What Breaks Your Healthy Eating Diet? July 23, 2010

Ok, so here are the results for the “What Breaks Your Healthy Eating Diet” poll:

43% Sweets

43% Friends

14% Fast Foods

0% Holiday Foods

0% Late Night Kitchen Splurges

So here is a fact: Friends can make you fat! It’s interesting how Friends tied up with Sweets isn’t it? Friends even beat Fast Food! How is that?? Sometimes when we go out with our friends, we tend to get more relaxed. Then when your buddy orders those delicious loaded french fries with bacon, extra cheese and ranch, heck yea you’re going take more than one bite! It’s very tempting.

For those of you that drink with your friends, it is easy to have a couple of drinks then get hungry for some greasy foods. The alcohol dehydrates you, which can cause your brain to cry out for satisfaction. I always know after I have a couple of drinks, cheesy nachos sound delicious so I try to pick a salad or some pita bread with hummus instead (if that’s offered – usually you can find Pita bread with hummus or spinach dip at most Irish/English pubs) Even though you may not always be the one ordering the junk food, you can still fall into the peer pressure when your friends order the goodies. It happens to the best of us.

Preventing the friend splurges is possible, so don’t give up! Before you go out with your friends, eat a nice big healthy salad with mixed greens and lots of veggies to stimulate your appetite. If you go out with a rumbling tummy, you are more likely to grab at the junk food as the night goes on. If you’re not into salad, just eat a healthy meal and a drink a few glasses of water before you head out the door. Problem solved!

How to Not Over-eat February 22, 2010

It’s easy to reach for a second helping and it’s hard NOT to reach for a second helping. This is where I think many of us get into trouble with over-eating. When your first plate of fettuccine alfredo tasted so good, how can you not get a second helping?

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Number One: One way to avoid the deadly pitfall of over-eating is to substitute your alfredo with something that is good for you; like a green vegetable. If you are still hungry after your first plate, fill up your second plate with fresh vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, edamame, green beans, or spinach. The fiber and goodness in the veggies will fulfill your needs, and ta-dah! You just consumed fewer calories. Make your pasta dish even more delicious by mixing in the vegetables with your first helping. This will fill you up so you don’t even have to worry about coming up for seconds.

Number Two: It is ok to eat your favorite comfort food every now and then.  If your comfort food are chocolate chip cookies, I believe you should have a cookie. Just a few, not the whole bag. It will satisfy your cravings so you don’t go crazy and indulge in bad foods later on that day, or worse, at the end of the week! (I say it’s worse at the end of the week because if your holding back your food craving all week and go crazy on Friday, I promise you will not wake up feeling well on Saturday. Trust me).  You can always make your comfort food healthier too. If you are a fettuccine lover, substitute your pasta with whole-wheat pasta, add some broccoli, and top it with light fettuccine alfredo sauce. (Yes, they make this stuff–it’s  lower in calories and fat. I buy it at Kroger). I heard that substituting apple sauce for oil in your bakery goods is great too.

Number three: Another way to avoid over-eating is to eat at the dinner table. When you are sitting in front of the computer or television while eating your meal, you tend to eat more than your body asked for. Why? When your concentrating on what is on TV or who is on Facebook, you can easily forget how much food is going in your stomach. If you socialize at the dinner table, you actually enjoy your food and  are more likely to eat less because you are concentrating on what is on your plate. It takes your mind about 20 seconds to send the “I’m full” signal to your stomach. If you eat slower, then you will realize you are full. Eating too fast does not give your brain enough to time to tell you stomach it’s had enough. By that time, it is too late.

I believe that moderation is key. Yes I know that phrase is cliché, but it’s true. Eating in moderation is healthy and teaches your body self-control. Once you can control what is going in your stomach, it will become easier and easier. Don’t fill up your stomach every time you eat; stop when you are content. Your stomach shrinks when you are not constantly filling it up to where you are uncomfortable. Give your body what it needs, not more, not less.