I apologize for the inconvenience.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
My Apologies!
I apologize for the inconvenience.
Thoughts on a Rainy Day
I just posted a piece from Nurses.com on my Facebook page because the nurse in charge of the Wellness Blog had written a piece that sounded just like conversations I have had with friends and nutrition clients over the past few years. Since I have become vegetarian and a nutritionist I have tried to walk the walk as well as talk the talk and this lifestyle has had some amazing consequences.
As a child, my favorite dessert snack was cookies; most notably, homemade chocolate chips or Oreos although I also liked others. As an adult I continued to bake chocolate chips but usually opted for the "healthier" oatmeal or pecan sandies, but as I am very petite (4'11") I usually only ate one to test them and left the rest for my husband. Somewhere along the way, he also opted out of the sugar addiction and so no baked goods or processed grocery store product entered our house or our blood stream. Our doctors told us we had the healthiest blood lipid levels in their practice!
But there was always the occasional temptation a work that I would give in to thinking an occasional transgression would not hurt. An example was the time one of my co-workers at the Wellness Center brought in so called monster cookies. Oy Vey! HUGE chocolate ships with double the sugar and brown sugar of anything I had ever experienced. After I ate this refined caloric nightmare I felt as if I had consumed a couple of martinis in the same amount of time it had taken to eat the cookie. My body was simply not used to that kind of assault! I felt like I needed to sit down, lie down, anything but continue to work in my usual energetic on my feet style!
Now don't misunderstand me--I am an advocate of the high carbohydrate diet as our entire nervous system runs on carbs and they should comprise 60% of our total caloric intake. If you are eating the right percentage of macro-nutrients (carbs, fats (30%) protein (10%)) and the right kind of complex carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits and whiole grains) you don't have to worry so much about calories as these items are generally low in calories but nutrient dense. And they don't cause those big shifts in energy (that's partially due to the fiber--yet another benefit to these life giving foods). Having a sweet refined carbohydrate kind of snack to give you a mid-morning lift for instance is counter productive.
I recently gave a talk at a luncheon in which I was focusing on the foods that can improve cognitive function, fight disease, improve energy levels, make you look younger and , as sort of a light-hearted addition, improve your sex life. There are foods that actually do this and they are foods that contain phyto-nutrients or plant chemicals. Sorry omnivores, meats have none of these life giving qualities. I can however, give a push for eating yogurt because of the probiotics which help keep the gastrointestinal tract healthy. Plant foods contain antioxidants which are the main chemicals that help prevent damage and help to bild your diversified cells while they actaully inhibit the growth of non-diversified cells such as cancer.
As I am just in a kind of introspective mood today, I am not going in to the details but I have posted the entire speech on my web page if you want specific (www.jamierisedorph.com)
Another part of my inner ramblings touched upon thinking about my degree in biology and the fact that biology actually means the study of life. I studied the life sciences. Isn't that a beautiful thing? Life sciences...so much more than food...
Enjoy tonight's full moon and the beauty and bounty of summer!
As a child, my favorite dessert snack was cookies; most notably, homemade chocolate chips or Oreos although I also liked others. As an adult I continued to bake chocolate chips but usually opted for the "healthier" oatmeal or pecan sandies, but as I am very petite (4'11") I usually only ate one to test them and left the rest for my husband. Somewhere along the way, he also opted out of the sugar addiction and so no baked goods or processed grocery store product entered our house or our blood stream. Our doctors told us we had the healthiest blood lipid levels in their practice!
But there was always the occasional temptation a work that I would give in to thinking an occasional transgression would not hurt. An example was the time one of my co-workers at the Wellness Center brought in so called monster cookies. Oy Vey! HUGE chocolate ships with double the sugar and brown sugar of anything I had ever experienced. After I ate this refined caloric nightmare I felt as if I had consumed a couple of martinis in the same amount of time it had taken to eat the cookie. My body was simply not used to that kind of assault! I felt like I needed to sit down, lie down, anything but continue to work in my usual energetic on my feet style!
Now don't misunderstand me--I am an advocate of the high carbohydrate diet as our entire nervous system runs on carbs and they should comprise 60% of our total caloric intake. If you are eating the right percentage of macro-nutrients (carbs, fats (30%) protein (10%)) and the right kind of complex carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits and whiole grains) you don't have to worry so much about calories as these items are generally low in calories but nutrient dense. And they don't cause those big shifts in energy (that's partially due to the fiber--yet another benefit to these life giving foods). Having a sweet refined carbohydrate kind of snack to give you a mid-morning lift for instance is counter productive.
I recently gave a talk at a luncheon in which I was focusing on the foods that can improve cognitive function, fight disease, improve energy levels, make you look younger and , as sort of a light-hearted addition, improve your sex life. There are foods that actually do this and they are foods that contain phyto-nutrients or plant chemicals. Sorry omnivores, meats have none of these life giving qualities. I can however, give a push for eating yogurt because of the probiotics which help keep the gastrointestinal tract healthy. Plant foods contain antioxidants which are the main chemicals that help prevent damage and help to bild your diversified cells while they actaully inhibit the growth of non-diversified cells such as cancer.As I am just in a kind of introspective mood today, I am not going in to the details but I have posted the entire speech on my web page if you want specific (www.jamierisedorph.com)
For some reason that thought meandered cross my mind as I was returning from a stroll through my vegetable and flower gardens, talking to them and encouraging them to continue to grow and be beautiful and productive. It just occurred to me, I need to take my own advice!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
My Apologies!
I apologize for the inconvenience.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Dandelion, with Reverence by Jamie Risedorph
The Dandelion, with Reverence by Jamie Risedorph
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Today we discuss the dandelion; the sunny, bright flowering plant of the world. Weed exterminators everywhere have vilified this tenacious bane of lawn purists for at least the last one hundred years. Yet for centuries healers and nutritionists have recommended this herb as a fat busting, liver detoxifier and deliciously nutritious food. The flowers make a heady wine, the milk from its stem kill warts and the green leaves contain more vitamin A than carrots. The leaves also supply copious amounts of vitamins C and K as well as significant quantities potassium, protein, magnesium, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, thiamin, iron, sulphur, zinc, vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, and E
So why all the controversy? I have no idea! As soon as this wonderful plant shows its face in my yard, my husband and I go out and collect its delicious leaves. Many fans of the dandelion only collect its leaves early in the spring before they actually flower and use them as salad greens. That is fine but I prefer to take advantage of this wonderful free food as long as it grows—which is from spring thaw to snowfall. As with spinach, this mighty green provides iron but only when cooked. So I will now share with you my simple and nutritious recipe from a food you can obtain for free ( as long as you have not treated your lawn with expensive, toxic weed killers and fertilizers) or purchase from your friendly food cooperative.
Pour a tablespoon of olive oil into a pan heated over medium low and add one clove of minced fresh garlic. Add your rinsed, stemmed dandelion greens to the mixture immediately and move them about in the oil and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste and then a cup or two (depending on how many greens you have amassed) of water. Bring to a simmer, cover for 10-20 minutes (again depending on the amount of greens and their size), drain and serve. They are delicious with rice or on your favorite bread. Enjoy the bounty!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Free on the Range
I grew up less than a mile from a dairy farm where the cows happily meandered about the green pastures of their home until the snow fell and the temperatures dropped. I remember tasting the difference in the milk when the cows were being fed hay and silage and corn and noticing the change again in the spring when they returned to pasture.class="MsoNormal">
Years later I became saddened by the lack of farmers continuing to allow there cows to graze in the green fields under the open sky, instead choosing to confine them to an indoor arena of dirt or, worse, cement. I was told indignantly when I questioned a friend about this practice that it was much healthier for the cows and the milk they produced. “They can get into all sorts of weeds and things out in the field!” she declared. Oh yes, much better to give them antibiotics to kill the bacterial infections from being crowded together and fed corn!
There has been a huge growth in the demand for organic dairy as people became aware of the addition of growth hormones to increase milk production and antibiotics to allow more cows to be raised in less space. Then there are people like myself who gave up meats and dairy because I believe animals should be treated humanely, not like machines producing a product.
The latest controversy is that much milk that claims to be organic is not from cows out grazing under blue skies in green fields as depicted in many advertisements for organic dairy products (Horizon, Aurora, etc.) The dairies that are being questioned say it because the regulations are vague. They are correct.
“The New York Times recently noted that "organic milk" essentially means "it comes from a cow whose milk production was not prompted by an artificial growth hormone, whose feed was not grown with pesticides and which had 'access to pasture,' a term so vague it could mean that a cow might spend most of its milk-producing life confined to a feed lot eating grain and not grass."”[1]
If you are concerned about the organic quality of your dairy products, talk to the suppliers of MHFC to see if they meet your standards, but please also advocate for the rest of the country who may not have access to cow-friendly farms.
To do more go to http://www.organicconsumers.org/ or http://www.consumeraffairs.com
Thank you for helping make our world a more peaceful and loving place.
Friday, March 16, 2007
The Community Wellness Center
The Community Wellness Center
Intense Workout and Healthy Weight Loss Diet
Main points:
To lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume
We are going to help you burn more calories by offering you an intense supervised workout and
You will cut down on calories consumed through portion control and eliminating about 500 calories from your daily diet
We will help you cut calories by providing a menu of healthy, balanced meals which include a pre-workout snack and an after workout glycogen-replacing smoothie (each will be about 200 kcal)
Your individual schedule and body type will be considered and the workout and diet plan will be tailored to your needs
To help us get you started you should
1) Count how many calories you eat in a normal day. Write down everything you eat starting tomorrow. Don’t start cutting portions or eliminating sweets and other foods you know are bad for you. The point here is to determine how many calories you have actually been consuming each day so we can use that as a marker to subtract from.
2) At the end of that day, add up the number of calories you ate/drank. Be as exact as possible. If you need help, I have some materials that list calories for all the major foods and if you have written down everything and how much you ate, we can find the calories provided by those foods (and beverages). Once you add it all up, you now have the total number of calories you consume daily. Also, weigh yourself.
3) Starting the day after you counted calories, eat 500 calories LESS then you normally do. So, if you counted 2000 calories, the rest of the week, you will eat 1500 calories a day. All you have to do is subtract 500 from the total number of calories you consume in a normal day, and eat this new number of calories every day for the next 7 days. If the meal plan provided goes over or under that amount of calories, you will have to adjust the portion sizes to be appropriate to your calorie needs. Do not eliminate any of the meals or snacks! I will help you cut or add calories if you feel unsure about this.
4) Instead of eating 3 big meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner), or eating all day all the time, spread those calories out over 6 smaller meals. Eat one meal every 2 and a half to 3 hours. This “grazing” technique will speed up your metabolism, keep you from getting hungry and actually decrease the amount of calories you consume. Two of these “meals” will be scheduled around your workout.
5) The workout …it’s intense…..(Matt’s plan) Alternating days of cardio and weight training culminating in water aerobics and nutrition workshop on Saturday. This is the day I will adjust my diet plan to your individual needs.
6) At the end of the week, weigh yourself. You'll notice a difference just after one week! Now, don't expect to see a 20-pound difference. Losing anymore then 1 or 2 pounds a week is unhealthy. So look for a 1 or 2-pound weight loss at the end of the week. Doesn’t sound like much? You can lose 5-8 pounds a month! That's around 75 pounds a year! If you didn’t lose any weight, you need to adjust your intake again.
The Details
So far, I’ve been really easy on you; now comes the aggressive nutritionist’s rules!
For the next few weeks no fried foods, no cookies or chips, no red meat, no foods containing hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats or trans fats. I am not eliminating fats here, just the bad fats. And, sorry, but beef just contains too much saturated fat, even the leanest cuts, to fit into this healthy diet. Your lean meats will include chicken, turkey, pork (loin cuts only) and fish. They will be baked or broiled—not fried! and served with lots of vegetables and whole grains. You will also get more good fats from olive oil, flaxseed and nuts.
About 60 percent of your healthy diet will come from carbohydrates. Don’t raise your eyebrows and gasp! Your nervous system (that includes your brain!) runs on glucose, which come from breaking down carbohydrates. We are eliminating processed, refined carbohydrates and adding whole grain breads, pastas and cereals to our menu.
Just as important as the proper portions of all these good nutrient-dense foods is the consumption of water. Our body uses water for all of its metabolic work and produces water as a by-product. We must replace the water lost as waste through breathing, perspiring and urinating by drinking 8 glasses of water a day—soft drinks do not count! They are more air and sugar than water.
For more information on the energy nutrients—protein, carbohydrates and fats, use the workbook, which includes formulas for figuring out your healthy body weight, and how to determine how many calories are contained in any particular food.
Here are some tips for pre-workout snacking:
· A high carbohydrate, low fat snack is easily digested and normalizes blood sugar
· Avoid fatty meals or snacks, because they delay stomach emptying
· Meals should be moderate in protein, just enough to satisfy hunger
· Drink lots of fluids. Your snack can be a liquid meal such as a fruit shake (See recipes below)
· A light workout can be preceded with a light snack, but leave more lead time (an hour or so) for intense workouts
To maintain weight and muscle, snacks should contain 40 to 100 grams of carbohydrates, and be low in fat. Too much fiber may stimulate the digestive system at an inappropriate time. Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram so for our needs (weight loss) we are going to stick to 50 grams or 200 calories for our snacks. Fats have a whopping 9 calories per gram, so when using peanut butter as a snack, keep it to a plump tablespoon!
· Banana (25 grams)
· Yogurt (28 grams)
· Cereal (1 oz.) and milk (34 grams)
· Juice and pretzels (50 grams)
· Sports drink, 16 oz (30 grams)
· Sports bar and water (20-50 grams) read the label!
· Fresh fruits such as oranges or bananas (15-25 grams per)
· Low-fat vegetable soup, chicken noodle or tomato and crackers (40-50 grams)
· 6 crackers or English muffin, 1 tbsp. peanut butter (24 grams carb)
Recovery eating
After exercise, we need carbohydrate and fluid to replace glycogen and water losses during the exercise. The muscles store more glycogen immediately after exercise than they do later. The Wellness Center will provide you with a carbohydrate and fluid rich fruit smoothie after your workout to facilitate “recovery.” So you can do this at home or can eliminate “problem foods” from the recipe, I’ve included them here:
Fruit Smoothies
· 1/2 cup plain, low fat yogurt
· 1/2 cup fruit, fresh or canned
· 1 cup fruit juice
Place all ingredients in blender and whip until smooth. Add ice if desired. 250 calories, 50 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams protein, and 3 grams fat
You can use bananas and strawberries, orange juice and pineapple, or use milk or soymilk for the yogurt. To increase protein content, add powder skim milk or soy protein powder. Or try this:
Super Berry Smoothie
INGREDIENTS
1 cup vanilla soy milk
½ cup apple juice
1 cup blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries
1 ripe banana
1 cup crushed ice
☺Eat a balanced diet every day so your body is fueled and ready for action.
A balanced diet means incorporating a variety of wholesome foods into your daily choices. Good nutrition means eating sources of carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins/minerals, and water. The first three (carbs, protein, and fat) are sources of energy. Carbohydrates are a source of instant energy, proteins build and repair muscle, and fats are a source of long-term energy. Choose foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, pasta, chicken, fish, and/or tofu, peanuts, etc.
Intense Workout and Healthy Weight Loss Diet
Main points:
To lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume
We are going to help you burn more calories by offering you an intense supervised workout and
You will cut down on calories consumed through portion control and eliminating about 500 calories from your daily diet
We will help you cut calories by providing a menu of healthy, balanced meals which include a pre-workout snack and an after workout glycogen-replacing smoothie (each will be about 200 kcal)
Your individual schedule and body type will be considered and the workout and diet plan will be tailored to your needs
To help us get you started you should
1) Count how many calories you eat in a normal day. Write down everything you eat starting tomorrow. Don’t start cutting portions or eliminating sweets and other foods you know are bad for you. The point here is to determine how many calories you have actually been consuming each day so we can use that as a marker to subtract from.
2) At the end of that day, add up the number of calories you ate/drank. Be as exact as possible. If you need help, I have some materials that list calories for all the major foods and if you have written down everything and how much you ate, we can find the calories provided by those foods (and beverages). Once you add it all up, you now have the total number of calories you consume daily. Also, weigh yourself.
3) Starting the day after you counted calories, eat 500 calories LESS then you normally do. So, if you counted 2000 calories, the rest of the week, you will eat 1500 calories a day. All you have to do is subtract 500 from the total number of calories you consume in a normal day, and eat this new number of calories every day for the next 7 days. If the meal plan provided goes over or under that amount of calories, you will have to adjust the portion sizes to be appropriate to your calorie needs. Do not eliminate any of the meals or snacks! I will help you cut or add calories if you feel unsure about this.
4) Instead of eating 3 big meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner), or eating all day all the time, spread those calories out over 6 smaller meals. Eat one meal every 2 and a half to 3 hours. This “grazing” technique will speed up your metabolism, keep you from getting hungry and actually decrease the amount of calories you consume. Two of these “meals” will be scheduled around your workout.
5) The workout …it’s intense…..(Matt’s plan) Alternating days of cardio and weight training culminating in water aerobics and nutrition workshop on Saturday. This is the day I will adjust my diet plan to your individual needs.
6) At the end of the week, weigh yourself. You'll notice a difference just after one week! Now, don't expect to see a 20-pound difference. Losing anymore then 1 or 2 pounds a week is unhealthy. So look for a 1 or 2-pound weight loss at the end of the week. Doesn’t sound like much? You can lose 5-8 pounds a month! That's around 75 pounds a year! If you didn’t lose any weight, you need to adjust your intake again.
The Details
So far, I’ve been really easy on you; now comes the aggressive nutritionist’s rules!
For the next few weeks no fried foods, no cookies or chips, no red meat, no foods containing hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats or trans fats. I am not eliminating fats here, just the bad fats. And, sorry, but beef just contains too much saturated fat, even the leanest cuts, to fit into this healthy diet. Your lean meats will include chicken, turkey, pork (loin cuts only) and fish. They will be baked or broiled—not fried! and served with lots of vegetables and whole grains. You will also get more good fats from olive oil, flaxseed and nuts.
About 60 percent of your healthy diet will come from carbohydrates. Don’t raise your eyebrows and gasp! Your nervous system (that includes your brain!) runs on glucose, which come from breaking down carbohydrates. We are eliminating processed, refined carbohydrates and adding whole grain breads, pastas and cereals to our menu.
Just as important as the proper portions of all these good nutrient-dense foods is the consumption of water. Our body uses water for all of its metabolic work and produces water as a by-product. We must replace the water lost as waste through breathing, perspiring and urinating by drinking 8 glasses of water a day—soft drinks do not count! They are more air and sugar than water.
For more information on the energy nutrients—protein, carbohydrates and fats, use the workbook, which includes formulas for figuring out your healthy body weight, and how to determine how many calories are contained in any particular food.
Here are some tips for pre-workout snacking:
· A high carbohydrate, low fat snack is easily digested and normalizes blood sugar
· Avoid fatty meals or snacks, because they delay stomach emptying
· Meals should be moderate in protein, just enough to satisfy hunger
· Drink lots of fluids. Your snack can be a liquid meal such as a fruit shake (See recipes below)
· A light workout can be preceded with a light snack, but leave more lead time (an hour or so) for intense workouts
To maintain weight and muscle, snacks should contain 40 to 100 grams of carbohydrates, and be low in fat. Too much fiber may stimulate the digestive system at an inappropriate time. Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram so for our needs (weight loss) we are going to stick to 50 grams or 200 calories for our snacks. Fats have a whopping 9 calories per gram, so when using peanut butter as a snack, keep it to a plump tablespoon!
· Banana (25 grams)
· Yogurt (28 grams)
· Cereal (1 oz.) and milk (34 grams)
· Juice and pretzels (50 grams)
· Sports drink, 16 oz (30 grams)
· Sports bar and water (20-50 grams) read the label!
· Fresh fruits such as oranges or bananas (15-25 grams per)
· Low-fat vegetable soup, chicken noodle or tomato and crackers (40-50 grams)
· 6 crackers or English muffin, 1 tbsp. peanut butter (24 grams carb)
Recovery eating
After exercise, we need carbohydrate and fluid to replace glycogen and water losses during the exercise. The muscles store more glycogen immediately after exercise than they do later. The Wellness Center will provide you with a carbohydrate and fluid rich fruit smoothie after your workout to facilitate “recovery.” So you can do this at home or can eliminate “problem foods” from the recipe, I’ve included them here:
Fruit Smoothies
· 1/2 cup plain, low fat yogurt
· 1/2 cup fruit, fresh or canned
· 1 cup fruit juice
Place all ingredients in blender and whip until smooth. Add ice if desired. 250 calories, 50 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams protein, and 3 grams fat
You can use bananas and strawberries, orange juice and pineapple, or use milk or soymilk for the yogurt. To increase protein content, add powder skim milk or soy protein powder. Or try this:
Super Berry Smoothie
INGREDIENTS
1 cup vanilla soy milk
½ cup apple juice
1 cup blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries
1 ripe banana
1 cup crushed ice
☺Eat a balanced diet every day so your body is fueled and ready for action.
A balanced diet means incorporating a variety of wholesome foods into your daily choices. Good nutrition means eating sources of carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins/minerals, and water. The first three (carbs, protein, and fat) are sources of energy. Carbohydrates are a source of instant energy, proteins build and repair muscle, and fats are a source of long-term energy. Choose foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, pasta, chicken, fish, and/or tofu, peanuts, etc.
“Do you want cheese with that?”
This is an article meant to be published in my local paper. There was a technical gliche so I'm publishing it here.
“Do you want cheese with that?”
We live in an age where the terms “super-size,” “low-carb,” and “low-fat” are part of our vocabulary; but how do these words and phrases affect our health? As Americans we get 45 percent of our calories from sugar, fat and soft drinks and only 7 percent from fruits and vegetables. Fifteen per cent of Americans are now considered obese and almost half are overweight. The top three leading causes of death are related to nutrition: heart disease, cancer and stroke (diabetes, also related to nutrition, is sixth on the list). One of the major factors affecting our nutrition is the “nutrient poor” status of the foods we are consuming. In other words, we are eating more of the “bad” foods and less of the good foods. So which are good and which are bad? And how much is too much of any one food? Let’s start with the portion problem.
Fast food portions past and present
In the 1970s when we went out for a burger and fries, we got on average a 2.8 oz burger (202 calories) with lettuce tomato and pickles on a sesame seed bun with a 2.4-ounce bag of fries (210 calories). The cola we got with it was about 8 ounces and a hundred calories, making the entire meal about 510 calories. The same meal now tops out at 1120 calories—which by the way is about what I consume in an entire day as I am less than 5 feet tall and over 50years old. The normal size of the burger has gone up to 4.3 ounces. Just think how many calories are in one of those double or triple burgers with bacon and cheese! (We’ll talk about the saturated fats contained in such a meal at another time.) The order of fries has almost tripled in size to 7 oz and 610 calories and the cola has doubled to 16 oz and 200 calories.
Then there is our love affair with cheese: we eat 162% more cheese than we did thirty-five years ago. I love it too, and it is a good food, but in moderation! A serving (1.5 oz) is three dominoes in size and that portion contains roughly 150 calories and 9 grams of fat, 5.5 of which are saturated fat! Nowadays there is cheese on almost everything, and pizza topped with cheese and stuffed with cheese. My husband and I went to a popular Italian chain restaurant and the waitress got so used to asking us if we wanted grated cheese on that, that she literally offered it with our coffee!
Don’t eat fast food you say? Well, good for you, except that when you order a meal out at your favorite steak house or Italian restaurant, the portions are all also at least twice what they should be. A serving of meat should be 3 to 4 ounces, not 8 ounces. A portion of pasta should be half a cup (the size of a standard computer mouse), not a plateful. What can you do to control portions?
· When at your favorite restaurant, select the portion you are going to eat and put the other half or so of the meal on the bread and butter plate.
· Speaking of plates, most of our plates are also super-sized, so use smaller bowls for your morning cereal and smaller plates for your meals at home.
· Put the appropriate amount of food on your plate and leave the rest in the kitchen for leftovers. Then when you are too busy to prepare a meal you have one ready to go.
· When at the grocery store’s meat counter or seafood department, order the correct portion. Ask for 4 ounces per person being served. If you’re making a roast or some larger meal, plan for ways to make casseroles or other interesting dishes with the rest of the meat. Don’t waste it, but don’t eat it all at once!
· Eat slowly. Chew thoroughly. Relish the flavors.
If you follow these simple steps to reduce portion size, you will automatically reduce the amount of calories, fats and sugars that you take in everyday. Combine that with 30 minutes a day of exercise and you will be on your way to a healthier, slimmer you!
The Good, the Bad and the Ordinary
One of the first things I tell my nutrition clients is to shop around the perimeter of the grocery store first. This is where most of the good, nutrient dense foods are: the fresh produce, dairy, meats and seafood. These foods are all whole, un-processed, or nutrient dense foods. But there is something missing from the outer aisles: grains. You have to venture down center aisles to find beans, rice, barley, flour, pasta and breads. Now things start to get complicated. The first three items are what they are, but one has to know how to read food labels to get the most nutrition and the least amount of processing and preservatives from bread and pasta. I’m afraid this will be yet another installment in this column! The one thing I will say about food labels now is “wheat bread” does not mean the same thing as “whole grain wheat bread.” We all know we should be eating more fiber, but the bread companies make it difficult by inferring you are eating healthy bread when in fact you might as well eat plain old low fiber white bread as some of the breads labeled “wheat.” If it says, “enriched wheat flour,” it is NOT whole grain. Enriched simply means they processed out the original 29 vitamins and minerals contained in the wheat grain and added back the iron, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin required by law since the 1940. Folate was required to be added to the enrichment process in 1996. Still, the enriched bread products contain only a quarter of the fiber, vitamins and minerals of whole grain bread.
In general, whole foods are good because they are nutrient dense. Processed foods are less good because they have less nutrients and, usually, added sodium, fat and preservatives. So fill your cart with fresh vegetables and fruits, add rice and other whole grains, sprinkle with cheese and you’re on your way to better health!
(A note on saturated fats: Saturated fats are the artery clogging fats that your doctor tells you to reduce to lower your cholesterol and improve your heart health. Red meats, even the leanest cuts, contain more saturated fats that any other meat. Yes! Chicken and fish are meat too! Only animal based foods—meat and dairy products, contain cholesterol.)
Jamie Risedorph has a Masters degree in holistic nutrition and is the nutritionist at The Community Wellness Center in Gloversville.
“Do you want cheese with that?”
We live in an age where the terms “super-size,” “low-carb,” and “low-fat” are part of our vocabulary; but how do these words and phrases affect our health? As Americans we get 45 percent of our calories from sugar, fat and soft drinks and only 7 percent from fruits and vegetables. Fifteen per cent of Americans are now considered obese and almost half are overweight. The top three leading causes of death are related to nutrition: heart disease, cancer and stroke (diabetes, also related to nutrition, is sixth on the list). One of the major factors affecting our nutrition is the “nutrient poor” status of the foods we are consuming. In other words, we are eating more of the “bad” foods and less of the good foods. So which are good and which are bad? And how much is too much of any one food? Let’s start with the portion problem.
Fast food portions past and present
In the 1970s when we went out for a burger and fries, we got on average a 2.8 oz burger (202 calories) with lettuce tomato and pickles on a sesame seed bun with a 2.4-ounce bag of fries (210 calories). The cola we got with it was about 8 ounces and a hundred calories, making the entire meal about 510 calories. The same meal now tops out at 1120 calories—which by the way is about what I consume in an entire day as I am less than 5 feet tall and over 50years old. The normal size of the burger has gone up to 4.3 ounces. Just think how many calories are in one of those double or triple burgers with bacon and cheese! (We’ll talk about the saturated fats contained in such a meal at another time.) The order of fries has almost tripled in size to 7 oz and 610 calories and the cola has doubled to 16 oz and 200 calories.
Then there is our love affair with cheese: we eat 162% more cheese than we did thirty-five years ago. I love it too, and it is a good food, but in moderation! A serving (1.5 oz) is three dominoes in size and that portion contains roughly 150 calories and 9 grams of fat, 5.5 of which are saturated fat! Nowadays there is cheese on almost everything, and pizza topped with cheese and stuffed with cheese. My husband and I went to a popular Italian chain restaurant and the waitress got so used to asking us if we wanted grated cheese on that, that she literally offered it with our coffee!
Don’t eat fast food you say? Well, good for you, except that when you order a meal out at your favorite steak house or Italian restaurant, the portions are all also at least twice what they should be. A serving of meat should be 3 to 4 ounces, not 8 ounces. A portion of pasta should be half a cup (the size of a standard computer mouse), not a plateful. What can you do to control portions?
· When at your favorite restaurant, select the portion you are going to eat and put the other half or so of the meal on the bread and butter plate.
· Speaking of plates, most of our plates are also super-sized, so use smaller bowls for your morning cereal and smaller plates for your meals at home.
· Put the appropriate amount of food on your plate and leave the rest in the kitchen for leftovers. Then when you are too busy to prepare a meal you have one ready to go.
· When at the grocery store’s meat counter or seafood department, order the correct portion. Ask for 4 ounces per person being served. If you’re making a roast or some larger meal, plan for ways to make casseroles or other interesting dishes with the rest of the meat. Don’t waste it, but don’t eat it all at once!
· Eat slowly. Chew thoroughly. Relish the flavors.
If you follow these simple steps to reduce portion size, you will automatically reduce the amount of calories, fats and sugars that you take in everyday. Combine that with 30 minutes a day of exercise and you will be on your way to a healthier, slimmer you!
The Good, the Bad and the Ordinary
One of the first things I tell my nutrition clients is to shop around the perimeter of the grocery store first. This is where most of the good, nutrient dense foods are: the fresh produce, dairy, meats and seafood. These foods are all whole, un-processed, or nutrient dense foods. But there is something missing from the outer aisles: grains. You have to venture down center aisles to find beans, rice, barley, flour, pasta and breads. Now things start to get complicated. The first three items are what they are, but one has to know how to read food labels to get the most nutrition and the least amount of processing and preservatives from bread and pasta. I’m afraid this will be yet another installment in this column! The one thing I will say about food labels now is “wheat bread” does not mean the same thing as “whole grain wheat bread.” We all know we should be eating more fiber, but the bread companies make it difficult by inferring you are eating healthy bread when in fact you might as well eat plain old low fiber white bread as some of the breads labeled “wheat.” If it says, “enriched wheat flour,” it is NOT whole grain. Enriched simply means they processed out the original 29 vitamins and minerals contained in the wheat grain and added back the iron, thiamin, riboflavin and niacin required by law since the 1940. Folate was required to be added to the enrichment process in 1996. Still, the enriched bread products contain only a quarter of the fiber, vitamins and minerals of whole grain bread.
In general, whole foods are good because they are nutrient dense. Processed foods are less good because they have less nutrients and, usually, added sodium, fat and preservatives. So fill your cart with fresh vegetables and fruits, add rice and other whole grains, sprinkle with cheese and you’re on your way to better health!
(A note on saturated fats: Saturated fats are the artery clogging fats that your doctor tells you to reduce to lower your cholesterol and improve your heart health. Red meats, even the leanest cuts, contain more saturated fats that any other meat. Yes! Chicken and fish are meat too! Only animal based foods—meat and dairy products, contain cholesterol.)
Jamie Risedorph has a Masters degree in holistic nutrition and is the nutritionist at The Community Wellness Center in Gloversville.
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