If we gain an understanding of what we NEED to know about our health, it will be a lot easier for us to WANT to make changes in our weight, lifestyle and overall well being. Technological advances are a wonderful entry for our society to begin learning about our bodies and empower us to take charge of our future. This is a wonderful review of new technologies that allow for tracking of data in a fun way. 350-001
It doesn’t have to be difficult to be healthy! š http://www.healthymagination.com/blog/turning-health-into-a-game/
No excuses. It is now so simple for anyone to find fresh fruit! Technology is our friend these days in our attempt to be healthy – one click of a mouse and you too can have yummy, healthy fresh fruit: http://neighborhoodfruit.com/iphoneapp
This study suggests that changes in brain chemistry are far tougher to undo than they are to avoid. Therfore, it is even more urgent that we educate kids early on the importance of proper eating and movement.
“These findings confirm what we and many others have suspected that overconsumption of highly pleasurable food triggers addiction-like neuroadaptive responses in brain reward circuitries, driving the development of compulsive eating,” said lead researcher Dr Paul Kenny, from The Scripps Research Institutein Florida. “Common mechanisms may therefore underlie obesity and drug addiction,ā he added. āThese data are, as far as we know, the strongest support for the idea that overeating of palatable food can become habitual in the same manner and through the same mechanisms as consumption of drugs of abuseā. Nature Neuroscience 10.1038/nn.2519 āDopamine D2 receptors in addiction-like reward dysfunction and compulsive eating in obese ratsā
http://www.rodale.com/michelle-obama-speech-gma?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_03_17-_-Top5-_-NA Michelle Obama nails it! Food Manufacturers know they are good at targeting children to purchase their products. They know that a lot of the products they produce are high in calories, fat and sugar. If people continue to buy their product, what is their motivation for change?! Well, we are now giving them a reason to change. Very politely, the Food Makers were asked to look at what their products are doing to our children and not ‘buck the trend toward more healthful food’. It is time to not only stop marketing unhealthy food to children, but to start marketing more healthy options to children. It takes teamwork and ‘Team Food Manufacturers’ have their work cut out for them.
Eat your breakfast. Research has shown that you will be less hungry throughout the day, eat less junk food and therefore lose more weight if you just eat your morning meal. The end.
It seems like every time you turn around there is an ad for something yummy, a waft of something deep-friedā¦
Keeping control of your intake takes a new mindset. When the body is content, it is much easier to resist tempting foods. The first step to getting to that ācontentmentā is the challenge. I believe that You have the Power! You just need to use it.
Believing in yourself is a very powerful thing. Yes, our bodies have cravings, but typically not every day if we feed it properly. If you can keep your blood sugar balanced throughout the day, you will find an unbelievable wave of self-control come over you. Itās true. Eating every four hours will keep your body satisfied and not searching for something more or ātemptingā. All your body wants to do is provide you with the energy to do all that you ask it to do. So, if it has enough food to do that and it doesnāt feel like it is running low (drop in blood sugar), it will clear the mind and let you focus on more important things than chocolate or French fries.
Eating “healthy” just sounds so horrible (and boring) ….so, let’s call it Eating “yummy”….what do ya say?! Yummy foods are easy to find and don’t necessarily take a ton of preparation. It’s true. It’s best if you go to the grocery store at least once a week, but not a requirement. Breakfast: Always good to kick start the metabolism first thing in the morning. Yes, the body works that way. If you feed it after it’s 8-12 hours of starvation during sleeptime, it will respond with a boost in energy. The other key to breakfast is make sure you eat something that will carry you thru to your next meal. Yummy Ideas?? *Bowl of fresh fruit & one slice Peanutbutter toast *Oatmeal with berries (fresh or frozen) & scrambled egg whites *Kashi Go-Lean Crunch cereal and low-fat milk or soymilk (try it, you’ll like it!) *Whole grain bagel & smoked salmon & lowfat cream cheese Lunch: Keep it simple cause we are going to add a snack to your mid-day. You now don’t need to worry about your lunch having to keep you full until dinner time! Crazy concept, I know. Yummy ideas?? *Grilled fish with lots of veggies of choice *Spinach salad with avocado, tomatoes & protein of choice (fish, chicken, egg, etc.) *Sprouted grain bread & tuna salad & fruit *Grilled chicken sandwich & side salad (dressing on the side please) Dinner: This one seems to be most difficult for people. Don’t worry, enjoy your family time and family favorites, just cut the portion size a bit and look at the sides you are eating. To make a change at this meal is simple if you start with the food basics – apply this at home as well as when dining out. Yummy ideas?? *4-6 oz lean Protein (Fish, Chicken or lean Beef) & all the veggies you want *Smoked Salmon sandwich on Ezekiel Bun & sauteed Spinach *Large Salad with low-fat dressing & 4 oz Protein & 1/4 Avocado Snacks: Mmmmm….snacks! Yup, it is now time to make snacking a priority. Yummy snacking is important for keeping your metabolism strong. Huge meals are a thing of the past. Being the efficient machine that we are, our body digests most food in about 3-4 hours. This means that once the food is digested, our metabolism slows down in preparation for our potential desert island excurtion. The body is always prepared for a food shortage, therefore it is critical that you let it know that it can BURN as much as it wants whenever it wants. Yummy Ideas: *Banana & almond butter *Handful of Almonds or Walnuts & piece of Fruit *Hummus & carrots *Cliff Bar *6 whole wheat crackers & low-fat cheese
Shhh…don’t tell anyone…
The secret is that you can eat ANYTHING you want! Yes, it is true. The secret to success is believing that you can achieve your goal and eat anything you want. Picture yourself looking the way you want to look. Picture yourself doing activities with your friends in the jeans you want to wear. See it , believe it and it will happen. So often we shower ourselves with negative thoughts (ie: I ‘can not have’ seconds, I am ‘not allowed’ to eat after 7:00pm, I ‘will not’ eat chocolate today, etc.). The more energy we expend depriving ourself, the more we want what is ‘not allowed’. Instead, we should give ourselves permission to enjoy life – you should allow yourself to enjoy what is you want knowing that the positive energy will come back to you as strength. Look at the way children react when you tell them ‘no’. They keep trying and trying until they get what they want. Most times, if you watch, once they get what they want, they get bored with it quickly and move on to something else. Keep the positive talk alive – ‘I can eat anything I want’! See it, believe it and make it happen.
Eating “healthy” just sounds so horrible (and boring) ….so, let’s call it Eating “yummy”….what do ya say?! Yummy foods are easy to find and don’t necessarily take a ton of preparation. It’s true. It’s best if you go to the grocery store at least once a week, but not a requirement. Breakfast: Always good to kick start the metabolism first thing in the morning. Yes, the body works that way. If you feed it after it’s 8-12 hours of starvation during sleeptime, it will respond with a boost in energy. The other key to breakfast is make sure you eat something that will carry you thru to your next meal. Yummy Ideas?? *Bowl of fresh fruit & one slice Peanutbutter toast *Oatmeal with berries (fresh or frozen) & scrambled egg whites *Kashi Go-Lean Crunch cereal and low-fat milk or soymilk (try it, you’ll like it!) *Whole grain bagel & smoked salmon & lowfat cream cheese Lunch: Keep it simple cause we are going to add a snack to your mid-day. You now don’t need to worry about your lunch having to keep you full until dinner time! Crazy concept, I know. Yummy ideas??
*Grilled fish with lots of veggies of choice
*Spinach salad with avocado, tomatoes & protein of choice (fish, chicken, egg, etc.)
*Sprouted grain bread & tuna salad & fruit
*Grilled chicken sandwich & side salad (dressing on the side please)
Dinner: This one seems to be most difficult for people. Don’t worry, enjoy your family time and family favorites, just cut the portion size a bit and look at the sides you are eating. To make a change at this meal is simple if you start with the food basics – apply this at home as well as when dining out. Yummy ideas??
*4-6 oz lean Protein (Fish, Chicken or lean Beef) & all the veggies you want
*Smoked Salmon sandwich on Ezekiel Bun & sauteed Spinach
*Large Salad with low-fat dressing & 4 oz Protein & 1/4 Avocado
Snacks: Mmmmm….snacks! Yup, it is now time to make snacking a priority. Yummy snacking is important for keeping your metabolism strong. Huge meals are a thing of the past. Being the efficient machine that we are, our body digests most food in about 3-4 hours. This means that once the food is digested, our metabolism slows down in preparation for our potential desert island excurtion. The body is always prepared for a food shortage, therefore it is critical that you let it know that it can BURN as much as it wants whenever it wants. Yummy Ideas:
Funny thing is… we know the foods that are “good” for us and the foods that are “bad” for us. Funny, interesting…. we continue to eat what we want, when we want regardless of that knowledge. I refuse to believe that the answer is willpower or a magic pill. Society has given us the ability to have variety in our lives – let”s start using that to our benefit. Taking small steps is the key to success. As you well know, fad diets come and go, and so does the weight that you typically lose. So, taking small steps may seem anticlimactic, but it is a way the body can learn and see lasting results. Small steps means adjusting your current lifestyle in ways that will result in weight loss, muscle maintenance or growth and optimal health. These changes must able to fit into your lifestyle or you will not be able to maintain them. Change is good. Change could be as simple as:
*eating breakfast
*adding a snack in the afternoon so you are not ravenous at dinner
*incorporating omega-3 fatty acids into your daily meal plan
*cutting down to 1 soda a day *eating fish twice a week
*adding more friut and vegetables to your meals
*reading labels
*only having dessert 3 times a week instead of every night
*having a carbohydrate and a protein at every meal and snack
Michelle Ricker RDN
