Eating Right http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/ en-us Nucleus CMS v3.32 � Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://eating-right.servicefoods.com//nucleus/nucleus2.gif Eating Right http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/ Tips for a Healthy Lunch Box http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=93
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]]> Dana's Tips http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=93 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 01:53:36 -0400 The Pros of Eating In http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=92 null
Our nation is facing an obesity epidemic that has sadly affected our children the most. Research has shown that for the first time in history our children are not expected to outlive their parents. With all of the resources we have to improve our health, I often ask myself, “Where are we going wrong as a country with our food?”
My personal food journal always gives me the answers I am looking for. We as a country are eating out way too much; we are too busy for our own good! My calories, fat, sugar, and sodium are ridiculously high on the days I eat out, even if I try to make healthy choices. The bottom line is that restaurants and fast food establishments are businesses and they ultimately want you as a regular customer and the way they keep you coming back is by making the food taste great with extra fat, sugar, sodium, etc. Take your body on as a personal project and only eat out 1-2 times per week. I can guarantee that you will see major results in your health, your energy level and your waistline.
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The pros to eating in:
• You will save unwanted calories, fat, sodium, and sugar and see the body fat melt off.
• You will have the option to eat all natural food products without all of the preservatives and chemicals that are typically found eating out.
• You will save money; a meal cooked at home for the entire family can cost the same as one meal for you eating out.
• You brush up on your cooking skills and pull out the recipe box. Put all of the Food Network tips from your favorite shows to great use, cooking can even develop into a great hobby!
• More rest and relaxation, sometimes it feels like we never spend quality time at home by avoiding restaurants you can eat in your pajamas and enjoy the company of your family.
The common complaint that I often hear when I ask clients to cook meals at home is, “I don’t have time.” Sure I know you don’t have time to make a gourmet meal with 20 different ingredients every night of the week but it does not have to be that labor intensive. With a little planning cooking at home can be easy. Take an extra 10 minutes before you go to the grocery store to plan out your week of meals. Here are some simple ideas for quick week night dinners:
• Turkey breast in the crock pot with vegetables and potatoes
• Whole wheat spaghetti with lean ground beef meat sauce and side salad with oil/vinegar based dressing
• Chicken fajitas (chicken and veggies of your choice seasoned with cumin and paprika topped on small whole wheat tortillas)
• Lean Flat iron steak with sweet potatoes and baked asparagus with olive oil and minced garlic
• Baked Salmon with herbs and olive oil, brown rice and steamed greens beans

]]> Dana's Tips http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=92 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:32:38 -0400 Lose Weight with Sundaes! http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=90
The moral of the fruit sundae is to get out to the grocery store stock up on your favorite fruits, make sure you cut them up right away so it will be ready to grab and trick your brain into having a healthy sundae. Ditch the high calorie processed desserts and do your body a favor by consuming colorful antioxidants and it will thank you for saving an extra 200-400 calories per sitting.

]]> Dana's Tips http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=90 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:27:48 -0400 Super Food Salad http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=89
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]]> Dana's Tips http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=89 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:09:07 -0400 Motivation http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=88
Think about the real reasons you may want to improve your lifestyle, lose weight or get back into shape and then build goals off of those reasons.

Write down your goals, yes, I know it sounds corny but if you put it in writing then it is more concrete. Tell your friends and family about your goals, this way you will be accountable to those who are watching you achieve them; after all you can't go back on your word!

Spice up your routine, if you have been doing the same thing for the past few months like walking for 30 minutes 5 times per week and you have seen no results, shake it up a little. Take a dance class, go to aqua aerobics, hire a trainer to teach you how to effectively resistance train, the options are endless! Also shake up your eating, look up some healthy recipes online and make eating healthy fun.

Develop a support system. No, I don't mean invite a group of people over to sit in a circle talk about their cravings and all of the junk food they miss, that is what nutrition therapy is for. Enlist a group of friends with common goals to workout with, share recipes and plan healthy social outings like going to the farmer's market, hiking a new trail, etc. Studies show that if you have a good support system you will maintain results for a longer period of time and it is much harder to go about a lifestyle change alone.
]]> Dana's Tips http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=88 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:20:45 -0400 Diabetic Tips http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=87 null
Type 2 Diabetes is turning into an epidemic; it breaks my heart to see both children and adults who are diagnosed with this disease that could have been prevented with weight management and proper nutrition. There are millions of people in this country who are walking around unaware that they have diabetes. I often hear from clients that they did not feel any symptoms when they were first diagnosed so they did not take it seriously and were not compliant to the diabetic diet their doctor recommended to them. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes and feel "fine" you will have a better quality of life down the road if you make some healthy habit changes NOW. Don't worry, you can still enjoy your favorite foods and your quality of life will not go down, just focus on making small changes. Controlling your diabetes through diet and exercise is optimal. A common goal of most of my diabetic clients is to get off diabetes medication while avoiding further complications such as neuropathy, blindness, amputation, or becoming insulin dependent. You can have that goal too!
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Exercise for 30 minutes most days of the week, studies show that exercise helps stabilize blood sugars. Some experts even suggest that on the days you exercise you do not have diabetes. I would not go that far, but to say the least exercise is VERY important when it come to diabetes.

Aim to lose 7% of your body weight, several studies have proven that weight loss contributes to stable blood sugars. For a 275 lb. adult male this means lose 20 pounds or for 170 lb. female they should lose 12 pounds.

Focus on fiber and lean protein. Fiber helps slow down the absorption of carbohydrates which leads to stable blood sugars and helps one avoid high blood sugar readings. Aim to eat a minimum of 25 grams of fiber per day; fiber sources include whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Protein also helps slow down the absorption of carbohydrates and should be included in most meals or snacks. Instead of having pasta with marinara sauce add a grilled chicken breast or lean ground turkey or beef to the sauce. Rather than having a piece of fruit as a snack has it with some low fat cottage cheese or 1-2 Tbs. all natural peanut butter. The extra protein will keep you feeling full for a longer period of time thus avoiding overeating later in the day.

If you are struggling with diabetes and have specific questions or comments I would love to help you! Post a comment or e-mail me directly.
]]> Dana's Tips http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=87 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:20:38 -0400 Vegetables in Your Diet http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=86
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]]> Dana's Tips http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=86 Wed, 9 Jun 2010 05:45:25 -0400 It's Hot Drink Up! http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=85 null
Summer is on and it is hot out there, I am constantly fussing at my boys about drinking more water. They will come in from playing basketball and swimming all afternoon and tell me they drank 1 bottle of water, which is NOT enough! Then they complain about a headache and become irritable and sleepy, these are the most common signs of dehydration.

If you are thirsty then often it is too late. Aim to drink a minimum of half your body weight in ounces of water per day. So if you weight 150 lbs. then aim to drink a minimum of 75 ounces that day, BUT 100 ounces is ideal.

If you hate drinking water because it "has no taste" don't reach for the artificial flavored sweetener packets, they are laced with harmful chemicals that are almost just as bad as being dehydrated. Sweeten your water with sliced fresh fruit, I have been making a pitcher of water with sliced strawberries and lemons and the flavor is BETTER then the horrible artificial sweeteners that people tend to reach for.

Forget about diet sodas, regular sodas, teas or coffees. There are some beneficial antioxidant properties to coffee and tea but when it comes to hydration stick to plain H2O, and limit sodas, there are no hydration benefits about sodas.

Here are some general guidelines to think about when hydrating, especially if you are training, working, or spending any time out in the sun.

• Drink about 8-16oz. of fluid 2 hours prior to exercise or an event outside.
• Drink about 4-8oz. of fluid 15 minutes pre-exercise to maximize absorption without urination.
• About 4-8oz. of fluid is needed every 15-20 minutes during exercise (working or training).
• Drink at least 16oz. of fluid following exercise. During hot weather it is a good idea to weigh in before and after exercise and consume at least 16-24oz. of fluid for every pound difference.
• Try drinking at least 8oz. at each meal and between each meal. Remember-thirst is not a reliable indicator of hydration status.
• Limit caffeine and beverages containing alcohol since they can contribute to further dehydration.
• Sports drinks containing carbohydrates have been associated with enhanced performance and delayed fatigue in events lasting 1 hour or more, sports drinks are NOT necessary most of the time, they contain extra sodium and sugar needed fro prolonged exercise lasting for 1 hour or more.

]]> Dana's Tips http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=85 Tue, 8 Jun 2010 07:51:20 -0400 What kind of dieter are you? http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=84 null
An assertive dieter is not really a dieter; they are a healthy eater who is firm in their decisions. They do not gorge on junk food while eating their favorite foods in moderation and they stop eating when they are full or satisfied not stuffed. An example of being assertive at a party would be to take only a small sliver of cake this way you will not insult the host, you will still enjoy the treat but not break the bank on calories. To be assertive is been defined as a quality of being self assured. This is a wonderful characteristic to have when it comes to your nutrition. I was at a family get together last weekend and was observing behaviors of those around me when it came to food, and let me tell you there were only a few assertive types out there.


Another dieter is the aggressive dieter, they never last! We have all met someone who is so crazy about losing weight and then you see them 6 months later after they gained all of their weight back and then some! During the aggressive dieting stages their quality of life is not great because they are typically counting points, calories, and eating bland foods. They don’t enjoy parties, eating out or cocktail hour because of the all or nothing attitude towards their diet. Aggressive dieter typically is a yo-yo dieter and struggles with balance of life and health. I have had clients pass up dinner parties with great friends because they did not want to mess up their diet, come on that is not life! The best advice I could give an aggressive dieter is to search for a healthy balance and realize that they will maintain a lifestyle change forever if they follow a healthy eating plan 80% of the time. An occasional cheat meal (1-2x week) does not mean that you have no will power, giving into cravings once in a while will help you stay on track for all of your other meals.

The most common dieter that I see is the passives, they have a difficult time because they give into peer pressure of those around them and their will power is not very strong. If someone justifies to them why it is okay to have fried foods or desserts then they 9 times out of 10 will give in. A passive dieter is really not ready to change no matter what they tell you, they enjoy food and open excuses to eat the foods they enjoy. I try to help passive dieters by coming up with healthy alternatives for the foods they love, if they love pizza then I will give them a recipes for a whole wheat tortilla pizza that taste just as good with half of the calories and fat of take out pizzas. Cooking tasty healthy dishes will keep them from feeling deprived and they will not give into peer pressure as easily if they are enjoying healthy food.

Aggressive and passive dieters can be turned into assertive successful healthy eaters! Comments and questions are always welcome. Happy May to all of you!
]]> Dana's Tips http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=84 Thu, 13 May 2010 12:57:27 -0400 Eating For Two http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=83
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]]> Dana's Tips http://eating-right.servicefoods.com/index.php?itemid=83 Tue, 11 May 2010 14:34:56 -0400