UPDATES AND TOPIC FOR 10-21-13

 

 

 

 

WE ARE ENCOURAGING YOU TO HELP SHOW THE MESSAGE OF THE WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE TO YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, CO-WORKERS ETC BY INVITING THEM IN TO CELEBRATE AND SUPPORT YOU DURING OUR POTLUCK CELEBRATION.  LET US HELP PAINT A VISION OF WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING AND LEARNING AND WHAT WE OFFER!  HAVING A GREAT SUPPORT SYSTEM IS ONE OF THE KEY ELEMENTS TO SUCCESS SO START INVITING!  WE ARE ASKING THAT ALL OF YOU BRING IN A HEALTHY DISH TO SHARE ON THE 28TH!

 

 

 

Heidi Abner Bannister

MONDAY

Class went well last night, considering that the instructors were half asleep! Lol. We had 5 challengers losing this week, with a total of 13.2 pounds! Biggest loser was Eric, who lost 5 pounds and our very own Marilyn who lost 3.8(even in Vegas!) We talked a lot about poop!! Learned why it's important to have a healthy digestive system and ways to improve digestive health. We high-lighted a few products that can help. Aloe, Active Fiber Complex and 21 Day Cleanse.

 

TUESDAY

Congratulations to Angel Rupp who was the biggest loser with losing 4.2 POUNDS!  Woot Woot...way to go girl :)

She said that she had great results because of dialing in her calories and protein and TRACKING IT!  She also knows that 20% of the formula is exercise so she did that too :)  

Best Picks and Skips at the Salad Bar
Salad bars can be diet salvation or junk-food minefields. Here's how to get from one end to the other without detonating an explosion of bad fats, sodium, sugar, and refined carbs.
1. Go dark on greens: Build a vitamin -- and fiber-packed --foundation by starting with roughly 1 cup of spinach and romaine leaves (for more than half of your daily vitamin A and all of your K, plus some C, folate, two potent vision protectors, and more). Skip'em: Lighter greens tend to offer less nutritionally. Iceberg lettuce, for instance, delivers only about 7% of the A you need, some K and not much else.
2. Go bright on veggies: Next, add about 1 cup of the most colorful crudités - broccoli, carrots, cherry tomatoes, green and red peppers, beets, like that. Ounce for ounce, vibrant veggies give you more fiber, minerals, vitamins, and disease-fighting antioxidants than their paler companions, like celery and cucumbers. Skip'em: Anything coated in mayo or an indefinable dressing, including carrot and raisin mixes, cole slaw, and potato salad.
3. Choose lean proteins: Aim for about ½ cup of these. Chickpeas and kidney beans are nifty sources of fat-free protein (6 grams each). Sliced hard-boiled eggs (8 grams) are another smart choice; just limit the yolk to limit the fat. Skip'em: Chicken, tuna, or crab salads - they're usually made with high-fat mayo; three-bean salad, which typically is afloat in a sea of oil; and cottage cheese, which is high in aging (read artery-clogging) saturated fat.
4. Sprinkle on extra flavor and crunch: Like cheese? Add 1 tablespoon of Parmesan (22 calories) to punch up the flavor, or 1 tablespoon of walnuts or sunflower seeds for some healthy crunch. Both have good-for-your-heart fats, which help your body absorb the nutrients in all those veggies. Skip'em: Cheddar cubes - you'll quickly eat more than you need; croutons - they may look harmless but at 100 calories per ¼ cup, they're usually high-cal booby traps of refined carbs, sodium, and trans fats. Ditto for crunchy Asian noodles.
5. Dress for success: Now swirl on about 1 tablespoon of heart-healthy olive oil, a splash of vinegar, a grating of pepper, and toss, toss, toss. Ask any chef. It's the secret to a perfect salad - thorough tossing ensures that all the flavors and textures are evenly distributed and lets you use minimal dressing to maximum effect. Skip'em: Walk right past those vats of ready-made salad dressings. Even the low-fat or fat-free versions are usually loaded with salt, sugar, and additives. And just 2 tablespoons of regular blue cheese or ranch have about 160 fat-packed calories
Ready? Dig in. Yum. Mission accomplished!
PS: Prefer a fruit salad? Easy. Go for whatever's fresh - melons, berries, pineapple, kiwi - and top with 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds for a dollop of good fats and crunchy flavor. Then buy a small container of low- or no-fat yogurt/cottage cheese for creamy protein minus the sat fat in dairy foods. Skip'em: Syrupy canned peaches, apricots, pears, etc. They have far more calories and fewer nutrients than fresh fruit.

3) Which Taco Bell item is a smarter choice?
Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme
Taco Bell Zesty Chicken Border Bowl

4) Which item is the lowest-calorie dessert at the golden arches?
McDonald's Apple Dippers
McDonald's Kiddie Cone

5) Which south-of-the-border meal won’t tip the scale?
2 Baja Fresh Original Charbroiled
2Taco Bell Chicken Ranchero Tacos

6) Which fish sandwich is lower in calories?
Burger King Big Fish sandwich
McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich

7) Which roast beef sandwich is the most diet-friendly?
Arby's Big Montana Roast Beef Sandwich
Hardee's Big Roast Beef sandwich

8) Can you pick the lower-fat sub?
Quiznos Turkey Ranch & Swiss sub (Regular size)
Subway Chicken & Bacon Ranch (6-inch)
Class 4 Week 7

1) Which drive-thru taco salad contains fewer calories?
Taco Bell's Fiesta Taco Salad
Wendy's Southwest Taco Salad

2) Which burger is lower in fat?
Wendy's Jr. Hamburger
Hardee's Slammer
Class 4 Week 7

9) Which grilled chicken sandwich makes a better choice?
Chick-fil-A Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich (with lettuce, pickle & tomato)
McDonald's Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich (no mayo)

10) Which veggie sandwich is as low-fat as it sounds?
Subway 6-inch Veggie Delight Sub (with American cheese)
Panera (or St. Louis) Bread Garden Veggie Sandwich

11) Which potato product weighs in with fewer calories?
Wendy's Baked Potato with bacon & cheese
Burger King medium French Fries

12) Which has fewer calories--the burger or burrito?
McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese
Chipotle Chicken Burrito (tortilla, rice, chicken, tomato salsa, lettuce, and cheese)



The Hunt for Hidden Sugar
How Much of the Sweet Stuff is Hiding Your Foods?
-- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian
Ready for a little experiment? Grab that jar of sugar, a measuring spoon, a plate and a can of regular soda. Then, dump one teaspoon of sugar onto the plate. Repeat this nine more times. Do you know what you have, besides a mess? The amount of sugar in one 12-ounce can of soda! Just look at that mound! Now locate the sugar listing on the soda's nutrition label—40 grams. Four grams of sugar equals one teaspoon. Do the math. That innocent can of pop contains 10 teaspoons of sugar and 160 empty calories. Even if you don’t drink regular soda, the typical American now eats the equivalent of about 31 teaspoons (124 grams) of added sugar every day. That sugar alone adds up almost 500 extra calories—about 25% of the average person's caloric intake. WOW! Less is More So how much should you limit your sugar intake? Several health organizations suggest that added sugar should be limited to no more than 10 percent of your total calories. This does not include naturally occurring sugars found in fruits (fructose) and dairy products (lactose). The chart below lists the maximum recommended daily sugar intake based on various calorie levels. Maximum Sugar Intake
Daily Calorie Intake
Grams
Teaspoons
1200
30
7.5
1500
37
9
1800
45
11
2100
52
13
2400
60
15
2700
67
17
Deciphering Labels It can be confusing to try to find out how much added sugar a food contains. The sugar listing on a Nutrition Facts label lumps all sugars together, including naturally-occurring milk and fruit sugars, which can be deceiving. This explains why, according to the label, one cup of milk has 11 grams of sugar even though it doesn't contain any sugar “added” to it. To determine how much sugar has been added to a food product, follow these two tips:
•
Read the ingredients list. Learn to identify terms that mean added sugars, including sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup, dextrin, honey, invert sugar, maple syrup, raw sugar, beet sugar, cane sugar, corn sweeteners, evaporated cane juice, high fructose corn syrup, malt, molasses, and turbinado sugar.
•
Refer to the chart below for approximate amounts of hidden sugar in foods. Class 4 Week 8
Hidden Sugars in Foods
Food
Serving Size
Added Sugar
Cakes and Cookies
Angel food cake
4 oz piece
7 tsp
Banana Cake
4 oz piece
2 tsp
Brownie, no icing
1 oz piece
4 tsp
Cheesecake
4 oz piece
2 tsp
Chocolate cake, iced
4 oz piece
10 tsp
Chocolate chip cookie
1 cookie
2 tsp
Coffee cake
4 oz piece
5 tsp
Cupcake, iced
4 oz piece
6 tsp
Fig Newtons
1 cookie
5 tsp
Gingersnaps
1 cookie
3 tsp
Glazed doughnut
1 doughnut
6 tsp
Oatmeal cookie
1 cookie
2 tsp
Candies
Chocolate candy bar
1 bar
7 tsp
Chocolate mint
1 piece
2 tsp
Diet Danger: High Fructose Corn Syrup
The Effects of Corn Syrup Aren't So Sweet
-- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian Class 4 Week 8
Trying to save money, food companies introduced High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) into the food market in the 1970s. Sweetening manufactured foods this way is profitable, because it is less expensive and much sweeter than sugar, yet easy to transport because of its liquid state. Today HFCS is found in a variety of foods from soda pop to ketchup, fruit drinks to salad dressings, cereals, breads, flavored yogurt, and sauces. What is Fructose? Fructose, a monosaccharide, is sometimes called “fruit sugar” because it is naturally found in fruits. Fructose is also found in honey, and is a component of table sugar (sucrose), which is a disaccharide composed of fructose and glucose. When we eat most carbohydrate foods, the blood sugar level increases and insulin is secreted to transport the sugar into the body’s cells. Besides helping to transport blood sugar, insulin also triggers the release of a hormone called leptin. Leptin helps control hunger by signaling the brain that the body is full and therefore to stop eating. The interesting fact about fructose is that it is metabolized in a totally different way than other carbohydrates. It does not stimulate or require insulin for transportation to the cells. Since there is no need for insulin release, there is also no secretion of leptin. Therefore the feeling of satiety is altered—you continue to eat and possible overeat.
Class 4 Week 8
Is Fructose the Enemy? Fructose should not be eliminated from your diet. It is primarily found in fruits, which provide a wealth of nutritional benefits to the body. Fructose found in fruits is fine! However, are we setting up our bodies for damage by constantly feeding it foods that have been filled with sucrose (fructose and glucose) and heavily loaded with HFCS, which is approximately one-half fructose? What the Research Says… A few studies have demonstrated that participants who consumed soda sweetened with HFCS did not reduce their total caloric intake to compensate for excess calories consumed as HFCS (compared to subjects who drank artificially sweetened soda). The data suggests that HFCS does not provide the body with a sense of fullness. This may cause an increase in excess calorie intake, leading to weight gain. A recent study conducted by the University of Cincinnati provided additional information. Mice freely consumed either water, fructose-sweetened water, or soft drinks. The researchers found increased body fat in the mice that drank the fructose-sweetened water and soft drinks—even though these animals decreased the amount of calories they ate from solid foods. The Smart Action! Whenever possible, avoid food products that contain HFCS and refined table sugar. This is not a magical cure for weight loss, but the preliminary research indicates that it may play a role. These foods often have little—if any—nutritional value.
•
Take inventory of your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Start reading the fool labels. If HFCS is one of the main ingredients (which are listed in descending order on the food label), scratch it off your grocery list—permanently.
•
Try to limit foods that have “sugar” as one of the first ingredients.
•
Start shopping around the perimeter of your grocery store; this is where you will find the foods in their natural, unprocessed state.
•
Fill your grocery cart with low fat dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, eggs, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, whole grains, cereals and breads.
Although food manufacturers may lose out on your business, your body will thank you!

INVITE INVITE INVITE for PAYOUT NIGHT!

Can you believe that our weight loss challenge will be ending in a few short weeks?  We know that one of the biggest elements of success is support and accountability!  We think that family and friends are a very important part of our health journeys and on top of that, we are challenging all of you to carry on the mission of nutrition to those you love.  All of you have just gotten started in this 8 weeks but with what you know, we are asking that you pass on and continue to pass on your new knowledge to those you care about!  HELP US CHANGE MORE LIVES!

****START INVITING NOW to THE CELEBRATION AND PAYOUT NIGHT****

* BRING YOUR FAVORITE HEALTHY DISH
* BRING YOUR FAMILY
* INVITE FRIENDS SO THEY CAN HEAR FROM THE WLC     TEAM AND...CELEBRATE IN YOUR SUCCESS!

Congrats, Updates and Info for 10-14-13

There were 5 challengers who lost weight this week, losing a total of 18 pounds!! Our biggest loser for the week was Eric S, who lost 10.4 pounds this week!!! Second place went to Michelle P, losing 2.2 pounds and third place was Kassie, who lost 2 pounds!! 

                 CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!!!!                  

 

Health Tip: Finding Fiber in Your Diet
Foods that are fiber-rich
(HealthDay News) -- Fiber should be an important part of every diet. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, dietary fiber can help prevent heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and even some types of cancer.
The academy offers this list of fiber-rich foods:
•
Fruits like apples, oranges, berries, prunes, figs and pears.
•
Vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, peas, carrots and beans.
•
Whole grains like bran muffins, oatmeal, brown rice, popcorn, whole wheat bread and multigrain cereals.
•
Added wheat bran to foods like applesauce, oatmeal, and cooked cereals.
•
Class 4 Week 5
What can fiber do for you? There are many health benefits to bulking up on fiber:
•
Aids in Weight Loss - Fiber-rich foods may help your body stay trim. They take longer to chew, which may slow down your eating time so you eat less food. Fiber helps you feel full and slows the emptying of your stomach. In other words, fiber helps you to fill up before you reach the point of overeating. Fiber itself cannot be fattening because it isn’t digested and has ZERO calories!
•
Reduces Risk of Heart Disease - Studies have shown that people who consume a high fiber diet are less likely to develop heart disease. Certain types of fiber may help lower LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff). Fiber also helps bile acids pass through as waste. Therefore the body absorbs less dietary cholesterol.
•
Lowers High Blood Pressure - Fiber-rich foods are also a good source of potassium and magnesium. These two minerals are needed to help regulate blood pressure.
•
Manages Diabetes - Water-soluble fiber also helps to regulate blood sugar by delaying the emptying time of the stomach. This slows the sugar absorption after meals and reduces the amount of insulin needed.
•
Prevents Cancer - Eating a high fiber diet throughout one’s life may help prevent certain cancers, such as colon and rectal cancers. Fiber absorbs excess bile acids that are associated with cancer. It also speeds up the time it takes for waste to pass through the digestive system, which decreases the amount of time that harmful substances remain in contact with the intestinal wall. Fiber also forms a bulkier stool, which helps to dilute the concentration of harmful substances.
•
Reduces Constipation, Hemorrhoids, and Diverticulosis - Fiber absorbs water, softening and bulking the stool. This helps it pass through the digestive system more quickly and easily. As a result, fiber prevents constipation. There is less straining with bowel movements so hemorrhoids are less likely to form. Fiber is also a standard therapy for the treatment of diverticular disease. This painful disease occurs when the tiny sacs in the intestinal wall become weak and infected. A high fiber diet helps to keep these sacs from becoming inflamed.
Class 4 Week 5
Grams of Fiber
Grams of Fiber
Fruit
Grains & Pasta
Raspberries, 1/2c
5
( 1 cup cooked )
Apple, 1
4
Bulgar
8
Blueberries, 1c
4
Barley
6
Prunes, dried, 3
3
Whole Wheat Spaghetti
6
Banana, 1
3
Brown Rice
4
Pear, 1
3
Couscous
2
Orange, 1
3
Macaroni
2
Strawberries, 1c
3
Spaghetti
2
Grapes, 1c
2
Apricots, dried, 1/4c
2
Peach, 1
2
Cereal
Pineapple, 1c
2
Fiber One, 1/2c
14
Plums, 2
2
All Bran, 1/3c
14
Cantaloupe, 1c
1
Kashi, 3/4c
8
Watermelon, 1c
1
Raisin Bran, 1c
8
Grapefruit, 1/2
1
Shredded Wheat, 1c
6
Apple Juice, 1c
0
Wheat Chex, 1c
5
Orange Juice, 1c
0
Bran Flakes, 3/4c
5
Grape Nuts, 1/2c
5
Vegetables
Oats, 1c
4
(1/2 cup cooked)
Cheerios, 1c
3
Potato with skin, 1
4
Wheaties, 1c
3
Green Peas
4
Granola, 2/3c
3
Brussel Sprouts
3
Corn Flakes, 1c
1
Carrots
3
Special K, 1c
0
Broccoli
2
Rice Krispies, 1c
0
Cabbage
2
Cauliflower
2
Other Grains
Corn
2
( 1 slice )
Carrot, 1 med
2
Pupernickel bread
4
Green beans
2
Whole wheat bread
4
Spinach
2
Triscuits, 7
4
Asparagus
1
Celery, 1 stalk
1
Green pepper, 1/2
1
Beans
Lettuce, 1c
1
Lentils, 1/2c
7
Tomato, 1/2
1
Pinto beans, 1/2c
7
Lentil soup, 1c
7
Kidney beans, 1/2c
7
Ham / bean soup, 1c
6
Class 4 Week 5

Tasty ways to add fiber to your diet:
•
Try a high-fiber grain instead of rice. Bulgur, barley, and brown rice are great high-fiber substitutions.
•
Add beans to your favorite stir-fry, dips, quesadillas, burritos, and tacos.
•
Eat some type of fresh or dried fruit with every meal.
•
Start your meal with a large spinach salad, sprinkled with nuts, seeds or dried fruit.
•
Choose fruit instead of juice.
•
Make a pot of vegetable soup.
•
Add extra veggies and/or beans, peas, and lentils to soups, casseroles, and stews.
•
Try Middle Eastern cuisine, such as tabbouleh or falafel.
•
Keep nuts, trail mixes, and cereal mixes available for snacks.
•
Buy whole wheat pasta, breads, crackers, and cereals.
•
Top casseroles with wheat germ or bran.
•
Eat the skins of fruits and vegetables when possible.
•
Start your morning with a whole grain, high fiber cereal.
•
Ask for lunchtime sandwiches to be prepared with whole grain bread and topped with veggies.
Wellness Coaching on Constipation
What is a normal bowel movement?
Frequency: 1 – 3 times per day. Stools should pass painlessly and easily with little or no effort. Color: Brown or Golden Brown like Peanut Butter. Size: Sausage-like
So abnormal bowels would be anything not above. Or watery stools more than 3 times per day. Color can differ based on foods you eat. If you only release pellet size, or hard round stool – that would be abnormal.
Abnormal is usually sign that you are eating a daily menu plentiful with proteins as meat, cheese, dairy – but that you are not getting the fruits and veggies and whole grains into your day, or enough essential fats (the omega 3 fatty acids – the good ones)
Other factors can be lack of exercise, and chronic dehydration. So how can you correct lack of exercise – get up and take a walk even. Vaccuum, take the laundry up and down the stairs. Do some stretches or some jumping jacks – Just get moving for 20 minutes.
As for chronic dehydration it isn’t enough to just drink liquids. Some liquids reverse hydration, such as caffeine containing drinks – coffees and teas and sodas. If you drink only these beverages all day – you are not hydrating your body. Teas are also rich in tannins, and tannins bind stool and can hold back bowel movements.
What is the solution?
So you need 64 oz of pure water each day. You need at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies per day… Fruit at Breakfast, Lunch, Evening Snack. Veggie at Lunch and Dinner. 2-3 Servings of healthy fats – butter, olive oil. Put 1 TBS of mayo on sandwich.
You need 22 grams of healthy fats per day. (omit or limit trans fats)
Don’t like to eat veggies? Be creative and put them into casseroles where their flavor and texture is blended. Have Tuna Casserole with Peas and Onions, or Tuna Salad Sandwich on Whole Wheat (mix in Celery, Onions, Pickles into your Tuna with a little mayo) Serve on bed of lettuce on a small croissant. Broccoli and Cauliflower are great in pasta and rice casseroles served with Chicken or Turkey. Spaghetti can have green peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes all hiding in the spaghetti sauce. Stir fry some red peppers, green peppers, onions, pea pods add a few spices with some Chicken serve over parboiled rice (Uncle Ben’s offers converted parboiled rice, healthier solution)
If you are constipated eat the Double High Five! Five Fruits and Five Vegetables!
These fruits and veggies are for the toughest of cases ----
Fruits: apples, avocado, grapes, mangos, papayas, pineapple, prunes, and oranges.
Veggies: Dandelion and Endive (leafy greens), watercress, rhubarb, rutabaga, turnips
Also almonds, walnuts, dates, persimmons

 Class 4 Week 6
Keep the good bacteria plentiful in your colon as well with daily use of Herbalife Florafiber. Lacking the foods above? try adding in Active Fiber powder to a drink daily.

 

HOMEWORK:  Don't forget your food label too !

Facts on Fast Food

Hey, gang......saw this and just wanted to share!

PORTION DISTORTION GUIDE handout for 10-7-13

Class 4 Week 4
The Portion Distortion Guide
A List of Serving Sizes
-- By Nicole Nichols, Fitness Instructor & Health Educator
Selecting the right foods also means choosing portions that are proper serving sizes. The terms "portion" and "serving" are often used interchangeably, but they don't mean the same thing. A "portion" is the amount of food you choose to eat for meals or snacks (like a plateful of pasta or a handful of raisins). In comparison a "serving" is the amount of food that experts recommend you eat (like 1 cup of milk or 1 ounce of bread). Servings are listed on a food's nutrition facts label too. When choosing your portion, try to make it as close as possible to these recommended serving sizes.
Grains: Aim for 6-11 servings each day. Choose whole grains whenever possible.
Examples
One serving equals
That's about the size of
Bread
1 ounce (1 small slice, 1/2 bagel, 1/2 bun)     Index card
Cooked Grains
1/2 cup cooked oats, rice, pasta     Billiard ball
Dry cereal
1/2 cup flakes, puffed rice, shredded wheat      Billiard ball
Fruits and Vegetables: Aim 5-9 total servings each day. Choose fresh fruits and veggies whenever possible.
Examples
One serving equals
That's about the size of
Raw fruit
1/2 cup raw, canned, frozen fruit   Billiard ball
Dried fruit
1/4 cup raisins, prunes, apricots   An egg
Juice
6 oz 100% fruit or vegetable juice   Hockey puck
Raw vegetables
1 cup leafy greens, baby carrots   Baseball
Cooked vegetables 1/2 cup cooked broccoli, potatoes   Billiard ball
Meat and Beans: Aim for 2-3 servings each day. Choose lean meats and plant proteins whenever possible.
Examples
One serving equals
That's about the size of
Meat & Tofu
2-3 oz cooked beef, poultry, fish, tofu   Deck of cards
Beans
1/2 cup cooked beans, split peas, legumes   Billiard ball
Nuts & Seeds
2 Tbsp nuts, seeds, or nut butters    Ping pong ball
Dairy: Aim for 2-3 servings of calcium-rich foods each day. Choose low- or non-fat products whenever possible.
Examples
One serving equals
That's about the size of
Cheese
1 ounce or 1 thin slice of cheese  A pair of dice
Milk
1 cup milk, yogurt, soy milk  Baseball
Fats & Oils: Eat fats and oils sparingly and in small portions. Choose heart-healthy fats whenever possible.
Examples
One serving equals
That's about the size of
Fat & Oil
1 tsp butter, margarine, oil   One die

Class 4 Week 4

Control the Crazy Portions
Staring into the Bottomless Plate
-- By Zach Van Hart, Staff Writer
Question: Is it possible to eat meals consisting entirely of healthy foods, such as carrots, fish, apples and whole wheat bread, and continue to gain weight? Answer: Yes, because you can still eat too much, even if everything is good for you. Portions have grown by leaps and bounds over the last couple of decades. Not surprisingly, our weight has followed right along with it. A huge part of the problem is that people tend to eat what’s in front of them, whether they’re hungry or not. To fight this problem, it’s important to find reasons to cut down on what you put on your plate in the first place. Portion size is a major contributor to weight problems, whether you eat out or at home. Restaurants serve huge plates of food, consisting of several servings per person, making it easy to go way past the recommended amount per meal. It does not stop when you eat at home. It’s been estimated that portion sizes in the past 20 years have increased in restaurants and at home by as much as 50%. Today, the average person eats 200 more calories each day than in the 1970s. Many store bought cookies are now more than 7 times bigger than the recommended serving size. Did you know that a typical dinner plate holds three servings of spaghetti, not just one? When you fill up your entire plate with food, you’re likely eating more than you bargained for.
On the bright side, portion size is something you can change, without getting rid of your favorite foods. All it takes is a few simple habits to control how much you eat during a sitting. Here are a few tips you can use when dining in or out:
•
Order an appetizer as an entree (main dish). Remember to stay away from fried foods though.
•
Split an entree with another person.
•
Order from the lunch menu at dinnertime.
•
Leftovers are okay. Feel free to wrap up half your meal to go
•
Order smaller sizes such as a half-order of pasta or a "petite" cut of meat. Even so, portions may still be hefty. It's not unusual for a "smaller" portion of meat to be an 8-ounce serving.
In fast-food restaurants avoid "extra value" or "super size" meals, unless you split it with a friend. A regular small hamburger is usually equivalent to one serving of meat and two servings of grain.
AT HOME
•
Set the table with smaller plates. Since you can’t fit as many servings on your plate, filling the whole plate is no big deal. Smaller dishes also make the food look bigger, which has a proven effect on your level of hunger.
•
Skip seconds and get out the Tupperware.
•
Divide up single serving portions ahead of time, in sealable bags or containers.
•
Read the packaging! Follow the recommended serving size and eat only one.
•
Eat foods that curb hunger: oranges, apples, oatmeal, fish, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta.
`How to Read a Nutrition Facts Label
Solving the Ninth Mystery of the World
-- By Laura Bofinger, Staff Writer
What do you look for when you’re checking out the nutrition facts on that macaroni and cheese box? Whether you’re one to zoom in on total calories or total carbs, you might be missing the real picture. Nutrition facts should be a part of your decision in what to eat or even what to buy. But interpreting the facts requires a bit of know-how, so make sure you aren’t misleading yourself. Understand the Power of "Serving Size" The most important rule is to know your serving size and the number of servings in the package or can. If the label says "one cup" per serving size and "two servings per container," that means there are two cups in the whole package. If you know you’ll eat the whole package by yourself, you are going to consume two cups (1 cup x 2 servings/container = 2 cups). That means that you must double all the nutrition facts measurements to know your total intake of each nutrient – the good and the bad. Using the mac and cheese example, eating the whole package means you will have consumed 500 calories, 220 of which are from fat. You will have consumed 24 grams of fat, of which 6 grams are saturated fat.
Class 4 Week 4
bad number?
The only time you can avoid doing the math is when you eat the exact serving size that is listed. Always compare the listed serving size to how much food you think you’ll eat and compute calories from there. Crack the Code in "Percent Daily Value" Confused by what all those percents really mean? The percents refer to "percent daily value" and they’re a bit trickier to interpret. The FDA bases these percents on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. Looking at cholesterol on the mac and cheese label, the FDA says that you are getting 30 milligrams per serving, or 10% of the recommended amount of cholesterol for a person eating about 2,000 calories per day. (Remember, you’re getting 20% if you eat the whole package.) So how do you know if 10% is a good or For ease of explanation, let’s break this down into a guide that will help us look at a percent and immediately know if it is high or low for one food source. The magic numbers are 5 and 20%. Anything listed in the percent daily value column that is 5% or less is a low number for nutrients. This is a good range for things that you want to limit (fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium), but too low for things you want to eat plenty of (fiber, calcium, and vitamins). Anything listed as 20% or more is high. This is a bad range for things that you want to limit (fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium), but a good range for things you want to eat plenty of (fiber, calcium, and vitamins).
Class 4 Week 4
Look at "Total Fat" on the mac and cheese label. The 18% daily value is close to the high point, but if you ate the whole package, you actually ate 36% of the recommended daily amount of fat (well above our benchmark of 20%). That amount, coming from just one source of food in a day, contributes a lot of fat to your daily diet. It would leave you 64% (100% - 36% = 64%) of your fat allowance for all other meals, drinks, and snacks you would eat that day. If your daily goal is well below 2,000 calories for your weight loss plan, then use the percents as a frame of reference (realizing you need to be below the percents shown, per serving). Or, you may find it simpler to keep track of grams and milligrams instead of the percents. The Nutrition Facts footnote gives a scale in grams and milligrams for recommended amounts of fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, and fiber based on 2,000- and 2,500- calorie diets. (This footnote does not appear on small packages where there is no room for it.) The percent daily value also offers a great way to watch your diet without completely giving up your favorite foods. For example, if you ate one serving of macaroni and cheese but ensured you had a low fat intake for all other foods you ate that day, you made a successful trade off. When you really want a food that is high in fat, always balance it
Quick Interpretation Guide
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Start at the top with Serving Size and Servings Per Container. Adjust all measurements below this point according to the serving size you will eat.
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Look at the number of calories per serving (including how many calories are from fat).
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Limit these nutrients: total fat (including saturated and trans fat), cholesterol, and sodium.
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Get plenty of these nutrients: fiber, vitamins, calcium, and iron
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Use the % Daily Value to determine what is a high or low number for your daily diet. 5% or less is low; 20% or more is high.
Don’t just use the nutrition facts to track the nutrients you want to cut back on. Use it to track the nutrients you want to increase (like fiber, calcium and vitamins)! Whether you’re a stickler for tracking every fat gram and calorie per day or someone who just wants a rough estimate of her daily nutrient intake, the nutrition facts label is a handy tool. Learn how to use it for foods you eat frequently and anything new that you are tempted to incorporate into your regular meal plan. with healthy low-fat foods in the same day.