from. I gave you specifics on how much carbohydrate, fat and protein is recommended for most people at lunch. We also discussed the new government dietary guidelines “My Plate”. The guidelines reiterated the importance of a well balanced meal including grains, fruits, vegetables, protein and dairy.

Now I am going to give you specific examples of healthy lunch meals. The color coding helps you to see which items you can trade out.  I am going to give you some ideas for meals at home and on the go.

2-3 oz of Lean Protein (14-21 grams Protein)

2 Starch/Bread Servings (30 grams Carbohydrate)

1 Fruit serving (15 grams Carbohydrate)

1 Fat serving (5 grams of added fat)

Free Veggies (as many as you want as long as they are not fried or covered in fat)

Meal # 1

2-3 slices of lunch meat

2 slices of high fiber whole wheat bread

1 TBS of olive oil mayonnaise

All the free veggies you want

1 tennis ball sized apple

Meal  # 2

2-3 oz of lean chicken

½ cup of corn and ½ cup of beans to make a relish

1 TBS of regular salad dressing

Salad and all the free veggies that you want

1 Clementine

Meal # 3

2-3 oz of lean steak

½ cup of mashed potatoes and ½ corn on the cob

1 tsp of butter

All the free veggies you want

1 cup of strawberries

Meal # 4

2-3 oz of fish (not fried)

2/3^rd cup of whole wheat pasta

1 tsp of olive oil

All the free veggies that you want

1 tennis ball sized pear

Meal # 5

2-3 oz of grilled chicken

2 slices of high fiber whole wheat bread

1/8^th Avocado

All the free veggies you want

1 cup of strawberries

Meal # 6

2-3 oz of turkey

1 small baked potato

1 tsp of Italian dressing

All the free veggies you want

10 cherries

Meal # 7

Grilled chicken Sandwich

On bun

No added fat necessary

Side salad

Small fruit cup

Meal # 8

Kids sized Hamburger no cheese

On bun

No added fat necessary

Side salad

A pack of Apple slices

My Plate

Above is the new dietary guideline designed by the United States Department of Agriculture.  How many of you are aware of the “My Plate” guidelines? Some of you might remember the previous dietary guidelines, “My Food Guide Pyramid”. In my opinion, the “My Plate” dietary guidelines , while they are sending the same overall message as previous guidelines, the picture of the plate helps  give people a better visualization and understanding  of how they should be eating at their lunch and dinner meals.

Many people are surprised to see that there should be a source of dairy at every meal. Most people think of milk or yogurt as being a part of just breakfast. Remember the average American needs at least 3-4 dairy servings per day, which is equal to 900-1200mg of calcium. It is recommended your dairy servings be fat free or low fat. This is to help limit the amount of trans fats and saturated fats found in dairy. Dairy products that are high in fat can increase your bad cholesterol and contain more calories per serving. If you need a reminder on the importance of calcium and what a serving of dairy is please refer to my previous blog titled “Milk: It Really Does Do a Body Good”!

When looking at the picture of the plate, it is made clear that fruits and vegetables should be at least half of our calorie intake at each meal. While this is true, I want to point out that it is still all about portion control of both categories. Notice that technically the green triangle that represents vegetables is larger than the red triangle that represents fruit. The reason is because vegetables have a tendency to be lower in calories and in overall carbohydrates but higher in fiber and nutrients versus fruit.

Remember that there are two different categories within the “vegetable” umbrella. You have the non-starchy vegetables, which are very low in calories and carbohydrates and can be eaten in large amounts, and you have the starchy vegetables, which need to be eaten in moderation and portion controlled, especially if you have diabetes and/or insulin resistance.  Non-Starchy vegetables include the vegetables that I listed on the blog titled “Miracle Foods to Weight Loss”, which are the following:

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

These foods are unlimited in my opinion. I believe that you can eat all you want of these all day long and still be able to lose weight as long as you do not fry them or add more than 1 serving of fat to them. Starchy Vegetables are more common in the American diet. Examples of starchy vegetables are: corn, any kind of bean, peas, potatoes, winter squash, hominy, parsnips, plantain, pumpkin, and lentils. For most starchy vegetables 1 serving equals ½ cup.

 For many of you following the popular weight loss program, you have been instructed in the program fruit is free and does not cost any points. However for people who are insulin resistant, have a genetic tendency towards Diabetes, who have a diagnosis of Diabetes already or who have PCOS, fruit is not free. As the plate diagram shows, there should a serving of fruit eaten at every meal. The key is understanding what a serving size of fruit looks like. The visual that I use for what a serving of fruit looks like is a tennis ball. For most fruits, a tennis ball shaped serving  is 60 calories and/or 15 grams carbohydrate.  Another important thing to remember when eating fruit is the more variety the better. Different colors and types of fruit bring different nutrients and health benefits to your diet. It is also important to eat fruits that you consume the outer skin because they usually have more fiber. Examples of 1 serving of Fruit or 15 grams Carbohydrate are: a small apple,½ cup of applesauce, a Clementine,15 grapes,10 cherries,2 TBS of most dried fruit,a half of a small banana ,a half of an orange or grapefruit, ¾ cup of berries,1 small kiwi, 1 ¼ cup of watermelon cubed, and a small peach or plum. Any fruit that is the size of a tennis ball or can fit into a tennis ball is probably 1 serving of fruit.

The other half of the plate is made up of grains and protein. Many people were surprised to see that the purple triangle that represents protein is smaller than the orange triangle that represents grains. In fact a majority of the calories on the recommended dietary guidelines come from carbohydrates. This is opposite from what many fad diets that are out on the market lead us to believe. Like I have discussed before, carbohydrates themselves are not what has made America overweight. It is our overconsumption of calories in general that have caused the weight gain and carbohydrates are just easier to over consume than fat and protein. It is all about calories in versus calories out. As I have stated before, it is all about portion control when it comes to grains. Examples of grains are: rice, pasta, any kind of bread, barley, bran, bulgur, cereal, couscous, grits, muesli, millet, polenta, quinoa, tabouli, and wheat germ. For most grains, 1 serving, which is 15 grams of carbohydrate/ 60 calories, is between a ¼ cup to ½ cup. It is recommended that more than half the grains you consume should be whole. I recommended that a majority of the grains that you consume should have more than 4 grams of fiber per serving. To refresh your memory on fiber look back at my blog on the benefits of fiber.

When it comes to protein at a meal, you want it to be lean. A serving a protein is usually 2 to 4 oz per meal depending on your body weight.  Despite what the fad diets might lead us to believe, we consume too much protein. It is recommended that protein make up only 20% of your total daily calories. It is also recommended that more than half of the protein we consume should come from plant based proteins not animal. Don’t get me wrong, protein is important when it comes to muscle building, iron storage and other vitamin storage, such as riboflavin, but a little goes a long way. You want to make sure that you choose good quality and low fat protein.

The “My Plate” dietary guidelines really are a good outline to overall healthy living. They show that there is a place for all of our macronutrients. Remember it is all about portion control. We need to start eating for overall nutrition and health, not for the sport of it.

Next time you serve your plate for lunch and dinner, remember “My Plate”.

XOXO! The Dietnista

Make Valentine's Day Even Sweeter

Another empty calorie and sugar filled holiday is just around the corner, are you ready? The good news is that the bulk of the holiday season has come and gone. Valentine’s Day is usually the last major holiday of the season that revolves around food.  Let me give you some tips on how to make it through Valentine’s Day without moving the notch out on your belt.

Tips to get you through Valentine’s Day:

1.       If you are going to eat candy, try to eat dark chocolate. Try to avoid all of the sugary based and high fat calorie candies such as milk chocolate.

Unlike other candy, dark chocolate contains antioxidants, which have health benefits when eaten in the right amount. Antioxidants are different minerals, and vitamins that are found in a variety of foods that significantly slow and/or prevent one of the processes that damages our body and it’s DNA.  This damaging, oxidative process forms free radicals, which are thought to contribute to the progression of disease states such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes and other diseases that are associated with an aging body. When you consume foods that are high in antioxidants, they counteract the damaging effects that the free radicals have on the body. In fact, it is thought that antioxidants actually convert free radicals to harmless waste, which is then removed from the body. There is still a lot that we need to research and learn about antioxidants and their health benefits before we start recommending that you add supplements of them to your diet.

2.       If you are making desserts for that special someone, try to reduce the amount of fat and sugar in the recipe and increase the fiber.

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, Metamucill 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.

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

To reduce the sugar and 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 sweeteners 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.

3.       Portion Control, Portion Control, Portion Control!

Every food can fit into a healthy, weight loss diet when eaten in the right quantity. Just remember that Valentine’s Day is only 1 day out of the year. No need to go overboard.  Moderation is the key!

4.       Try to think outside the box when it comes to Valentine’s Day gifts.

Communicate with your loved one or significant other. Explain to them that this year you are trying to improve your health, eat right and lose weight. Suggest getting each other Valentine’s Day gifts that do not involve junk food.  Consider getting each other gifts that are outside the box yet still romantic, like gift cards or passes to a cooking class you both would enjoy or passes to a dance class that you can learn together or a private boat ride on a lake. Why has candy become the standard gift given at Valentine’s Day? What is romantic about candy? Show your loved one or significant other that you love them by helping them to get healthy and eat right too.

5.       Throw any leftover candy/holiday food away within 2 to 3 days of the holiday.

Remember that the average American will usually gain over 5 pounds between October and March. How did you do?  Many people are shocked when they realize that they have gained weight over the holidays.  It seems like such a short period of time to increase your waist line. The scary thing is that it is not as hard to do as it might seem. As I have said before it takes 3500 extra calories on top of the normal amount of calories that you consume to gain 1 pound of weight. As a result consuming just 120 more calories a day over a 1 month time frame will easily put on 1 pound of weight. This could be the calorie equivalent of eating 2 regular pieces of candy per day. If you have gained some weight over the holidays, there is no time like the present to get rid of it.  There is no need to add extra weight on over Valentine’s Day.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

XOXO! The Dietnista

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

It's lunchtime!

Are you keeping track of your food and fluid intake? Remember the only way you can successfully make lifestyle changes is if you understand your daily patterns. The more we understand about our daily patterns the better we are at changing them.  I promise you will be surprised by how many calories you are consuming and how many of them are coming from fat. If you eat out at all it is hard to keep your fat intake at goal. It has always been interesting to me to look up popular meals at different restaurants. You begin to realize the foods that you thought were healthy are actually not and the foods you avoided like the plague are actually not that bad compare to other fast food options.

 This week I am going to give you ideal meals for lunch. Last week I gave you a list of foods that were the secret to weight loss. Hold on to that list because the same list of foods is going to appear in the recommendations for your lunch meals. Look at your daily food and fluid log. How many days in the past 2 weeks have you eaten lunch?  If you skipped lunch, I want you to write down why? Was it lack of time? Not hungry? Not sure what to eat? Skipping lunch to cut back on calories? What?

Ideally, Lunch should be the second largest meal of the day, behind breakfast of course.  In today’s society, lunch is usually the second largest meal; however it is behind dinner not breakfast. Lunch should be consumed 4 to 6 hours after breakfast is eaten. Studies show that lunch is usually the easiest meal to plan for and consume the appropriate amount of calories at.  

If you already eat lunch…..perfect! If not, don’t worry. Let me see if I can give you some guidance on what foods to choose.  It is recommended for most people to consume the following:

2-3 oz of Lean Protein (14-21 grams Protein)

Size of a deck of cards of red meat/size of the palm of a man’s hand and thickness of his palm of chicken or pork/ size of your entire hand and thickness of your palm of fish/ 1 slice of cheese with 2 slices of lunch meat/ ¾ cup of low fat cottage cheese/ 1 can of tuna/18 medium sized oysters

2 Starch/Bread Servings (30 grams Carbohydrate)

2 slices of high fiber, whole wheat bread/ 2/3^rd  cup of whole pasta/ 2/3^rd cup of brown rice/ 1 cup of beans/ 1 cup of corn/ 1 cup of mashed potatoes/ 1 cup of peas/2 corn tortillas/2 whole wheat tortillas/ 12 whole wheat crackers

1 Fruit serving (15 grams Carbohydrate)

Small apple/Clementine/15 grapes/10 cherries/half of a small banana /half of an orange or grapefruit/1 cup of berries/small peach or plum/any fruit that is the size of a tennis ball or can fit into a tennis ball

1 Fat serving (5 grams of added fat)

2 tsp of peanut butter/6-10 nuts/2 TBS light cream cheese/2 pecans or walnuts/1 wedge of light laughing cow cheese/1 oz or an 1/8^th  Avocado/ 1 TBS of light margarine/ 2 tsp of regular mayonnaise/ 1TBS of reduce fat mayonnaise/ 1 tsp of any oil/ 2 TBS of reduced fat salad dressing/ 1 TBS of regular salad dressing/ 1 TBS of sunflower seeds/ 1 slice of bacon/ 1 tsp of butter/ 2 TBS of coconut/ 1 TBS of cream cheese

Free Veggies (as many as you want as long as they are not fried or covered in fat)

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

Enjoy your meal!

XOXO! The Dietnista