Showing posts with label registered dietitian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label registered dietitian. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

You Ate HOW Much?? Part Two

I like to eat chips out of the bag, peanut butter out of the jar, and ice cream out of the carton. I usually tell myself one of two things:

1. I’m only going to have a little or...
2. I really don’t want to dirty a dish

But, of course, the truth is I really want to eat these foods with wild abandon and have no clear notion of how many servings I just consumed! Do you know any one that does this?? It may be time for you to intervene...as I know that this is my own personal cry for help!!

A few years ago, Ruby Tuesday started including nutrition information on its menu for all of its menu items. The interesting thing is that their business dropped off by almost 40%!! So they quickly changed their menus...knowing that ignorance is bliss...at least when it comes to calories and fat content.

The moral of this story is that we really don’t want to know! We don’t want to know how many tablespoons of peanut butter we just ate or how many calories the Rib Platter at Ruby Tuesdays has or how many grams of fat we consumed in that “almost” half pint of Ben & Jerry’s we just scarfed down!

So there’s nothing wrong with having a treat...now and then! In fact, I think we all need to treat ourselves! But just be sure you know how much you are going to eat and stick with it. That’s why I advocate buying individual portion sizes of the really good stuff...because I know that I have no self control! So put that ice cream in a bowl...no, not a mixing bowl next time! Or place your serving of chips on the plate with your sandwich...don’t just take the bag with you to the den! It will make a huge difference before you know it! Have a great rest of the week!

Monday, March 3, 2008

You ate HOW much???

It is believed that close to 80% of us underestimate the number of calories that we actually consume. No wonder we can’t lose any weight! Restaurants these days serve mammoth portions of just about everything and we have conditioned ourselves to eat it...ALL!

Remember back in school when we got those little tiny cups of ice cream?? Would you believe that is actually a serving! Not anything like my bowl of ice cream in the evening! Or the little box of popcorn we used to get at the school ball game? Once again...the perfect portion. Nothing like the MEGA-TUB that we see these days. And you know what...it’s making us just that...MEGA-TUBS!!
This is not to say that you have to limit yourself to one portion...we all just need to be aware how much we are really eating. So grab out those measuring cups and spoons and spend a few days measuring to see how much cereal you are really eating or how much wine you are really drinking. One glass= 5 ounces...that’s a little more than a half cup. Once we know how much we are putting in...then we can adjust from there. Maybe you don’t want to drink less wine but would be willing to eat one less serving of pasta. It’s all a game of trade-offs. No food is bad as long as moderation is the word of the day!! And don’t forget to keep moving...maybe you can earn a few of those portions back! Have a great week!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Kills Bugs DEAD!

When to Buy Organic...

Buying organic can really break the bank. I have always wondered if it was really worth it... Recently, IDEA Health and Fitness Association published a list of the “dirty dozen...” a list of the twelve fruits and vegetables that tend to have the highest levels of pesticides. By purchasing the organic variety of the following “dirty dozen,” you will actually lower your exposure to pesticides by almost ninety percent! Wow!

The Dirty Dozen...
1. Apples
2. Celery
3.Cherries
4. Imported Grapes
5. Lettuce
6. Nectarines
7. Peaches
8. Pears
9. Potatoes
10. Spinach
11. Strawberries
12. Sweet Bell Peppers
So it seems like the most important thing to remember when buying organic is that if you’re going to eat the skin or if the skin is thin...best to get organic. So stick with those conventional bananas and carrots but better cough up the extra change next time you buy strawberries or apples.