Eating Mindfully Throughout the Holidays

Have a Healthy Thanksgiving

For those of you who thought Thanksgiving meals couldn't possibly be healthy, Eating Well magazine is asking you to think again!  From pear, prosciutto, and hazelnut stuffing to pumpkin coconut tart, their website features recipes that are sure to please your palate as well as your waistline.  So check them out, give them a try, and have a very Happy & Healthy Thanksgiving!

Tips for Eating Without Holiday Weight Gain

Whether you're watching your weight or not, these tips from Michelle May, MD, can be helpful in allowing you to enjoy the holidays more and experience less regret:

1. Make an effort to pay close attention to your body's signals.
2. Be a food snob.  Think of how much less you'd eat if you only ate things that tasted fabulous!
3. Think of your appetite as an expense account.  How much do you want to spend on appetizers or the entree?  Do you want to save some room for dessert?
4. Pace your eating prior to the event so you'll be hungry but not famished at mealtime.  
5. Socialize away from the sight of food.  People who tend to overeat are "food suggestible", so just hanging around food causes them to eat more than they need.  
6. When surveying the buffet, choose the foods that you really want most at that time and remind yourself that you can have the other foods at a later time.
7. Eat mindfully by reducing distractions and sitting down to eat- even if it's just a cookie. 
8. If the food doesn't taste as good as you expected, stop eating it and choose something else.  
9. Since the duration of the meal tends to be extended at social events, you may need to have your plate taken away (or put a napkin on it) once you are satisfied to avoid nibbling unconsciously.
10. Be aware of the effects of alcohol on your food intake.
11. Be cautious of "obligatory eating"- avoid eating just because it is on the table, on your plate, because you paid for it, it's free, or because someone made it.  Deal with Food Pushers with a polite but firm, "No, thank you."
12. Avoid indulging in food just because it's there. 
13. Before having a cookie, a piece of fudge or other holiday treat that was laid in the break room, check your hunger level. If you're hungry and you choose a favorite food to satisfy you, remember to sit down and eat it mindfully- no guilt. 
14. At restaurants, request appetizer portions, co-order, and co-eat with your dining partner, or have the server package up your meal to go as soon as you feel satisfied. Remember "super-size" is no bargain if you didn't need that much food in the first place!
15. Look for opportunities for physical activity- take a walk after dinner to enjoy the lights, take a few laps around the mall before it opens to do some window shopping or take guests to local attractions.

Most importantly, delight all of your senses.  Enjoy the company, the atmosphere, the entertainment, and the traditions as much as, if not more than, the food.

*Source: www.amihungry.com*

To Shake or Not to Shake

You've seen the commercials.  You've seen them on the "As Seen on TV" aisle.  If you're anything like me, you've even giggled to yourself at the sight of someone using one.  There's even an SNL sketch about it.  The Shake Weight.  What's a person to think about this contraption?  Well, I could write a review for you, but I thought it best to share what a real expert has to say about the latest fitness craze. 

Controlling Your Weight

With a plethora of diets out there today, it seems that our questions regarding how to lose weight (and keep it off) far outweigh the answers.  Low-fat or low-carb?  Nature or nurture?  Diet or exercise?  Supplements or no supplements?  It's enough to make one's head spin.  What's more, how do we know whose answers we should be listening to?  

Fortunately, we have resources like the Harvard School of Public Health to provide unbiased research-based answers we can trust.  In this article, Dr. Walter Willet provides credible answers for our questions regarding health & weight.  If you don't have time to read the full article, here are "9 Turning Points" to help you achieve a healthy weight & reduce your chronic disease risk:

1. Eat lots of vegetables & fruits.
2. Say yes to good fats.
3. Upgrade your carbohydrates.
4. Choose healthy proteins.
5. Stay hydrated.
6. Drink alcohol in moderation (optional).
7. Take a multivitamin everyday.
8. Move more.
9. Eat mindfully all day long.

Source: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/weight-control/index.html

           

Coffee & Your Health

A recent article by the Harvard School of Public Health reveals some interesting findings (and a little encouragement) for coffee drinkers.  Here are some of the highlights:

• Drinking up to six cups a day of coffee is not associated with increased risk of death from any cause, or death from cancer or cardiovascular disease.

• Some people may still want to consider avoiding coffee or switching to decaf, especially women who are pregnant, or people who have a hard time controlling their blood pressure or blood sugar.
• It's best to brew coffee with a paper filter, to remove a substance that causes increases in LDL cholesterol.
• Coffee may have potential health benefits, but more research needs to be done.

Read the full article here.

Total Body Workout

As the temperatures get cooler, many of us start to look for ways to be more active indoors.  Personally, I can get by with a few videos & the elliptical for the winter months, but sometimes it's nice to change up the routine a little.  While perusing the American Council on Exercise's website, I came across this total body workout that is designed to "increase strength and definition for all the major muscles of the body in one workout." Give it a try, and let me know what you think!