Are You Hungry?

I've been meeting with a lot of people lately to help them with weight loss.  I guess January through Spring time is somewhat of the season of weight loss in this profession! 


It has reminded me that for humans, food is so much more than just an energy input.  We all have our own likes and dislikes based on taste preferences -- basically the "what we eat" side of the equation.  To some degree, we can categorize these into having a "sweet tooth", or loving salty foods, or disliking vegetables and so forth.  And as a Dietitian, we love to tell people what their plate should look like, or how much [insert food item here] they should have, etc.  And these are great life skills, but they don't really get to the root of the behavior change needed to alter a lifetime of poor food habits.


So it's important to focus on why we eat the things we do, and in this regard, I have found every individual to be completely unique.  One of the conversations that I think is the most helpful starts with the question, "do you ask yourself if you are hungry?". 


It's interesting to guide someone through the underlying emotions and habits around food.  Sometimes its centered around early family habits such as the requirement to eat everything on your plate "because there are starving kids in Africa...."...you all know how that goes!  Sometimes, food is used to sooth, comfort and calm.  And often in our culture it's used to celebrate!  It's important on your own journey not to judge these feelings, just to understand them.  With awareness, comes the ability to proactively make decisions, rather than being led by what you might interpret as "cravings".  Essentially, I help people engage the cognitive side of the brain, to gain back some oversight of food intake, instead of allowing these underlying feelings and habits drive everything.  Because in the conscious understanding of your own decisions, you can gain back control of a part of your life that may seem beyond your control.  And doesn't that feel comforting?  :)


If you would like my help on the journey to better eating, I'd be delighted to help you with a nutrition plan you can Live With!!

The New Gluten-free Fad

Gluten-free products are everywhere these days and it seems that going gluten-free is as much of a trend as the Atkin's Diet was in the 90's.  While there truly are some people who have a gluten allergy, they account for only 1% of the population.  What's up with the others, you ask?  In my experience it is true that some people have a gluten intolerance (not the same thing as an allergy) which may be relieved by avoiding gluten.  However, for the vast majority of people following a gluten-free diet, it's (erroneously) perceived as promoting health, vitality, disease avoidance and weight loss.  I've even seen gluten-free dog food!

Here is a great and concise article, consulting with some fellow Registered Dietitians, on the risks of gluten-free.  http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/03/12/why-shouldnt-go-gluten-free/

Basically, I'm not really sure why you would sign yourself or your family members up for this new diet fad unless you really felt you had an allergy or severe intolerance.  Furthermore, if you really feel you have an allergy or severe intolerance, consult with a Registered Dietitian who can determine if a gluten-free diet will be of benefit to you and advise you on how to replace the nutrients you are eliminating with the gluten.

Great Recipes using The Plate Method

Just a quick post today!  When I teach people how to deploy better nutrition habits, I use what we call "The Plate Method" a LOT.  The USDA now uses it to replace the old "Food Pyramid" that you may be familiar with.  Nobody could ever quite figure out how to eat "in pyramid style" so it was an almost completely useless tool.  Now, we can use this visual plate to help us put the correct proportions of food on our plates!

Anyway, I found this really great Pinterest board of published recipes that conform to this new plate method approach and really wanted to share them with you -- Pinterest MyPlate Recipes

If you try any of them out, give me a shout...I'd love to hear what you thought of them!

The Grand New Years Weight Loss Goal....

Millions of us will make the weight loss pledge this New Years -- having felt the weight piling on through halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve, we find the idea of doing something about it in January so enticing!

Unfortunately, diets often put us in yo-yo weight loss mode, bouncing back and forth between weight highs and lows, with the highs getting higher over the years.  Crash diets and fad diets typically make this worse.

Instead of putting yourself on a diet, how about establishing new, healthy habits that will lead to weight loss and a healthier lifestyle?  I really enjoyed the post below from a fellow Dietitian and encourage you to read it!  In a nutshell;

Be Specific - set a realistic and attainable goal, such as "I will limit my soda intake to one per day", or "I will make half my plate vegetables for lunch and dinner every day".

Be Positive - don't beat yourself up!  Angels fly because they take themselves lightly.  :)

Nourition Blog

As Nour reminds us;

 "Do what you've always done, get what you've always got!"

What's a food industry to do?

The food industry and it's advertising techniques heavily influence what we buy and what our kids ask (demand??!) us to buy for them.  I saw this video on YouTube today and wanted to share it -- it's an excellent reminder to assess those messages carefully!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BdFkK-HufU&list=UUVNyZUMykNKrK70JC_Q1qug&index=1

Would you like some arsenic with your rice?

Recent headlines about levels of arsenic in rice have struck fear into the hearts of gluten-free diet followers everywhere!  A Consumer Reports study showed that both organic and inorganic arsenic compounds were quite high in several types of rice, particularly brown rice.  The gluten-free community tends to eat a LOT of rice, for example they may eat rice chex for breakfast, rice crackers as a snack, and rice or rice pasta for lunch and dinner.  Therefore, the gluten-free community is likely to be eating more arsenic than they realize, which is concerning as arsenic is potentially cancer promoting and may affect brain development and IQ in growing children.

There are no federal regulations for arsenic in food, so technically, no laws have been broken and we really don't even know that the levels are dangerously high, but it is an interesting finding and one which makes me inclined to remind all my patients that variety is key!  Furthermore, until more information is gathered about this issue (the FDA has a large study underway), there are a couple of things you should consider....but remember, don't panic and ban brown rice from your table!  Moderation is key.

What you need to know;

• Brown rice has higher levels of arsenic than white rice
• Rice from the US southern states is particularly high in inorganic arsenic, due to a pesticide that was used decades ago in the same region to protect cotton crops
• Consumer Reports recommends to cut back to just 2-3 serving per WEEK, with less for babies and children.
• Pregnant women, children and babies are at particular risk

What you should consider doing;

• Rinse your rice several times before cooking it
• Cook your rice with excess water and drain it off, similar to the way pasta is cooked.  Remember though, this also will discard many of the healthy minerals and vitamins from the rice
• Purchase rice grown in Thailand or India and avoid rice from the southern US (eg, Texmati brand)
• Vary your grains— use Millet, Sorghum, oats, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat and cornmeal
• Consider adding vegetable-based starches back into your meal plans - potatoes and sweet potatoes, winter squash, corn, dried beans, peas, lentils

With moderation and variety you will reduce your exposure to the food-bourne issue du jour.  That's nutrition you can live with!

Reaching for a Soda? Think about this first!

There is a general undertone in the medical community at the moment regarding sugary drinks.  We all know that they provide absolutely no nutritional value at all, but why do we keep drinking them?  Well, you might say they taste good, we like the sweetness of them, they are refreshing, or we like them better than plain water.  Ok, fine.  But do you know that they have negative effects on your health?  And if you consider the graphic below, produced by a collaboration between many health groups, does it perhaps tilt your mental scales on the pros and cons a bit more towards moderation?  Of even ordinary old water?  That would be good.  :)