Healthy Tips for Eating Out

It takes effort and commitment to fully change your eating lifestyle. One of the more difficult obstacles is eating out. However, with the right mindset, and a little planning ahead, a trip to a restaurant does not have to de-rail your eating plan. Below are some suggestions that should help take some of the guesswork out of ordering at a restaurant.

General Tips

• Substitute fried foods for steamed, grilled, baked, or broiled.
• Order side dishes that are free of butter and cream sauces. Be especially careful when ordering vegetables. Most restaurants will serve them drenched in butter unless otherwise noted.
• Ask for butter, sour cream, salad dressings, and any other unhealthy toppings to be served on the side. This way, you can control how much you put on.
• Ask the server what healthy choices he/she may suggest.
• Rather than ordering an appetizer, order a broth based soup. The reality is, there are very few healthy choices as an appetizer.
• Remove any skin or visible fat from meat.

Suggestions

• Chinese- Aim for steamed or stir-fried dishes. This includes the rice on the side. Also, egg drop soup, and hot and sour soup are good starters. Avoid the sweet and sour dishes, cashew chicken, and most egg rolls.
• Italian- Choose marinara sauces over white, cream sauces. Choose baked or grilled chicken and veal dishes. Try broiled calamari instead of fried. Avoid sausage, meatballs, most lasagnas, and buttery garlic bread.
• Mexican- Look for different salsas, ceviche, and picante, but avoid too much sour cream and cheese. Try corn tortillas over flour tortillas. Try fish tacos, and chicken fajitas. Avoid enchiladas and quesadillas that are loaded with cheese and refried beans.
• Sushi- Edamame is a great appetizer to start your meal with. Vegetable and tofu rolls are very healthy. Most fresh fish sushi and sashimi choices are healthy. Stay away from tempura, or rolls with cream cheese. Also, eel and spicy tuna are generally the fattiest fish available in a sushi restaurant. Therefore, order sparingly. A sushi rolls average 200-300 calories, while most sashimi orders average about 150-200 calories. Be careful how much you eat. Most people can overdo it at a sushi restaurant.
• Continental- Look for grilled chicken, fish and pork entrees. Try turkey (or veggie) burgers as well as turkey chili instead of the regular burgers and chili. Avoid spare ribs, buffalo wings, and other fried appetizers. Instead, look for salads and soups to start with.

For more specific suggestions, or if you simply have a question about your exercise or nutritional lifestyle, feel free to call me at (609) 304-7598.

Kids & Obesity

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Harvard Medical School is asking doctors to recommend that youngsters eat old-fashioned family dinners at home to prevent obesity and curb risky habits. “Doctors should encourage teens to limit their intake of food prepared away from home and eat family dinners together,” said Dr. Elsie Taveras, a pediatrician and childhood obesity specialist who led the research. Home is simply healthier, she said. The prime benefit is “improved diet quality.”

“At-home dinners have also been found to reduce high-risk adolescent behavior such as tobacco, alcohol and marijuana use,” said Dr. Taveras, categorizing the family dinner as “protective.” Other research supports such findings. A Columbia University study of teen lifestyles last year, for example, found that among teenagers who almost never broke bread with their families, 72 percent were more likely to use illegal drugs, smoke and drink alcohol. The Harvard researchers tracked the food choices, weight, physical activities and social habits of 14,355 children, ages 9 to 14, from all 50 states.

Fast food was a major factor in their lives; up to four times a week. The number of heavy feeders—those putting away up to seven servings of fried food outside home per week—has more than doubled among teens in the past three years.

Dr. Taveras suggests that a nutritional reality check for both children and parents is in order, deeming it a “public-health strategy.” Co-author Dr. Matthew Gillman agrees.

“In today’s fast-food environment, it’s a challenge for teenagers and their families to eat what’s nutritious and healthful,” he said. But it’s doable, particularly as McDonalds, Burger King and other restaurant chains tweak their menus to include lighter fare. Ignore fried stuff and go for “modest portions of grilled chicken or fish, a salad, some fruit,” Dr. Gillman said. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advocating another old-fashioned idea for children to counter obesity and prevent heart disease, diabetes and other ills—walking to school. In 1969, half the nation’s youth walked or biked to school, compared with 15 percent today, according to a CDC report released last week.

And no wonder: The report found that 61 percent of America’s parents said distance was the worst barrier to walking to school; among other obstacles, 30 percent cited traffic, 19 percent weather, 12 percent crime and six percent “school policy.”

The transportation bill that Congress passed earlier this year, however, has a surprise tucked away for parents and children alike. The bill set aside $612 million for a “Safe Routes to School” initiative— adding sidewalks, boosting traffic enforcement and starting a program that buses children to one mile from school. Accompanied by two adults, the children walk the rest of the way. It is, the initiative explained, “a walking school bus.”

How to Party Down the Pounds

The holiday season is right around the corner, and this is the time for special-occasion eating and feared weight gain. If you feel anxious about how to stay on track with your “good eating intentions,” you are not alone. Take a deep breath and relax; the holidays do not need to lead to a weight gain disaster.

From Halloween through New Years, the average weight gain among Americans is five to eight pounds. To avoid this extra weight gain during the holidays, you should focus on the following two goals: 1) weight maintenance, and 2) moderation in eating and drinking. This doesn’t mean you have to feel deprived at a party, or that you need to leave the party feeling hungry. Your focus should be on developing an attitude-change so that you will have healthier eating habits throughout the year. It is important to give yourself permission to eat in moderation all year long, so that at a party you will not over indulge in the foods that you have restricted yourself from eating. When food is not your focus, you will feel emotionally free.

One way to change your attitude is to look at events as a social function; primarily for social interaction and not for eating and drinking. You need to get the focus off of the food and on to the friendships around you and the fun atmosphere. At parties where there is music, you can even get exercise by kicking up your heels and dancing.

Many people feel that most holiday parties offer only non-nutritious foods. Well, here are some tips to allow you to enjoy yourself and keep the pounds off:

• Prepare a healthy food that you like and can nibble on at the party. This could include:
  • Salsa and bean dip with low fat tortilla chips
  • Grilled or baked chicken wings with a low fat dip
  • Low-fat vanilla yogurt with chunks of fresh fruit
  • Baked pita chips with hummus
  • Assorted veggies and low fat dip
• Fill up on the healthiest foods, and select smaller portions of the less healthy foods.
• Avoid thinking about the food during the party, and focus on the people.
• Don’t stand by the food table; move around the room, and focus on conversation and the ambiance.
• Start with a lower-calorie drink to help you fill up, and then have something that has a few more calories.
• Be aware that alcohol increases appetite and lowers inhibitions. This could cause you to drink more and make poor choices in your food selection.

Do not give up your control over food and alcohol consumption, because then your weight may increase. You are in control of your lifestyle, and with a little advance planning you can sail through the holidays without tipping the scales upward.

Healthy Salads

By now, everyone knows that salads can be very healthy, or very deceiving, depending on what is in them. Remember, when eating out, it is always a good idea to customize your food choices to your liking. Below are some tips for choosing a healthier salad.

• Order dressing on the side so you can control how much you use.
• Dip your fork in the dressing rather than pouring it on the salad.
• Add cheese and less-healthy meats sparingly.
• Avoid veggies that have been marinated.

Low calorie choices:

• Any greens
• Peppers
• Broccoli
• Cucumbers
• Celery
• Mushrooms
• Radishes
• Zucchini
• Beets
• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Hard-boiled egg white
• Olives

Dressings (2 Tbsp.)

• Balsamic vinegar
• Lite Italian
• Fat-free dressings

Higher calorie (healthy) choices:

• 1/3-cup chickpeas
• Green peas
• Kidney beans
• Chicken breast
• Grilled seafood
• Tuna (plain)
• Hard-boiled yolk
• Marinated veggies
• Nuts or sesame seeds
• Raisins

Dressings (2 tbsp.):

• Vinegar and olive oil
• Lite dressings

Less healthy choices:

• Cheese
• Croutons
• Bacon bits
• Salads w/mayo
• Ham or pepperoni

Dressings (2 tbsp.):

• French
• Ranch
• Thousand Island
• Blue cheese

Cardio Training Basics

Cardio training can be defined as any exercise that can be sustained for a long period of time with little or no interruption. Cardio training works the heart, lungs, and circulatory system. Everyone knows that cardio is integral to a healthy lifestyle, but not everyone knows how to get the most out of their cardio sessions.

What are the benefits? Cardio fitness describes the lung’s ability to exchange oxygen with the blood, and the circulatory system’s ability to transport this oxygen. As with anything, the more you ‘practice’ cardio training, the better, and more efficient your body becomes at it. This can lower your resting and active heart rate, while increasing the heart’s output, which means that your heart and lungs need not work as hard to get oxygen to all the necessary places. Not only does this makes sustaining exercise easier, but it takes stress off of the heart. This can greatly reduce the risk for heart and lung disease! In addition, calories are burned any time the body performs an activity. Therefore, any sustained activity should result in ample calorie reduction in the body’s fat stores. This means a healthy decrease in body fat, and a more desirable physical appearance as a result. Also, studies have proven that a regular cardio routine can increase the body’s ability to burn fat. This means that the more fit you are, the more likely you are to stay fit. In addition, benefits of cardio training include:

• Reduction in blood pressure
• Decreased cholesterol
• Decreased symptoms of stress and anxiety
• Decreased incidence of some cancers

How do I start a cardio training routine? First, it is important to realize that any form of continuous exercise (jogging, biking, swimming, basketball) can be considered effective. I suggest varying your choices, and sticking to activities that you enjoy. This will help you stick with the training program. Ideally, one should dedicate time to cardio training 3-4 times per week. The length of the activity can vary from as little as twenty minutes, to an hour, or even longer. The key to getting the most out of your cardio session is the intensity of the workout. One should always try to train in the target heart rate zone. For our purposes, on a scale of 1 to 10, try to train at a 7. Breathing regularly should be comfortable, but just barely, at this level. For some people, this level may be a brisk walk, for others, it may be a fast jog. This should help you in setting goals, and continuing to monitor and change them. A consistent training program means that your heart will grow stronger, thereby making it easier to train harder and longer. It is important that you set aside time to warm up and to cool down. This will help you avoid muscle soreness and/or tightness by giving your muscles a chance to ease into (and out of) the activity.

If you would like a comprehensive cardio assessment, would like to know what your training heart rate zone is, or simply have questions about being fit, please call Optimum Results at (609) 304-7598.

Weight Loss and Strength Training

If you think weight loss is as easy as picking the right diet or aerobics class, think again. Fewer than 10% of all dieters maintain any of their weight loss for more than a year. Diets that focus solely on calorie restriction don’t account for the muscle lost (up to 25%) This loss of muscle will lower your RMR (resting metabolic rate) and will then decrease the amount of calories burned daily. RMR accounts for up to 75% of your daily energy needs; a moderate increase or decrease can affect your chances for long term success in weight loss. Every pound of muscle will burn about 35 extra calories per day. This may not seem like much, but this translates into an extra 4 pounds of fat lost every year! A healthy diet is important for everyone’s long term health goals, but it is not the only component.

Aerobic exercise is important for everyone’s health, and to their waistline. An hour of moderate aerobic activity will burn 300-400 calories. However, aerobic exercise does not increase muscle tissue. Excessive aerobic activity can actually result in the loss of muscle tissue. This can lead to a smaller, but less toned waistline. This is not to say that aerobic exercise is not a vital tool towards weight loss, but aerobic exercise alone is not enough.

Most adults lose about ½ pound of muscle each year from disuse. This loss over time means a slowing of the body’s RMR. Because this is a fairly slow (and unnoticeable) process, most people continue to eat the same amounts of food. Since calories will not be burned as efficiently as muscle mass is lost, one’s body weight may remain steady, but the waistline will grow as these calories are stored as fat. Research shows that strength training offers greater long-term calorie burning effects than aerobic exercise and/or diet alone. A consistent 2 hours per week of strength training should be introduced to everyone’s routine to maximize one’s weight loss efforts. Note that this should complement rather than replace a healthy diet and aerobic exercise.

Other positives of strength training:

• Helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels; heightens your insulin sensitivity to keep blood sugar levels normal, improves circulation.
• Improves bone mass. One out of every two women will develop osteoporosis by the age of 55. Studies prove that strength training can actually improve bone density, not just slow down the effects of aging.
• Improve recovery from illness. Strength training has proven to significantly reduce the effects of depression, fatigue, and stress, as well as common illnesses.
• Improve your everyday lifestyle. Strength training helps keep the body strong and young, allowing for a more active lifestyle even at advanced ages.

How beer makes you fat

20% of the alcohol is ingested into the stomach, the rest is absorbed into the intestines. The alcohol is brought to your liver through the bloodstream, where it’s broken down. During this process, certain waste products are created. These waste products signal your body to stop burning fat. At the same time, your body starts producing fat as a by-product of another waste product of the alcohol. Anything over the .5 to 1 ounce of alcohol that your body can process will result in a creation of fat additional to the calories ingested, while your body will simultaneously block the burning of this fat. As a reference, most drinks contain around .6 to 1.0 ounces of alcohol.

*Taken from Men’s Health (March 2007)

*Verified through “Total Nutrition”

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• Tip of the Month

  August 2010

  Alcohol Eats Away at Muscle Mass

   If increasing muscle mass is one of your goals, then think twice before you go out for a night of heavy drinking. Consuming alcohol in large quantities has a direct effect on your metabolism, causing fat to be stored instead of being utilized as an energy source. Alcohol contains seven “empty” calories per gram, meaning that these calories don’t provide you with any of the essential nutrients you need to build that muscle mass you desire.

  Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Your Body
  Muscles—Reduces blood flow to the muscles, causing weakness and deterioration
  Hormones—Reduces testosterone in your blood and increases conversion of testosterone to estrogen, causing increased fat depositing and fluid retention
  Liver—Creates imbalances that can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), fatty liver and hyperlipidemia (build-up of fats in the bloodstream)
  Brain—Cuts off the supply of oxygen to the brain, resulting in a “blackout” caused by a lack of oxygen supply to the brain that can kill tens of thousands of brain cells

  Effects of Excessive Alcohol Consumption on Physical Performance
  Alcohol is a known depressant that suppresses the brain’s ability to function. Even though you may feel a “high” after several cocktails, the truth is that your reaction time, accuracy, balance, hand-eye coordination and endurance all decrease dramatically. Furthermore, the after-effects of a night of excessive drinking can be detrimental to your fitness goals. Alcohol is a diuretic that may result in dehydration. This dehydration is known to decrease physical performance, so that previous night of drinking will continue to affect you the following day.

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• Recipe of the Month

  August 2010

  Pepperoni Pizza

   

  Pepperoni pizza gets a healthful makeover with whole-wheat pizza dough and a flavorful tomato sauce that, thanks to the addition of pumpkin puree, provides extra beta carotene and fiber. We’ve topped the pie with low-fat turkey pepperoni, but if you like, use your favorite sliced vegetables instead.

   

  INGREDIENTS

  1 pound prepared whole-wheat pizza dough, (see Shopping Tip), thawed if frozen

  1 cup canned unseasoned pumpkin puree

  1/2 cup no-salt-added tomato sauce

  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

  1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  2 ounces sliced turkey pepperoni, (1/2 cup)

   

  COOKING DIRECTIONS

  Step 1- Place oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

  Step 2- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.

  Step 3- Whisk pumpkin puree, tomato sauce and garlic powder in a small bowl until combined.

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