Lose 5 Pounds in 5 Weeks

It’s Really True: Shopping When You’re Hungry Means More Calories In Your Cart

May 15, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

You’ve probably heard this before: “Don’t shop when you’re hungry.” But is it a myth or a fact?

Two experiments put this to the test. After not eating for 5 hours, 68 men and women were allowed to shop for food on two separate days in a simulated grocery store (a Cornell lab). Lower-calorie healthy options and higher-calorie junk foods were available to put in their carts.

Half of the participants were given a snack before shopping. Both groups picked a similar number of items, but the people who hadn’t had the snack and were shopping when they were hungry (they hadn’t eaten in at least 5 hours) picked food with the highest calorie counts.

In the second experiment the researchers followed 82 actual shoppers in a grocery store. They found that the people who were shopping at the time of day (4 to 7 PM) when they were most likely to be hungry ended up picking the higher calorie foods.

Science And Common Sense Advice

A cardiologist who wrote an editorial that accompanied the study which was published in JAMA, believes the scientific findings support the common-sense advice of “never go grocery shopping when you are hungry.” She added her personal note “and never with young children.” Both factors can lead to less wise food choices.

This study suggests that how hungry you are impacts the food you choose when you shop. “Hungry shoppers buy more calories.”

Short-term fasting – whether it comes from intentionally skipping a meal, or unintentionally because of a busy schedule, can lead people to make unhealthier food choices.

How To Save Calories

To save calories when you head to the grocery store, grab a snack before you shop, plan in advance, consider ordering online, or let a good old-fashioned shopping list be your guide.

When you’re really hungry, odds are you’re going to go for the high calorie stuff – which often equates to junk – rather than kale and celery.

Can You Save Calories Eating A Ham And Cheese Sandwich Instead Of A Salad?

May 14, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Somehow we’ve embraced the idea that salads are always a light and healthy choice. Sometimes they are – but all too often they aren’t.

Listen to lunchtime orders and you hear salad, salad, salad – and an occasional sandwich. Sometimes the sandwich is the clear winner in terms of calories and fat. For instance, a ham and cheese sandwich ranges from 350 to 450 calories depending upon how much ham and cheese there really is – and whether it comes with mustard or mayo (and, of course, not fries or chips). And sometimes the salad is a better choice — depending on what goes into it. Check out the following nutritional facts for salads.

The Green Base

The green stuff that’s the base for most salads isn’t the problem. Most greens are very low in calories and pretty nutritious.

1 cup shredded Romaine: 8 calories, 1 gram fiber, 1 gram protein, 0 gram fat
1 cup of Arugula: 6 calories, 1 gram fiber, 1 gram protein, 0 gram fat
1 cup raw spinach: 7 calories, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram protein
1 cup chopped kale: 32 calories, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of protein, 0 gram fat

Where’s The Problem?

Answer: Hidden in high calorie add-ons and dressings.

Generally, at least ¼ of a cup (frequently more) of dressing is added to a tossed salad. A ladle of creamy dressing has about 360 calories and 38g of fat (a cheeseburger’s worth).
Tuna, macaroni, and chicken salads, the holy grail of delis and salad bars, are loaded with mayonnaise, which is loaded with fat. ½ cup of chicken salad has around 208 calories, 16g of fat; tuna salad has 192 calories, 9g fat; tuna pasta salad has 397 calories, 9g fat; macaroni salad has 170 calories, 9g fat. (Remember, ½ cup is pretty small.)
Then there’s cheese. A ¼ cup (a ¼ cup serving is really small) serving of shredded cheddar has 114 calories, 9g fat; blue cheese has 80 calories, 6g fat; feta has 75 calories, 6g fat.
Croutons and Crispy Noodles: ¼ cup of plain croutons has 31 calories, 0g fat; 1 serving of McDonald’s Butter Garlic Croutons has 60 calories, 1g fat; ¼ cup of crispy noodles has 74 calories, 4g fat
Dried cranberries: ¼ cup has 98 calories, 0g fat
Nuts and seeds: ¼ cup sunflower seeds: 210 calories, 19g fat; chopped walnuts: 193 calories, 18g fat
Avocado, ¼ cup: 58 calories, 5g fat
Bacon bits, 1 tablespoon: 25 calories, 2g fat
Bread (often used to sop up leftover dressing): 1 piece of French bread, 82 calories, 1g fat; 1 dinner roll, 78 calories, 2g fat. Dressing sopped up by the bread or roll: lots of extra fat calories!

This tip is part of the “lose 5 pounds in 5 weeks” challenge. Read more about the challenge here and post how you’re doing on Eat Out Eat Well’s Facebook page.

Want To Decrease Your Dinner Calories? Change The Size Of Your Plate

May 13, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN 1 Comment

Does the size of your plate make a difference other than for convenience? You bet it does.Since 1960, the size of the average dinner plate has increased 36%. Today’s dinner plate measures 11 to 12 inches across — a few decades ago they were 7 to 9 inches. A European plate averages 9 inches and some restaurants use plates that are about 13 inches across.

We Feed Our Stomachs And Our Eyes

We eat most of what’s on our plate regardless of the size of the plate.

Six ounces of cooked rice with a little chili looks like a good-sized portion on an 8 inch plate. The same amount on a 12 inch plate would look paltry and most of us add more — increasing both the portion size and the calories.

When you switch to a smaller plate you eat a smaller serving. You eat, on average, 22% less when you switch from a 12 inch plate to a 10 inch plate.

Go Small – But Not Too Small

It sounds too good to be true, but using smaller dishes can also help you feel full even when you’re eating less. Studies show that people are more satisfied with less food when they’re served on 8 inch salad plates instead of on 12 inch dinner plates.

But — be careful not to go too small with your plate. With too little food you might end up going back for seconds. A plate 2 inches smaller than the one you normally use is probably about right.

Let A Baseball Be Your Guide For A One Cup Serving Of Food

May 12, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

It’s awfully hard to gauge how much food you’re putting on your plate – and even harder to figure out how much food you’re popping into your mouth when you eat directly from a multi-serving bag of food – like a big bag of chips.

Portion size is critical to managing your weight. One helpful idea is to use familiar objects as visual guides to “guesstimate” portion sizes.

One Cup Is About The Size Of A Baseball

The suggested serving size for many food items, particularly produce, is a cup. The suggested portion size for many denser items, like pasta, rice, or ice cream is a half a cup, so two servings – which is, at minimum, what most of us eat, would equal a cup.

A Baseball, Not A Softball

A cup is about the size of a baseball – a baseball, not a softball. So a cup of cooked greens, a cup of yogurt, a cup of beans, or a cup of cantaloupe should all look like the size of a baseball – but with obviously different calorie counts.

Here are some of the CDC’s examples of one-cup servings:

1 small apple
1 medium grapefruit
1 large orange
1 medium pear
8 large strawberries
1 large bell pepper
1 medium potato
2 large stalks of celery
12 baby carrots or 2 medium carrot
1 large ear of corn

It’s easy to visualize a small apple or a medium potato as about the size of a baseball. It’s more difficult with an ear of corn! But, for most food products it is possible to think “baseball” and pour or cut or pick (as in the case of fruit) a similarly sized portion.

This is Tip #3 for Week 3 of the “lose 5 pounds in 5 weeks challenge.” Let everyone know how you’re doing! Post your results and/or struggles and suggestions on Eat Out Eat Well’s page on Facebook.

What To Eat When Party Food Is Heavy On Wings, Pizza, And Chips

May 11, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Stick with grilled meat, veggies, or baked chips rather than fried.

Turkey, baked ham, and grilled chicken are better choices than wings and fried chicken.

Plain bread, pitas, or wraps are less caloric than biscuits or cornbread. Or, try using lettuce as a sandwich wrap.

Go for salsa and skip the guacamole; mustard instead of mayo.

Minimize calories by dipping chicken wings into hot sauce instead of Buffalo sauce.

Try using celery for crunch and as a dipper instead of chips.

Try fruit for dessert.

Go for thin crust rather than thick doughy crust pizza. Choose the slices with vegetables — not pepperoni or meatballs. If you’re not embarrassed, try blotting up the free-floating oil that sits on top of a greasy slice (soak up even a teaspoon of oil saves you 40 calories and 5 grams of fat).

Alcohol adds calories and lowers your inhibitions so your resolve not to eat everything at the buffet table often flies right out the window. Try alternating water or diet soda with beer or alcohol which decreases your alcohol calories by 50%. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram but doesn’t fill you up the way food does, so you can drink a lot and not feel stuffed.