No Foolin'

Stay clear of any April Fools pranks attempting to pull on your healthy efforts!  Whether you want to fit in your favorite pants in your closet, look dashing in swimwear, feel fit, or ward off diseases—weight loss may be consuming your thoughts.  Diets purporting results which seem too good to be true just might be!  So, how can you make sure you are an educated consumer and making the best choice?

 

Be Leery of these Common Diet Gimmicks 

• RAPID LOSS.  Healthy weight loss should be 1/2-2 pounds a week.  According to CDC, when people lose weight gradually, they are more successful in keeping the weight off than people who lose rapidly.  So, if you want to lose weight and keep it off, avoid the urge to lose quickly.

• NO NEED TO EXERCISE.  What a great ploy--lose weight without effort.  Although it would be fabulously easy, attaining a healthy weight requires incorporating physical activity.  Physical activity will also support your efforts in maintinaing weight once you achieve your goal weight loss.

• RIGIDITY.  To assess whether or not a diet is right for you, ask yourself, "could I eat this the rest of my life?"  If you can't, than it is not a sustainable health plan for you.  Remember, it's about an ongoing lifestyle.

• SPECIFIC FOOD COMBINATIONS.  American Dietetics Association states, "there is no evidence that combining certain foods or eating foods at specific times of day will help with weight loss.  Eating the 'wrong' combinations of foods doesn't cause them to turn to fat immediately or to produce toxins in your intestines, as some plans claim."

• ELIMINATION.  Diets which eliminate or highly restrict entire food groups are not healthy.  Your body needs nutrients and by eliminating or restricting you will be missing crucial nutritents. 

Is Eating Out Sabotaging your Plate?

How’s your plate workout going?  Have you enjoyed incorporating a variety of fruits and vegetables with your meals?  With preparation and reminders, including more fruits and veggies to your meals becomes easier and easier.

On the Run

The other day, I was in a rush and had not planned ahead for eating on the run.  I stopped at a drive through to grab a quick meal and ordered a sandwich and apple slices.  I was shocked by what I heard over the intercom after I ordered.

“We don’t have any apples”

Now, there are some restaurants that have gone to great lengths to offer healthy alternatives.  Obviously, I chose a restaurant which had very limited healthy options—only apple slices which were not only the least popular item on the menu, but under stocked!  Begrudgingly, I forwent the apple slices and settled with just my sandwich. 

 Here are a few tips for avoiding my disaster and finding healthy options while you are eating out from American Dietetics Association and “Mindless Eating” by Brian Wansink, PH.D.

·         Look up menus.  Take a couple minutes to look up restaurant menus online or on a phone app before you head out.  Although I could not have known from the menu that the restaurant was out of apple slices, looking at a few menus would have helped me find more healthy choices elsewhere.

·         Menu savvy.  Once you have the menu, look for words that identify less fat and calories such as baked, braised, broiled, grilled, poached, roasted, steamed.

·         Special order.  Ask for additional vegetables, replace a side of fries with a salad, fruit cup, or steamed vegetables.  Ask for no mayo or sauces on sandwiches.

·         Sharing.  Supersize your meal, but share it with someone.  Don’t have a friend to share with, dump half of your fries out on your way to your seat. 

Healthy options are available in restaurants.  Do not be afraid to make special requests or thoroughly evaluate the menu.  Avoid the frustration of finding a restaurant out of apple slices—prepare to make healthy choices before you go out to eat.  Enjoy finding ways to make your favorite meal healthier and include more fruits and veggies.

Plate Workout

Time to step up your healthy eating efforts.  If you are up to the challenge, this year's theme for National Nutrition Month may be just the thing you need to toss your tv dinner plastic tray and revamp your plate.

Translating the food pyramid into meals is challenging and I am certain I am not alone in my struggle with connecting the principles of the pyramid to mealtime.  Fortunately, the USDA has simplified and now uses Choose My Plate. 

Following this simple plate method will help you include a variety of fruits and vegetables and assist in recognizing the correct balance between the different food groups. 



If you are hesitant and think you may not be up for the challenge of transforming your dinner plate, consider the following suggestions:

• Add vegetables to omelets, sandwiches, soups, or pizza
• Choose a side of veggies to replace fries when eating out
• Allow your children to choose a new fruits of vegetable when grocery shopping to explore new foods

Have fun with getting your plate in shape!  For St. Patrick's Day try a smorgasbord of dark green fruits and vegetables.

National Sleep Awareness Week (March 5-11th)

Daylight savings time is just around the corner and experts say that this is a great time to reset your sleeping habits!  According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults need on average, 7-9 hours of sleep a night.  Even though the recommendation is 7-9 hours a night, 37.7% of adults report regularly sleeping less than 7 hours per night.

Why is it crucially recommended to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night?  Insufficient sleep, as reported by the CDC, is associated with many chronic diseases and conditions--"such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression--which threaten our nation's health."  Frequently, people refer to their health as a culmination of physical activity, nutrition, social and mental well-being.  Do you find "necessary" activities deprive you of getting at least seven hours of sleep at night?  CDC wisely suggests that if we deprive ourselves of sleep we need to adjust our thinking and recognize, "that sufficient sleep is not a luxury--it is a necessity--and should be thought of as a vital sign of good health."

To avoid unintentionally falling asleep at work or at the wheel, the National Sleep Foundation provides basic recommendations for making sure you get a good nights sleep.

• Routine. Go to bed at the same time each night and rise at the same time each morning
• Bedroom Relaxing Atmosphere. Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark and relaxing environment, which is neither too hot or too cold
• Only Sleep in Bedroom.  Make sure your bed is comfortable, and is only used for sleeping (avoid reading, watching TV, or listenign to music in your bed.)
• Relaxing Ritual. Set a relaxing bedtime ritual, like a warm bath or listening to calming music.
• Don't Worry.  If concerns come to mind, write them in a "worry book" so you can address those issues the next day
• Physical Activity. May help promote sleep, but not within a few hours of bedtime
• Don't Eat Late.  Avoid large meals before bedtime.

If your sleep problems continue and interfere with your daily activities, you should seek evaluation and treatment by a physician, preferably one familiar with assessing and treating sleep disorders.  The CDC suggests before your visit to keep a diary of your sleep habits for about 10 days.  For suggestions of what to include in your sleep habits journal, please visit CDC Can't Sleep.