Say Goodbye to Cravings and Eat Right!

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Do you ever have cravings that are so hard to resist? When your mind keeps yelling, eat me! eat me! eat me! Some dieters may believe a craving is an intense desire for a certain food, but it is actually a signal for their bodies needing the nutrients that food provides. Overindulging on cravings can quickly add up your calories for the day. Eating your cravings in moderation is the key, but sometimes it’s hard. Here are a few extra tips to beat your cravings!

  • Put your craving off. Tell yourself you’ll deal with the craving in 20 minutes. Food cravings are typically short-lived, and while the desire for chips, chocolate or cake feels overwhelming now, it will wane, especially if you can find a healthier food substitute or distract yourself.
  • Choose alternatives for your cravings. Yearn for potato chips? Buy a brand that
    ‘s low-fat or fat-free. Desire something crunchy? Skip the chips: try fruit or a salad packed with crisp greens and veggies. Want something sweet? How about baking an apple or even roasting some veggies? Roasting brings out the sweetness in many foods.
  •  Buy single servings of foods you crave. Instead of buying a whole box of cookies, buy just one cookie from a specialty bakeshop.
  •  Schedule your snacks. Plan for nutritious snacks to prevent between-meal hunger. Keep portable, healthy snacks in your desk, backpack or car.
  • Take a walk, work on a hobby or call a friend. A brisk walk outside or at work can get your mind off the craving. A chat with a sympathetic friend that will help you talk through your craving may also help.

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Reference:http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/weight-loss/tips-for-weight-loss/stop-the-cravings-eat-right

Taste of India

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While traveling in India for two and a half weeks I ate foods that were different from American delicacies, and found neat things that would be beneficial for me to use back in America.

Tiffin

 

 

 

Tiffin Jar: the Indian lunchbox. This container will keep items hot up 3 to 4 hours. I love taking this to work and school because its easily portable.

 

 

 

 

 

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Besan Laddu: a popular Indian sweet dish made of Besan (chickpea flour or gram flour), sugar and ghee.

 

 

 

 

plaitains masala chai

 

 

Fried Plantains & Masala chai: in India these are either served to house guest or served after a meal for dessert. Plantains are a member of the banana family. They are a starchy, low in sugar variety that is cooked before serving as it is unsuitable raw. Masala chai is a flavored tea beverage made by brewing black tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices and herbs.

 

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To Juice or Not to Juice?

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This is a question we hear often. Juicing is the process of extracting juice from plants, such as fruits and vegetables. Juicing is different than blending and smoothies.

You may consider juicing if identify with one of these categories:

  1. Picky eaters: If you are not a fan of fruits and vegetables this is good way to get the 5 cups of fruits and vegetables needed in the daily diet. It takes 8-10 exposures to a food before a picky eater can accept it into their diet. Therefore, ingesting produce in a juice may lead to more on their plate!
  2. Too Busy to Stop: Some people are too busy to stop for breakfast or lunch, which can lead to cravings or a large meal in the evening. Juicing would provide you with nutrients, calories, and carbohydrates needed to satisfy some nutritional needs. There is little to no protein in juices so it still does not replace a meal. Consider having 10-15 almonds, yogurt, adding a scoop of protein powder, or small piece of fish with your juice.
  3. Low fiber diet: Most people need to increase daily intake of fiber, but medically a low fiber diet is needed in some cases. Most juicing machines leave the pulp(fiber) behind to be discarded. If you are not on a low fiber diet use the pulp in other recipes such as, soups, spaghetti sauce, granola bars, or smoothies. mv

Health Benefits of Coconut Water

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While traveling in India the one thing I saw the most on roadside markets was people selling coconut water. Coconut water has many health benefits. Many studies have shown that the antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of coconut water may help with a number of minor to severe health conditions. This nutrient rich driCWnk has been used to regulate blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels, and it has been found to boost energy levels and increase metabolism in the human body. It has been found to be effective at treating stomach flu, dysentery, indigestion, constipation, intestinal worms, cholera, urinary abnormalities, urethral stone, malfunctioning kidneys, dry and itchy skin, age spots, and wrinkles.

Coconut Water is available in cans or bottles from many grocery stores, Indian markets or online retailers. Fresh plastic wrapped coconuts can also be purchased at many Indian and Asian grocery stores during the summer. When buying fresh coconuts with green husks, look for those with some light brown spots as well since these are considered to have the greatest water content. Generally, the water from Indian and Bangladeshi coconuts tends to be sweeter than Thai and Brazilian coconuts. When using fresh coconuts, try to drink the water as soon as possible since the nutrients can begin to dissipate after being exposed to air. However, the water can also be refrigerated for 10 to 12 hours if it is sealed in a tight container.

 

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Dark Chocolate Almond Oatmeal Cookies with Sea Salt

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Ingredients
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
¾ cup maple syrup

2 eggs
1 cup almond butter, unsalted, creamy
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups rolled oats (gluten-free)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped dark chocolate (dairy-free)
Maldon sea salt (or any course sea salt)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, almond butter and vanilla. In a separate large bowl, mix together the rolled oats, cinnamon, baking soda and dark chocolate. Combine wet ingredients with dry in the large bowl and stir to combine.
  3. Drop 1/4 cup of dough onto the sheet and sprinkle with a few sea salt flakes. Repeat with remaining dough, separating by at least a couple inches on the sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

From a Dietitian’s kitchen: Fish

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The American Heart Association recommends we increase our consumption of fish to twice a week. Many fish are good sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. I recommend line-caught varieties (this will be stated on the packaging) because wild fish eat a healthier diet and are better for the environment than farmed fish. Fish can be defrosted very quickly in the refrigerator or cooked from frozen. One of baked fishmy family’s favorite ways to bake fish is covering each filet in a little bit of high quality mayonnaise and then topped with parmesan cheese. The topping helps the fish to not dry out and the cheese browns well. Most fish will be cooked through in 15-25 min at 350 degrees. Fish should easily flake when it is done. Enjoy! mk

Healthy Substitutions for Delicious Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread Muffins

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Looking for a delicious and healthy dessert for Thanksgiving? Try this easy and amazing Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread Muffins recipe!Pillsbury Muffins

Ingredients:

1 box Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread

Then follow the instructions but use these substitutions..

Replace fat-free milk for the whole milk

Use the individual serving size of natural unsweetened applesauce for the oil in the recipe

Add 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin

Sprinkle a little flax seed and cinnamon into dry mixture

Add some craisins (optional)

 

Use the directions on the back of box for muffins.

 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

 

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Feed your child like a giraffe!

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Do we feed our children better than zoo animals? This was something I was pondering as I was stuck on the Centennial Cho Cho in the OKC zoo. An animal had escaped so our ride was stopped for a few minutes. I could see the giraffe feeding area wSONY DSCith a long line of those willing to pay a few dollars to feed giraffes romaine lettuce leaves. While the giraffes were eating lettuce I couldn’t help but wonder what food was in the strollers of those waiting in line. Were those children getting romaine lettuce leaves? My child with me that day wasn’t eating lettuce either but how far from lettuce was their lunch or snack? There are many signs throughout the zoo reminding us “don’t feed the animals.” Why? We all know why. Eating a diet of inappropriate food would make them sick. If the zoo keepers were feeding the animals Hot Cheetos and Kool-aid they would be charged with a crime and receive public criticism due to the gross mistreatment of these magnificent creatures that are in our care. I challenge you to think about how much of your child’s diet is similar to the diet of the beautiful creatures at the zoo and how much would be considered inappropriate? Your child is more precious than the zoo animals; let’s feed them that way! mk

From a Dietitian’s Kitchen: Lentils

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lentil ingridientsMy whole family (yes even the children) love lentils. I love that they are inexpensive, easy to prepare, and high in protein, iron and fiber.

Ingredients:
One pound of lentils
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6-8 cups of broth or water (I use 4c vegetable broth and 2c water)
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
3-4oz of Canadian bacon, ham or cooked bacon
1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary

First I rinse the lentils while looking for pebbles that sometimes end up in the bag. Then chop the onion and sauté it in the oil with the garlic until well cooked. Combine the broth and or water, onion mixture, lentils, ham or bacon and Rosemary in a slow cooker or soup pot. Cook for 30min (stove top) or 4-6 hrs on low in slow cooker. Top with sour cream or plain yogurt and enjoy! We often freeze 2 cup containers for school lunches or a quick dinner! mk

How Much is TOO Much Exercise?

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Most of you are familiar with the eating disorder known as bulimia nervosa which involves purging your calories by vomiting. You can also purge calories through excessive exercise. Exercise is generally always considered as beneficial to your health so it is frequently overlooked as developing into a possible disorder.

What begins as a desire to become healthy, fit and strong can become a form of intense mental and physical punishment. An obsessive interest in weight, calories consumed,  excessive exercise and extreme guilt or frustration if an exercise session is missed are signs of obsessive thinking about body shape.

Red flags to that a problem may exist include:

  • Going to the gym multiple times daily or several hours of exercise daily.
  • Feel a need to work out regardless if dizzy, sick or in pain.
  • Setting unattainable goals which you increase regularly.
  • You neglect to praise yourself for your accomplishments or you always think you should be doing more or better.
  • Perfectionistic attitude regarding your workouts and your body.
  • Lose weight rapidly and beyond what is recommended by your dietitian or physician.
  • If you have to miss an exercise session are you anxious, distraught and wanting to do anything to make up the appointment?

Exercise is a part of healthy living. You must learn to connect and listen to your own body; physically and mentally to be aware of what is too much.