Summertime Eating

Hot temperatures, outdoor cooking, fun parties, family get togethers,  weddings and graduations. The list goes on where food is going to be a focal point in a celebration. How do you stay on track or keep to your new lifestyle changes you have made?  Do you use the celebration as a reason to break your lifestyle change or diet?

 I have recommended to clients to use a celebration as a cheat day.  Meaning you can have one item that is not part of your regular menu, i.e. piece of cake, alcohol, something fried, a particular type of sauce or gravy are some items you may want to splurge on during an event.  If the summer is filled with festivals every month or every other week, is it wise to cheat so much?  No.

 When designating a cheat day, it should be the same day of each week.  This prevents you from letting your cheats float and then become part of your daily habit.  Your cheat item first and foremost should not be caloric dynamite.  It shouldn’t destroy all the hard work you have been doing all week long.  Cheat items are only there to break up your eating.  They allow you to have some richer foods with more control in your eating plan.

 Let’s develop a plan of attack of things you can do to manage the summertime eating…..

1. Change your goal.

 If more gatherings are on your agenda for the summer, this may be a good time to focus on maintaining your weight or body fat level than trying to lose.  Instead of having normal portions of cheat items, you may choose smaller portions to keep your current weight stable.  This will prevent you from adding more exercise to your regimen to prevent weight/fat gain during this time.  Once all the celebrations have passed, then you can focus on losing weight/body fat again.

 2. Increase your time exercising or exercise intensity.

 By adding more exercise to your regimen, you can help burn those extra calories off from your dietary indiscretions.  Your weight loss may slowdown during this time as your are balancing the extra calories in your diet with extra exercise.  Adding another exercise day, making your sessions longer or boosting your intensity will help to make the most of diet during the summer. 

3. Limit your cheats to really big or important events.

 If there are several weddings you are going to attend or family gatherings going on, pick the one you really want to splurge at.  You can save up your cheat items for one big day.  Just remember not to gorge yourself. You will still want to eat responsibly and have normal portion sizes or smaller portions of the richer foods on the menu.  By waiting for one event, the day will have less impact on your weight loss goal.  We get into trouble with cheating because we lose track of how many cheats we have allowed ourselves to have.  Next thing you know, you have gained back the 15 lbs you initially lost because of too much freedom with eating.

 4. Keep a journal of what you are cheating on and when.

 This keeps you honest about how often you have allowed yourself some freedom with your diet.  Also you can track when it is time to make necessary changes to your diet to continue with your progress.  This helps with making changes to break through a plateau.  Keeping a journal also helps to monitor how many calories you are taking in and how that matches with your exercise regimen.

5. Do not skip meals in order to have a cheat item.

 Skipping meals will only cause you to over-eat any foods that are available.  Skipping meals is a sure fire way to increase your hunger.  And when you are at the mercy of being hungry all foods look good because all you want to do is satisfy your hunger!  This is a sure fire way to fall off your wagon and do major danger to your eating program.  If you are wanting to take in fewer calories for the day of the event you may cut your portions by 1/4-1/3rd of what you normally eat.  Have more salads with very little dressing; try using lime or lemon juice instead.  Drink more non-caloric fluids during the day to help curb your appetite and keep you feeling full longer.  When you arrive at the event, continue to drink lots of fluids. Make your focus vegetables, lean meats, fruits and save the end for your favorite treat or treats.  Remember to keep your splurge items serving sizes small.  Enjoying the event is the main goal and keeping your focus off the food is priority.

6. Get in some leisurely exercise after the event.

 Taking a walk in your neighborhood, exercise with your spouse/significant other or a buddy, or spend some extra time on your favorite exercise equipment.  This workout doesn’t have to be high intensity, but getting in the extra exercise can help with burning more calories from the event you just attended.  You could also try swimming in the pool or walking the pool for 30 minutes.  You can also use your errand time to get in extra physical activity to help summertime events from being caloric dynamite! Food should not take a such a large part of your time and continuously having food on your mind can put a damper on how you feel during festive times.  This is a guide to help you with overcoming some of the barriers with eating with others.  Remember some people will understand the choices you have made to improve your life and others will not share is your victories.  Please take note that you must remind yourself why you have made these choices.  And rely on your strength within to move through tough times.  It does not always feel good having smaller portions, exercising hard, and watching what you are putting into your body.  But in the end, who is going to be happy living inside your skin? - YOU ARE.  Therefore worrying about what others think and say can hurt.  Remember to allow yourself the feelings, and remember they are momentary.  We all experience bumps in the road and you will be tested while reaching your goals!

 Cydney Walker, MS, RD, CPT

RD Finders and Personal Training

 <a href=”http://www.e-therealities.com”>www.e-therealities.com</a>

Sugar plays a huge role in our lives today. We have acquired a taste for sweetness in our
foods. Often times after meals, we will have a “taste” for something sweet. Fruits do not
seem to satisfy our learned taste for the sweetness found in products made by sugar, i.e.
baked goods, candy, frozen desserts, etc.

Sugar is a product of sugar cane harvesting.
The cane juice is boiled down and the crystals left
behind are harvested for sugar or the juice is put
through a centrifuge and the crystals are spun out
of the liquid cane juice. The crystals separate
themselves by weight with raw sugars rising to the
top and heavier molasses sugars sink to the
bottom of the centrifuge. This is how you get
raw sugar (unprocessed, unbleached sugar)
that is marketed as Sugar in the Raw or Succinot.
Cane syrup, molasses and brown sugar all start
with the juice squeezed from sugar cane stalks.

Cane syrup, molasses and brown sugars are related granulated white sugar, which is
engineered to increase the sweetness. Sugar comes in a range of varieties: Demerara,
turbinado, succinot, raw sugar, brown sugar,
high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, dextrose,
free flowing brown sugar, honey, inverted sugar,
rice syrup, confectioner’s sugar, maple syrup,
sucrose, malt, maltodextrin, and Barbados sugar
and all have slightly different taste and textures.

Each 1 teaspoon serving of sugar provides
approximately 16 calories. This is pure
carbohydrate energy that will enter into
the blood stream as glucose, ready for
cells to use.

Sugar has gotten a bad name?

With each serving of sugar you receive 16 calories. Add this up in a serving of cake, ice
cream, candy, flavored sports drink, energy drink, speciality coffee beverage and you can
end up with more than a mere 16 calories. And sugar should not have a bad name, but
the quantities of sugar used in processed foods should have a bad name.

The excess calories consumed from sugar lead to excess body fat. How is this so? Easy -
calories in versus calories out. Not that simple. You could still consume your daily
allotment of calories, but if too many come in the form of one particular macronutrient, you
will gain weight. The issue with consuming excessive calories from sugar is very little
processing has to be done by your body to convert it into glucose. Green beans, rice,
potatoes, salad and table sugar will become glucose in your body.

The main difference between complex carbohydrates - green beans, rice, etc and simple
carbohydrates is the rate at which these foods become sugar. Complex carbohydrates
contain fiber and longer chains of sugars that take longer to be broken down by enzymes in
the digestive tract. So in theory, your blood sugar rises at a slower rate than sugar
provided by a candy bar or piece of cake or juice. So the faster your blood sugar rises, the
more sugar that is available for potential energy use. If this sugar is not used immediately
for energy, then the body stores it for future use - BODY FAT! And with sugar flavored
foods, they taste really good, so it is easy to eat excessive quantities; thereby leading to
excessive calorie intake and weight gain. There is your bad rap.

Now with that being said, what are you to do if you want to include sweetness in your life.

Here comes the artificial sweeteners.

Avoiding processed and added sugar in foods is one way to manage your caloric intake.
We will discuss the major sugar substitutes on the market.

Sucralose

Consumer name: Splenda

Discovery: 1976 as an insecticide

Approved for use: 1998

Made from sugar by removing one of the -OH (hydroxyl)
groups and replacing it with -Cl (chlorine). The addition of
the chlorine decreases the absorption of sugar by some
people. Note - sucralose zero impact on blood glucose levels
is not entirely true as it cannot be determined who is
susceptible to absorbing some of the altered sugar molecule.

Growing in popularity and in being used in a wide range of products.

Acesulfame-K

Consumer name: Sweet-n-Low

Discovery:1879 replaced by other artificial
sweeteners because of cancer risk in lab rats
that were given excessive amounts of saccharin.
Packages used to contain saccharin cancer risk
labeling for consumers, this ended in 2000.

Approved for use: 1977 banned was placed on
saccharin, but Congress released a moratorium.
Approved for use in foods 1988.

Found in protein powders as acesulfame-K and is used in combination with aspartame or
sucralose as a sweetener.

Aspartame

Consumer name: NutraSweet or Equal

Discovery: 1965

Approved for use: 1981 and 1983

Used as a sweetener for diet soft drinks. Made
from two amino acids phenylalanine and
aspartic acid. Both amino acids occur naturally
in foods. Contains 4 calories per gram but
because it is 600 times sweeter than sugar, it can be
used in such small amounts that no caloric value is added
to the foods by aspartame.

The safety of aspartame has raised many questions about the scientific data collected in
laboratory rats fed aspartame. When metabolized by the body, aspartame is broken down
into formaldehyde (embalming fluid) and wood grain alcohol (methanol). These are
potential carcinogens in our bodies, if produced in large enough quantities and the
exposure is long enough. The exact amount and length of time has not been determined.

Some persons have reported side effects from consuming foods that contain aspartame.
These side effects include: headaches, dizziness, seizures, nausea, vomiting, burning
sensation in their digestive tracts, skin eruptions, or other allergic reactions to aspartame.
No repeated studies do not claim these side effects from the ingestion of aspartame.

Phenylketouria (PKU) is a genetic disorder in persons who lack the enzyme necessary to
break down phenylalanine when ingested. All products containing aspartame must carry
label warning for these individuals.

Stevia

Discovery: used by the Guarani tribe in Paraguay
and Brazil. Isolates of the chemicals that give
Stevia its sweetness 1931. Banned in 1990 as
a sweetener, but can be marketed as
a supplement.

Used in Canada and Japan as a sugar replacement in
food products. Stevia is 250-300 times sweeter than
sugar. Japan has been using Stevia as a sweetener
since 1971 and comprised 40% of the market usage
of this sweetener.

Stevia belongs to the genus the sunflower family
(Asteraceae). This plant has a delayed onset of its
sweetness properties than sugar. Has a negligible impact on glucose levels and is being
researched in obesity and high blood pressure as a treatment option. Stevia is heat stable
and can be used in place of sugar in hot and cold beverages/foods. Is available in
powdered and liquid concentrate forms.

Why the exclusion of stevia as a sugar replacer? Many thoughts surround the banning of
stevia. The major reasoning is the makers of artifical sweeteners would lose their market
share by the demand of a less toxic, natural sugar replacement. Limit research is available
on this planet usefulness as a sugar replacer. More information can be found at http://www.
stevia.com

As a consumer you will have to decide which is right for you. Do you moderate your sugar
intake and take your chances with managing your weight. Or do you throw the dice with
artificial sweeteners?

Cydney C Walker, MS, RD, CPT
RD Finders and Personal Training

References:

http://www.stevia.com

Stevia - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

Discovering Nutrition. Paul Insel, R. Elaine Turner, and Don Ross. Second Edition.
American Dietetic Association.

Over the years, our portion sizes for commonly eaten foods has grown tremendously.  How did this come to be?  In this day and age, cooking at home is a rarity and eating out is more common.  As our exposure to restaurant culture has increased, so has our thoughts on what makes an appropriate portion size.  Over the past 20 years our waistlines have increased along with the increase in portion sizes served to us at our friendly eating establishments. 

Let’s take a look at how much our portions have changed in twenty years.  It could surprise you what used to be thought of as a portion.

Bagels are very commonly eaten breakfast food items.  Bagels used to be 3 inches and contain approximately 140 calories, current bagels are now 6 inches and approximately 350 calories.  This does not include any eggs, cheese, sausage, or cream cheese to enhance our eating experience.  Much of what makes up a bagel is carbohydrate, so a now 6 inch diameter bagel can contain up to 70 grams of carbohydrates - depending on the density.  That is a whooping 280 calories that could be used for potential energy that usually ends up on our waistlines.  In terms of how much added exercise or physical activity is needed to keep that 6 inch bagel from winding up as storage - 50 additional minutes above your usually daily routine is needed to keep this bagel from being stored as body fat.

Cheeseburgers are one of America’s favorite foods.  They are quick, easy and quite satisfying.  Let’s take a look at how much the typical burger has changed.  Twenty years ago, burgers were a 3 ounce cooked beef patty on a bun with pickles, onions, ketchup and mustard - roughly 333 calories.  Now, burgers come on super huge buns, patties average 5-6 ounces of cooked meat, cheese, bacon, along with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles.  This calorie dynamite could easily top the calorie charts at 590 calories or more. 

Pasta is a big time offender in the portion distortion of the American public.  A typical serving of spaghetti twenty years ago was 1 cup, that included the sauce and meatballs were approximately 1 inch in diameter and you only received 3-4 max!  Now, a typical portion of pasta is easily 2 cups.  That does not include the sauce, which is rich in sodium (1/2 cup of store bought pasta sauce contains ~490 milligrams of sodium and who uses 1/2 cup?).  Add meat to this equation and you have a meal that exceeds 1000 calories.  Add the endless salad or pre-dinner salad with dressing and croutons.  Add in the ended less bread that comes before your dinner.  Drinks?  What dinner would be complete without them.  And now you can total your dinner fiesta coming in around 2000 calories.  Yes, 2000 calories.  Just with bread, salad, pasta and drinks.  Two thousand calories exceeds the caloric intake of most individuals.  Seeing that we are less active because we feel we have no time, which is a prime reason for going out to eat.   And now you see why you have put on an additional 10-20 pounds over the course of your adult life.

To speak on beverages, let’s look at soda.  The thirst quencher of the century.  Typical soda portions were 6.5 ounce bottles, yes, 20 years ago.  Now, a typical soda purchased is 20 ounces.  That 20 ounce soda contains ~250 calories.  The 6.5 ounce soda was a meer 85 calories.  I know you are saying to yourself, you could easily drink a 6.5 ounce soda in 1 minute flat.  You are probably right.  But do we need such large portions of beverages that have no nutritional value?  The greatest benefit a soda has is the ability to make you burp.  Sometimes that comes in handy when you have an upset stomach.  But think about how many sodas you have in a week.  Each 20 ounce soda is 250 calories.  Have one a day, that is 1250 calories from sugar - high fructose corn syrup with caramel coloring.  What benefit does that have on your body?  None!

Another eating trend are the subway styled sandwiches.  Twenty years ago a deli styled turkey sandwich was served on two slices of regular bread.  Now, we have hearty, artisian styled breads, that are 6 inches in length, topped with butter/margarine and easily contain 200 calories alone.  Add the meat, typical serving 20 years ago 3 ounces, that was 3 thinly sliced pieces of turkey.  Now, the turkey on those sandwiches can come in with 8 ounces of sliced meat.  Add in your condiments and you can get a sandwich that comes in with 820 calories.  Chips and a soda with that and now lunch just went to the 1000 calorie mark.

How about our beloved coffee drinks.  I love a good latte like most people, but I may have one once a month.  Think about your daily trip to your specialty coffee house.  A 16 ounce mocha latte with steamed whole milk and flavored syrups added and this drink comes in at 350 calories.  Just for a 16 ounce coffee drink.  Twenty years ago, coffee was 8 ounces and the most you added was cream and sugar, which you did yourself.   Some clients of mine have this as their breakfast.  Your morning cup of Joe is packed with caffeine, sugar and fat. 

Let’s look at pizza.  We all enjoy a good slice of pizza, especially if you have kids.  Quick and easy.  Just a phone call away.  Twenty years ago, pizza came in slices that were approximately 3 inches across at the top.  Now our pizza, if you only eat two slices reaches 850 calories.  But then who stops at 2 slices.  Have your never ending supply of your beverage of choice, breadsticks with dipping sauce, add a sweet dessert and again, you have easily exceeded 1500 calories.  

Just a typical week in a typical American’s diet and now you see why your weight has become such a huge issue in your life.  Once you have become accustomed to large portion sizes, it is hard to go back to smaller portions.  Basic portions are small, but allow for easy of managing your calories.  When aiming for a healthy weight, think of your portions being managed in 1/2 cup increments. 

Basic portion and calories per portion are as follows:

Vegetables - leafy or raw veggies 1 cup

                     cooked or canned vegetables 1/2 cup

Fruit - tennis ball size or 1/2 cup fruit cocktail, applesauce or pre-packeaged fruits

Dairy - milk and yogurt products 1 cup

Meat - chicken, turkey, pork, beef and fish 3 ounces cooked. Raw is slightly larger 5 ounces, which shrinks to 3 ounces when cooked.

Starches - potatoes, rice, pasta, hot cereals - 1/2 cup cooked

                 corn and peas - 1/2 cup cooked

Salad dressings - label will specify 2 tablespoons.  Most range from 7-15 grams of fat per serving.  Chose wisely!

Oil, butter, or margarine - 1 teaspoon.

Cheese - 1 slice 1oz or 3 small cubes (thumb tip size)

Your local restaurants use the same portions in planning menus.  Ask your server for assistance when making changes to meals listed on the menu.  Restaurants are starting to see the appeal of portion control and lighter meal options have in producing a favorable profit for themselves.  Do not be afraid to ask for changes.  You are the one who will ultimately pays the price. 

Cydney C Walker, MS, RD, CPT

Certified Personal Trainer and Registered Dietitian

RD Finders and Personal Training

This is the latest food rage.  One hundred calorie snack packs that are convenient, taste good and keeps you from blowing your diet.  Right?  May be not.  What is exactly in those 100 calorie snack packs may surprise you.

Let’s take a look at fat and sugar content on these tasty snacks. 
100 calorie candy bites

 100 calories, not bad

4 grams of fat, each gram containing 9 calories = 36 calories from fat.  To calculate the percentage of calories from fat you would divide 36 calories/100 total calories, then multiply by 100.  This is a whopping 36% of the calories are from fat.  It is recommended by the American Heart Association, your fat intake should be less than 30% calories from fat.  A good portion of what is making this item taste sooo good is almost 40% of the calories come from fat.  This snack item is not a low fat food item, if you are watching your calories and fat intake.  Low fat is defined as having less than 3 grams of fat per serving.  This snack item has 4 grams of fat.  That may not sound like a huge difference, but when you are counting every gram, they add up very quickly. 

Let’s take a look at the sugar content of this same snack item.  There are 17 grams of carbohydrate with 11 grams of this is sugar.  Each gram is 4 calories and this item has 44 calories from sugar - add this to the fat calories and you now almost have all 100 calories from fat and sugar (80 calories total).  What exactly does this do for your body?

Sugar provides great taste and texture to food items.  Baked goods brown better, melt in your mouth from fat and sugar; and the taste provides variety in your diet.  Outside of providing a taste experience, sugar is stored as fat, if it is not used immediately for energy.  Wow, this defeats the purpose of managing your calories and fat in order to lose weight –> ultimately body fat! 

Also, sugar can be quite addictive for some people.  There is a group in New York state, who treat sugar like alcohol and have developed a 12 step program to overcome your addiction.  By consuming foods rich in sugar, you are setting yourself up for energy lows and fixing them with a quick pick me up.  Plus, how many of us find ourselves eating more than one package?  They taste really good and they are only 100 calories, so they will not blow your diet, wrong!  One hundred calories can quickly add up.  If you have a package with lunch, one for an afternoon snack and then your last package before bedtime, that adds up to 300 calories that have no real nutritional value.  Most of these snacks are made with enriched flour, sugar, and preservatives.  Where is the fiber, calcium, vitamin A, and iron?  They just are not present in quantities that deem these snacks as being healthy.  Good tasting yes, but great for the diet, no. 

You say to yourself, “what am I to have now!?”  Try 6-8 ounce cup of yogurt that does not contain added sugar flavorings.  The new light yogurts are great because they only contain 60-100 calories per serving and are loaded with calcium, protein and healthy carbs for energy.  Try making your own 100 calorie snacks like these:

 3 tablespoons of hummus with carrots and celery (1/2 cup total vegetables) ~106 calories, monounsaturated fat and vitamin A

1 4 oz container of Lightnfit +0% yogurt with 1/4 cup Kashi GoLean cereal ~110 calories, rich in calcium

1 cup blueberries and chopped mango ~100 calories, rich in vitamin A, C and phytonutrients

2 tablespoons of Cool Whip with sugar-free Hunt’s black cherry gelatin snack ~35 calories - best snack I ever had!

So as you can see, there are healthier options for snacks.  On occasion, the 100 calorie snack packs are fine.  As a regular snack, you should seek out items that are truly beneficial to your body.

By Cydney Walker- Registered Dietitian and Personal Trainer

Sometimes the testimony of others gives us the strength to make changes in our lives.  Whether its the “if they can do it so can I” mentality or just identifying with some one elses techniques, sharing fitness stories helps.  It helps you appreciate your own hard work and it helps motivate others to make some necessary changes.

If you have or are losing a substantial amount of weight, getting stronger or are training for a competition then please tell us about it.  Include all of the details about your diet and exercise regimen. 

What are you waiting for? Start Sharing!

Most of us are always on the run and have very different schedules. Look at your calendar and map out events that you need to be physically fit for. Some things to consider are your profession, school, or athletics. For example, I like to plan my work outs around physically taxing events in my week like tennis. I play in a tennis league a few days a week and play poorly if my legs are sore from a work-out. Therefore, I plan a big lower body work out after my last tennis match for the week.

I also train a Dentist a few days a week. He is just getting back into weight training and wants to slowly re-train his muscles to grow. I plan his works outs so that his arms are never too sore to do his job during the week. Then on Friday we hammer out a great arm work-out that leaves him sore all weekend long.

Some fitness fanatics like to have the same weekly routine where they work out the same set of exercises on the same day week in week out. Well, that’s great from them but its not always that simple. Don’t be afraid to change your workout schedules to fit your schedules. If you miss a day every now and then don’t worry about it. You can always double it up with another body part tomorrow or catch up by doing that work out on your off day. Just try not to make it a habit!

How do you plan your work outs around your schedule?

Share your experiences with us!