Snacking, Noshing, Tasting

Do You Eat Chips and Cookies Straight from the Package?

January 20, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the size of the package your food comes in influences how much you’ll eat. The larger the package, the more you tend to eat from it.

And, if you’re eating from the bag while you watch TV or work on the computer, it’s likely that as you mindlessly move your hand from bag to mouth you don’t realize how much you’re eating or whether you’re full of not. So you probably just keep eating until you get to the bottom of the bag – and then eat all of the crumbs, too.

It’s easier to stay away from chips and cookies if the bag isn’t in your line of sight – out of sight, out of mind.

If you do buy jumbo size packages because they’re cheaper, put the excess somewhere inconvenient so you’ll have to work to get at it –like the basement, garage, or a high shelf that you need a stepstool to access. If you have to work to get the food it might take some of the desire out of it.

Don’t eat straight from the package. Divide up the contents of one large package into several smaller portions. Put your portion in a bowl, on a plate, or even on a napkin. Count out your chips, crackers, and pretzels or only eat from a single portion size bag.

Who can stop when there’s an open bag of salty, crunchy food right in front of you? It’s amazingly easy to just keep until the bag is empty. A dive to the bottom of a 9 ounce bag of chips (without dip) is 1,260 calories. One serving, about 15 chips, is 140 calories.

And, leave the broken pieces of cookies or chips in the bag. Remarkably, pieces of cookies and broken chips have calories, too!

30 Easy And Doable Eat Out Resolutions To Try — Pick One!

January 3, 2014 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Eating out can be a real challenge to your waistband. It can be pretty hard to make the best choices on the spur of the moment.

There are times to go all out and eat everything – maybe a special meal or celebration. But for everyday eating, whether it’s at the coffee shop, takeout for lunch at work, or dinner at the local diner — why not resolve to stick to certain personal rules that are the most workable for you.

Here’s a list of some possibilities – all of them pretty doable – some easier that others depending on your preferences. If you make up your mind to do one thing – and consistently stick to it – that behavior will eventually become your default habit pattern.

Ideas To Try:

I will not stick my hand in the breadbasket and eat what comes out.I will only have one piece of bread with dinner instead of two or three (harder breads tend to have fewer calories).
I will only have one piece of bread with dinner instead of two or three (harder breads tend to have fewer calories).
I will have my bread naked — without butter or olive oil (one teeny pat of butter has 36 calories, a tablespoon has 102, and a tablespoon of oil has 120).I will not use bread to sop up every last bit of sauce or dressing on my plate.
I will not use bread to sop up every last bit of sauce or dressing on my plate.
I will not eat all of the leftover broken pieces of cookies, brownies, crackers, etc.I will not taste everyone else’s meal at the table and then eat everything I ordered.
I will not taste everyone else’s meal at the table and then eat everything I ordered.
I believe it’s not necessary to clean my plate in a restaurant because (a) I paid for the meal, (b) it’s really good, or (c) it’s sitting in front of me.I will order pizza without extra cheese and meat.
I will order pizza without extra cheese and meat.
I will eat only two slices or pizza instead of three or four.I will have a two-scoop ice cream sundae instead of three – or maybe even one scoop.
I will have a two-scoop ice cream sundae instead of three – or maybe even one scoop.
I will order a single scoop sugar cone instead of a large waffle cone in the ice cream store. Sprinkles (jimmies) are a pretty low calories bonus.I won’t eat the crusts of grilled cheese or pizza off of my kid’s plate.
I won’t eat the crusts of grilled cheese or pizza off of my kid’s plate.
I won’t help with my kid’s ice cream cone, either – under the pretense of helping to keep it from dripping all over or falling on the sidewalk.I will hold my dinner wine to two glasses (a 5 ounce glass of wine has around 120 calories).
I will hold my dinner wine to two glasses (a 5 ounce glass of wine has around 120 calories).
I will keep my hand out of the bar snacks: peanuts, goldfish, chips, etc.I will ask for salad dressing on the side and then use only a couple of spoonsful – not ladles like those commonly used in restaurants or salad bars.
I will ask for salad dressing on the side and then use only a couple of spoonsful – not ladles like those commonly used in restaurants or salad bars.
I’ll skip the pie a la mode and just have pie.I’ll eat the filling and leave most of the piecrust on the plate (can save around 200 calories).
I’ll eat the filling and leave most of the piecrust on the plate (can save around 200 calories).
I’ll order the smaller cut of steak in the steakhouse.I’ll ask for mustard instead of mayo on my sandwich (saves about 100 calories).
I’ll ask for mustard instead of mayo on my sandwich (saves about 100 calories).
I’ll have a cheeseburger instead of a bacon cheeseburger (two strips of bacon are about 100 calories).I’ll have plain coffee or tea instead of a mocha latte or hot chocolate.
I’ll have plain coffee or tea instead of a mocha latte or hot chocolate.
I’ll ask for veggies instead of mashed potatoes; salad instead of French fries.
I’ll have a regular burger or even a regular cheeseburger instead of a big mac, whopper, etc.
I’ll skip the mid-morning donut or pastry and have yogurt, fruit, or a small portion of nuts instead.
I’ll have grilled chicken or fish instead of fried.
I’ll only have one stadium-sized beer instead of two.
I won’t buy a candy bar when I stop for gas.
I’ll have a giant bagel only one of the weekend days instead of both.
I won’t use a road or plane trip as an excuse for non-stop candy and chip indulgence.

What are some of your eating out resolutions? Post them on Facebook so others can try them, too.

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What To Eat For Good Luck In The New Year — And What To Avoid!

December 30, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Pork products, fish, beans, cakes with coins, grapes, and pickled herring?

Food and symbolism play important roles in celebrations around the world. On special occasions different countries use certain foods not just to celebrate but often as a symbol of luck, wealth, and health.

What Not To Eat (Hint: Don’t Look Or Move Back)

Different cultures have foods that are supposed to be eaten at the stroke of midnight or sometime on January 1 to bring luck, fortune, and plenty (both money and food).

There are also foods not to eat. Things that move or scratch backwards — like lobsters, chickens, and turkeys — are to be avoided because they symbolize moving backward instead of progressing forward. To avoid any looking back, setbacks, or past struggles only things that move forward should be eaten.

In some cultures, a little food should be left on the table or on your plate to guarantee – or at least to hedge your bets – that you’ll have a well-stocked kitchen during the coming year.

Why Tempt Fate — Some Lucky Foods To Consider

There are many New Year’s foods and traditions — far too numerous to list – that are honored by people all around the world. Wouldn’t you want to consider piling some luck on your plate on January 1? Why tempt fate?

Here are some of the more common groups of good luck foods:

Round foods shaped like coins, like beans, black eyed peas, and legumes, symbolize financial prosperity, as do greens, which resemble paper money. Examples are cabbage, collard greens, and kale. Golden colored foods like corn bread also symbolize financial rewards in the New Year. Examples of round good luck foods are: lentils in Italy and Brazil, pancakes in Germany, round fruit in the Philippines, and black-eyed peas in the Southern US. Green leafy vegetables that symbolize paper money are collard greens in the Southern US and kale in Denmark.
Pork symbolizes abundance, plenty of food, and the fat of the land (think pork barrel legislation). It’s a sign of prosperity and the pig symbolizes plentiful food in the New Year. The pig is considered an animal of progress because it moves forward as it roots around for food. Pork products appear in many ways – ham, sausage, ham hocks, pork ribs, and even pig’s knuckles. Years ago, if your family had a pig you were doing well! Some examples of good luck pork products are roast suckling pig with a four leaf clover in its mouth in Hungary; pork sausage with lentils in Italy; and pork with sauerkraut in Germany.

In some countries, having food on your table and/or plates at the stroke of midnight is a sign that you’ll have food throughout the year.

Seafood, with the exception of the backward swimming lobster, symbolizes abundance and plenty and is a symbol of good luck. Fish also symbolize fertility because they produce multiple eggs at a time. It’s important that a fish be served whole, with the head and tail intact to symbolize a good beginning and a good end. Examples are herring and carp in Germany, pickled herring in Poland, boiled cod in Denmark, dried salted cod in Italy, red snapper in Japan, and carp in Vietnam.

Eating sweet food in order to have a sweet year is common in a number of countries. In Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Cuba, Ecuador, and Peru 12 sweet grapes, one for each month of the year, are eaten at midnight in hope of having 12 sweet months. The order and sweetness of the grape is important – for instance, if the fifth grape is a bit sour, May might be a bit rocky. In some places the goal is to eat all of the grapes before the last stroke of midnight and some countries eat a 13th grape just for good measure. There seems to be an awful lot of hedging of bets all around the world.

Another symbol for good luck involves eating food that’s in a ring shape – like doughnuts or ring shaped cakes. This represents coming full circle to successfully complete the year. Examples are Rosca de Reyes in Mexico and Olie Bollen (doughnuts) in the Netherlands.

Long noodles signify a long life. The Japanese use long Buckwheat Soba noodles – but you shouldn’t cut or break them because that could shorten life.

Sweets are symbolic of a sweet year and/or good luck. Cakes and breads with coins or trinkets baked into them are common in many countries. Greeks have a round cake called Vasilopita – made with a coin baked inside — which is cut after midnight. Whoever gets the coin is lucky throughout the year. Jews use apples dipped in honey on the Jewish New Year, Norwegians use rice pudding with an almond inside, Koreans use sweet fruits, and Egyptians have candy for children.

So fill your plate with a serving of luck. Don’t overlook resolutions. They’re not quite as tasty as most (not all) food traditions, but they do have longevity — they date back 4000 years to the ancient Babylonians!

Material in this article is taken (with the author’s permission) from “Symbolic Foods Eaten Around the World for New Years,” originally published on http://MamaLisa.com. Visit Mama Lisa’s World, which features the internet’s largest collection of international children’s songs and a lively blog focused on parenthood and world culture.

For more interesting tips about food and eating visit the iTunes store to get Eat Out Eat Well digital magazine for your iPad or iPhone.

10 Tips to Keep A Lid On Buffet Table Calories

December 19, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Eating well and being “calorically observant” can be a challenge when you’re staring at heaps of tempting food loaded onto buffet tables, kitchen counters, and dining room sideboards.

Whether it’s a fancy catered affair or pizza, wings, and cold cuts laid out on the kitchen table, why give yourself extra opportunities to shovel chips and dip or salami and cheese into your mouth all night long?

10 Tips

1. Keep your back to the table. It’s one of the easiest strategies to use. We often eat with out eyes – if we see something delicious, we want to eat it. So, don’t look at it. Stand with your back to the tempting food. If you have a drink in your hand – it doesn’t matter what it is – your hands are full and it’s more difficult to grab food to eat.

2. Don’t give yourself ample opportunity to mindlessly shovel food into your mouth. You’re human, so stay out of hand-to-mouth range. You’re far less likely to nibble and nosh if you have to leave a conversation and walk across the room to get to the food.

3. Hors d’oeuvres can really get you. They’re small, but the calories really add up. Make up your mind how many you’ll eat ahead of time and stick to your plan or you’ll have shoved down a thousand calories before you know it. Pick ones you love and avoid the ones you don’t. Why sacrifice your calories for something you don’t love? Try to keep a mental count because when you’re talking and drinking it’s far too easy to grab from each passing tray.

4. When it’s time to sit, choose a seat that puts your back to the food display — preferably one that’s some distance away from it. Having to get up and walk past lots people – many of whom you know – while balancing a plate filled to the brim, can serve as a “seconds” and “thirds” deterrent.

5. Before putting any food on your plate, just cruise the buffet line to eyeball all of the choices. What do you want to do, eat everything in sight or make controlled choices? What’s going to energize you and not mess too badly with the calorie range that you want to maintain? Make up your mind, make your choice, and enjoy what you’ve decided to eat.

6. Engage in conversation. It’s hard to keep shoving food in your mouth when you’re talking.

7. No nibbling while you’re filling your plate – it really tacks on calories. Pizza crusts, pieces of bacon, and French fries are small and easy to forget. Make up your mind not to sample before you sit down to eat and stick to your plan or you’ll have shoved down a thousand calories before you know it.

8. What are you putting on your plate? Why sacrifice your calories for something that you don’t like? Of course, don’t eliminate whole food groups. Even for vegetable haters there’s got to be a few vegetables you’ll eat.

9. Avoid seconds and picking food off of a plate that someone has generously piled high with a selection of cookies and brownies and put in the middle of the table for everyone to share. If you can, shove that plate out of arms’ reach!.

10..If you decide you’ll feel totally deprived if you don’t indulge in something, cut it in half or in thirds and be satisfied with that amount. Always put your food on a plate and push it away from you when you’ve had enough. Keeping the plate within easy reaching distance means you’ll probably be nibbling away at what’s on it until it’s gone.

What’s On Your Holiday Plate? 9 Easy Calorie Saving Tips

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

1. Leave some space for the holiday specials, but, in general, aim to practice portion control with the higher calorie foods and pile your plate high with the lower calorie vegetables. When you take in more calories than your body needs and uses, you’ll gain weight.

2. Your body can handle a certain amount of “big meal” overeating (Thanksgiving, the occasional holiday party). The problems with the scale happen when poor choices and expanded portions become daily rather than occasional events. It’s difficult during the long holiday season not to indulge on large portions and frequent treats. Be attentive to what and how much you’re eating. Even a controlled portion of a holiday treat several times a week – or even everyday — is better than multiple large portions everyday from Thanksgiving through New Years.

3. Choose your food wisely. If you can, pick lean proteins like fish, poultry, and the least fatty cuts of pork, beef, and lamb that are grilled or broiled, not fried or sautéed. Load up on vegetables – preferably ones that are not smothered in cheese or dripping with oil. Eat your turkey without the skin.

4. Work on eating a larger portion of fruit and veggies and less of the densely caloric foods like pastas swimming in oil and cheese. Consider beans or eggs as your protein source. But beware: it’s easy to be fooled by fatty sauces and dressings on innocent looking vegetables. Vegetables are great. Veggies smothered with butter, cheese, croutons, and/or bacon are loaded with calories.

5. Leave the breadbasket at the other end of the table. If you absolutely must have bread, go without butter or oil. Harder breadsticks generally have fewer calories than the soft breads and rolls. One teeny pat of butter has 36 calories, a tablespoon has 102 and 99% of them are from fat. A tablespoon of oil has about 120 calories. Would you rather have the oil or butter or a cookie for dessert or another glass of wine? Which calories will be more satisfying?

6. Don’t eat all of the piecrust. You can save around 200 calories at dessert by leaving the piecrust sitting on the plate and nixing (or decreasing) ice cream toppings like hot fudge sauce and whipped cream.

7. Is a half enough? If you decide you really will feel totally deprived if you don’t indulge in one of those delicious baked goods, choose one without loads of thick buttery crumbs on top, cut it in half or in thirds and be satisfied with that amount. Put it on a separate small plate that you can easily push away from you. Keeping it on your main plate or even a smaller one that’s easily reachable means you’ll be nibbling away at it the entire time.

8. It’s the mindless calories that are probably the most dangerous. For some reason we don’t seem to mentally process all of those random nibbles and calories from the treats on the receptionist’s desk, the neighbor’s homemade peanut brittle, the office party holiday toasts, the second and third helpings, or the holiday cookies in the snack room. If the food is in front of you it’s hard not to indulge. See it = eat it.

9. Don’t skimp or skip meals. Feed yourself well. Your body needs good nutrition. If you skip meals to try to save up calories you’ll just end up (over)eating because you’re starving, your blood sugar will be in the basement, and your body will be screaming, “feed me.” When that happens, you head straight for the carbs right off the bat – and it’s almost always all downhill from there. Not a great tactic for your body or your mind – or for your general mood.