Eat Out Eat Well

weight management strategies

How Many Carrots Are In A Portion?

By Leave a Comment

Good-bye pyramid, hello plate.  The word is that the government’s food pyramid is going to be ditched for a plate shaped system that uses wedges for the basic food groups and a half a plate for fruit and vegetables.

Despite all of the information about why we should eat more fruit and vegetables, according to the State of the Plate: 2010 Study. from the Produce for Better Health Foundation, 93.6% of Americans don’t hit our vegetable target and 92.4% of us don’t reach our fruit target.

 

How Many Fruit And Veggies Should You Eat?

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines makes a point of telling us to increase our consumption. But, here’s a question for you:  do you know how many carrots or grapes or broccoli florets are in a 1 or ½ cup serving?  Probably not. How much do you need, anyway?

The recommended amount is going to vary depending on your age, gender, and level of activity.  Go here for some general recommendations – or, trying filling up half of your plate.

 

Some Visual Portion Guidelines

But, it isn’t always so easy.  What if you pack your lunch, grab lunch at a deli, or snag a piece of fruit off of the platter in the conference room?  Or, maybe you eat out a lot and you want to guestimate the portion on your plate.  Here are some general visual guidelines from the CDC:

One cup servings:

  • 12 baby carrots or 2 medium carrots
  • 1 large ear of corn
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1 medium potato
  • 2 large celery stalks
  • 1 large bell pepper
  • 8 large strawberries
  • 1 small watermelon wedge
  • 1 large banana
  • 1 small apple
  • 1 large orange
  • 1 medium pear

One-half cup servings:

  • 16 grapes
  • 1 large plum
  • 1 small (1/4 cup) box of raisins
  • 1 medium slice of cantaloupe
  • ½ medium grapefruit
  • 5 broccoli florets

 

You Probably Should Eat A Healthy Breakfast – Here’s Why . . .

By Leave a Comment

My Mom always made me eat a “good” breakfast – eggs, leftover hamburgers from the night before, some kind of hot cereal made with milk.  My Mom grew up on a working farm – and farmers had the right idea about the need to fuel themselves for the coming day (and to use whatever food was on hand). The habit of eating a healthy breakfast has stuck with me, but even though many of you know how important it is, you probably don’t always make it a priority or carve out enough time to do it.

The advice to eat a good breakfast has been around for centuries.  It’s clear how it affects your body’s biology, but now it’s being documented that eating a healthy breakfast — especially one high in protein – can leave you feeling fuller and less hungry throughout the day.

 

A Breakfast Study

Research published in the journal Obesity studied teens who either skipped breakfast or ate a 500 calorie breakfast of cereal and milk (with normal amounts of protein) or higher protein meals like Belgium waffles with added protein, syrup, and yogurt for three weeks.

At the end of each week, the teens filled out appetite and satiety questionnaires, and had a brain scan before lunch that used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to identify brain activation responses.

The researchers focused on teens because 60% of them skip breakfast and breakfast skipping is strongly associated with unhealthy snacking, overeating (especially at night), weight gain, and obesity.

 

What They Found

The results showed that eating breakfast led to increased fullness and less hunger throughout the morning.  The fMRI showed that before lunch there was also reduced brain activity in regions that control food motivation and reward.

Eating breakfast reduced brain signals that lead to reward driven eating behavior when they’re active.  The higher protein breakfast produced greater feelings of satiety and changes in reward driven eating behavior than the normal protein milk and cereal meal.

Since skipping breakfast is associated with more snacking and food cravings, breakfast — especially one that is rich in protein — could be an effective strategy in controlling appetite and preventing overeating.

 

 

Prep For Your Big Event And Snag An A . . .

By Leave a Comment

A  for Awesome, because that’s how you’ll feel.

Don’t you hate it: you’ve been so much attention to what you eat and your healthy eating habits are really getting grooved.  You’re starting to feel and look great, but, oh boy, you have to go to something big.  It could be a wedding, a dinner party, or dinner at a fabulous restaurant.

First thought: I’m going shopping for something great to wear.

Second thought: The food is going to be awesome.  Is this going to make me blow my careful eating and, then, forget it — it’s all down hill from there.

The Dilemma

You want to enjoy yourself and be able to have some of the restaurant’s “specialty of the house” or a bunch of hors d’ oeuvres followed by a delicious piece of cake at your friend’s wedding.

What To Do?

Prep like your final exam is tomorrow.

Remember cramming for finals?  Hit the books and collect some information.  Research the menu of the restaurant you will be going to or call your host or event planner to find out what will be served at your event.

Many restaurants have their menus online – or you can stop in for a preview.  If you nicely give your host, the caterer, or the event planner a solid reason for wanting to know the menu, you’ll be surprised at how accommodating most can be.

After you’ve researched what can be ordered and/or what will be served, you can then come up with your plan.   If you want that fantastic dessert perhaps you decide to keep your hand out of the breadbasket.  Do you want to have wine with dinner?  Maybe forego a cocktail (or two) – and its calories – before dinner.  Want the very special hors d’oeuvre?   Maybe dessert gets jettisoned.

The point is:  You are in control and can choose what you want to do.  But planning is important.  Make up your mind what you’re going to do ahead of time and commit to it.

A game time decision means that you’re making decisions when too many enticements are already in front of you.  That’s not easy to do.  So, do your research, come up with a plan, and stick to it.  Allow yourself something special – don’t take that away.  But, maybe stick to one or two special treats, not an ongoing feast.  You’ll feel fantastic, in control, and tremendously proud of yourself.  You’ll have had something delicious -– and your new clothes will still look just as great.  Most importantly, those new healthy eating habits are still intact and have and will continue to serve you well.

When Should I Eat?

By Leave a Comment

Hunger is a basic survival mechanism.  It’s what signals our brains that our bodies need nourishment and energy — and it drives us to eat for fuel.  We’re born with this ability – think about babies and how they cry when they need food – and how they stop eating when they’re full.

Those of us who struggle with our weight are sometimes disconnected from the signals that tell us when we’re hungry and when we’re full and satisfied.  Some of us don’t even feel hungry because we eat so frequently that we never get to the point where our bodies knock on the door to let us know that they’re hungry.

The Hunger Scale

There is a hunger scale to help identify how hungry you are before, during and after eating.  The scale goes from 1 to 10 with 1 being ravenous and 10 being so full that you feel sick.

The Scale:

  1. You’re ravenous and too hungry to give a hoot about what you eat
  2. You’re starving and absolutely must eat immediately because you’re irritable, cranky, and have no energy
  3. You’re hungry and the urge to eat is strong
  4. Your hunger pangs are signaling the first signs of hunger; you’re a little hungry
  5. You’re satisfied – not hungry but not full and you’re not aware of food in your stomach
  6. You’re fully satisfied and are aware of food in your stomach
  7. You’re very full, your stomach feels stretched, and you’re past the point of satisfaction but can still find room for more
  8. You’re uncomfortable because your stomach is too full and you really wish you hadn’t had those last few bites
  9. You’re stuffed, very uncomfortable, and your clothes feel very tight – that belt buckle or snap on your jeans doesn’t stand a chance
  10. You’re beyond full and feel sick, miserable, and you don’t want to move

 

What Number?

  • If you’re at number 5 or above you’re not physically hungry and something else is triggering your eating.
  • If you’re at number 4 you can wait to eat or eat a little bit.
  • If you’re at a 2 or 3 it’s a good time to heat – have you noticed that food tastes pretty good when you’re hungry?
  • If you’re at number 1 you need to eat — but pay attention to what you’re doing.  When you’re starving you don’t care too much about what or how much you eat – and usually shovel food in as quickly as possible – which can result in overeating (pigging out) and ending up at a 7 and up.
  • Gauge your hunger.  If you’re only a little hungry, only eat a little.  Preventive eating – or eating because you might be hungry in a little while – can cause you to pack in a lot of calories.