Posts Tagged ‘Food’



Foods That Can Help FIght the Flu

Friday, November 19th, 2010

Flu season is coming soon, so it might be a good idea to take a few minutes and think about the best foods to eat when you have the flu. Stocking up on some key items during the winter can help reduce your symptoms and make you feel better.

Protein

Protein is always essential, but making sure that you keep up your protein intake when you have the flu will help give you the energy you need to fight off the infection.

Foods for FluImmune System Aids

Several vitamins and minerals, such as the B-vitamins (B6 & B12), selenium, and zinc are immune-system boosters that help fight off the flu and other infections. Lean meats, fruits, nuts, milk, and fish are full of these vitamins. Orange juice is always a great idea when you’re sick because of the amount of vitamin C it contains, which is a powerful immune system booster itself that also speeds up recovery.

Chicken Soup

Chicken soup is a very popular food when you’re sick. Chicken soup has the effect of actually making you feel better because it has anti-inflammatory properties.

Nausea and Diarrhea

Hydration is key when you have the flu. If you’re feeling nauseous or have diarrhea then you’re most likely not going to feel like eating, so be sure to keep sipping liquids to stay hydrated. Something else to consider is ginger, which helps to settle your stomach. Toast and bananas are mild foods that can also help.

WebMD has a great slideshow featuring several foods to consider when you have the flu (or any sickness really).

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The Lowdown on Superfoods

Monday, November 8th, 2010

BlueberriesYou’ve probably heard the term “superfood” over the past few years. Superfoods are a class of foods that are powerful in helping to lower cholesterol as well as reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer. Superfoods are a great alternative to medicines and prescription drugs because they are innately safe and won’t have any side effects. Incorporating superfoods in your daily diet should greatly improve your quality of life and have a tremendous impact on your long-term health. All superfoods are simple, pure foods like fruits and vegetables that are unprocessed and consumed in their natural state.

Common Superfoods

  • Beans
  • Blueberries
  • Broccoli
  • Oats
  • Oranges
  • Pumpkin
  • Salmon
  • Soy
  • Spinach
  • Tea (green & black)
  • Tomatoes
  • Turkey
  • Walnuts
  • Yogurt

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The Health Benefits of Soy Products

Monday, March 29th, 2010

What can soy do for you? The American Heart Association says consuming 25 to 50 grams of soy a day can help lower our LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) by as much as 8%. Research has also shown promising results for soy in preventing stroke, cancer (notably breast cancer), osteoporosis, and hot flashes.

Here are just some of the soy products out there and some tips on ways to sneak them into your diet.

Edamame, more commonly known as a soybean, has become a popular snack which can be bought in the freezer section of the super market. Just heat them up and add a little salt and pepper if desired, pop them out of their shell and enjoy!

Tofu is the well-known vegetarian favorite made from soybeans. It is high in protein and calcium and well known for its ability to absorb new flavors through spices and marinades. Tofu food can be added to almost any dish as a meat substitute or right along with it.  If you have a family member unsure about tofu you might want to try mix it into a casserole or stir fry. Add the soft or silken variety to sauces, soups, smoothies, dips or spreads.

Soymilk is becoming increasingly popular and can be purchased plain or in flavors such as chocolate and vanilla. You can drink soy milk just as you would regular milk or you can use it in smoothies, cereal, coffee, oatmeal, or just about anywhere you would use milk.

Soy is quickly becoming a popular alternative food and it has definite health benefits.

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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The ‘Dirty Dozen’ of Fruits and Vegetables

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Here is a list of the twelve fruits and veggies, nicknamed the “Dirty Dozen”, that typically have the highest pesticide-load; meaning that they require the most pesticide use to reach maturity. Then we have the “clean(er) dozen”, which you can safely buy non-organic.  This is a handy little list to keep handy while you do your shopping because it’s very easy to forget which fruits and veggies are on which list.

Shop organic-only:

  • Peaches
  • Apples
  • Sweet bell peppers
  • Celery
  • Nectarines
  • Strawberries
  • Cherries
  • Lettuce
  • Grapes (imported)
  • Pears
  • Spinach
  • Potatoes







Safe to buy conventional:

  • Eggplant
  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Bananas
  • Asparagus
  • Sweet peas (frozen)
  • Mango
  • Pineapples
  • Sweet corn (frozen)
  • Avocado
  • Onions

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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Portion Size Guidelines

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

As you know, a key to any successful weight-loss program is controlling what you eat. Watching the portion sizes of your food is a very important part of controlling your calorie and fat intake. It’s easy to overeat when you’re confronted with out-of-control portion sizes at most restaurants and the never-ending buffet. How much we eat can be just as important as what we eat. So, it might be time to take a look a what kind of portions you’re really putting on your plate.

WebMd had some great tips on how to keep your portion sizes in check. When you are at home:

  • Use smaller dishes at meals.
  • Serve food in the appropriate portion amounts and don’t go back for seconds.
  • Put away any leftovers in separate, portion-controlled amounts. Consider freezing the portions you likely won’t eat for a while.
  • Never eat out of the bag or carton.
  • Don’t keep platters of food on the table; you are more likely to “pick” at it or have a second serving without even realizing it.

At restaurants

  • Ask for half or smaller portions.
  • Eyeball your appropriate portion, set the rest aside, and ask for a doggy bag right away. Servings at many restaurants are often big enough to provide meals for two days.
  • If you have dessert, share.

Take a look at this list from the USDA and you will probably be as shocked as I was at how little an actual serving size is.

  • one slice of whole-grain bread
  • 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta
  • 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes
  • three to four small crackers
  • one small pancake or waffle
  • two medium-sized cookies
  • 1/2 cup cooked vegetables
  • 1 cup (four leaves) lettuce
  • one small baked potato
  • 3/4 cup vegetable juice
  • one medium apple
  • 1/2 grapefruit or mango
  • 1/2 cup berries
  • 1 cup yogurt or milk
  • 1 1/2 ounces of cheddar cheese
  • one chicken breast
  • one medium pork chop
  • 1/4 pound hamburger patty

A good guideline to help you understand portion sizes is to translate the abstract information represented by the serving size into something visual that’s easily remembered. So instead of trying to memorize lists of ounces, cups, and tablespoons, simply compare the serving sizes of particular foods to familiar physical objects. For example, a single serving of:

  • Vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist.
  • Pasta is about the size of one scoop of ice cream.
  • Meat, fish, or poultry is the size of a deck of cards or the size of your palm (minus the fingers).
  • Snacks such as pretzels and chips is about the size of a cupped handful.
  • Apple is the size of a baseball.
  • Potato is the size of a computer mouse.
  • Bagel is the size of a hockey puck.
  • Pancake is the size of a compact disc.
  • Steamed rice is the size of a cupcake wrapper.
  • Cheese is the size of a pair of dice or the size of your whole thumb (from the tip to the base).

Seeing portion sizes listed in black and white will hopefully make us realize just how much we overeat and help us get them back under control.

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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The Benefits of Eating a Healthy Breakfast

Monday, February 15th, 2010

BreakfastEveryone’s been there. You’re in a rush with so many things to do and trying to get out the door on time. So what do we do? Skip breakfast. Sadly, this is an all-to-common occurrence. It seems to be the most overlooked meal of the day, which is not a good thing considering it is also the most important meal of the day. Eating a healthy breakfast really sets the tone of the day as far as your eating goes. If you don’t eat breakfast or eat too little then you’re likely to snack before lunchtime or overindulge at lunch.

You shouldn’t trick yourself into thinking that by skipping breakfast you will be helping yourself lose weight. Studies have shown that eating breakfast is important in maintaining a healthy weight. When you eat breakfast you are jump-starting your metabolism -  getting your body ready to burn fat and calories for the day.

Here are just some of the benefits of eating a health breakfast:

  • More energy for the day
  • More complete diet: you will be consuming more vitamins and minerals that your body needs
  • Lower cholesterol levels
  • Better productivity, especially in the morning
  • Control your weight: You will be less likely to snack mid morning or eat a heavier lunch if you had eaten a healthy breakfast

Eating a healthy breakfast has benefits for yourself as well as your children. According to the American Dietetic Association, children who eat breakfast perform better in the classroom and on the playground, with better concentration, problem-solving skills, and hand-eye coordination.

Stay tuned for some healthy breakfast ideas!

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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The Top 5 Foods to Lower Your Cholesterol

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

According to the Mayo Clinic here are a few good food choices for improving your cholesterol number.

1) Oatmeal and Oat bran (Soluble Fiber). Soluble Fiber lowers the bad LDL cholesterol without lowering the good HDL cholesterol in your body.  Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, apples, pears, psyllium, barley and prunes.

2) Nuts: Walnuts, Almonds, and More (Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids). the FDA recognized the benefits of nuts and their role in heart disease prevention by approving a health claim for seven kinds of nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts). Limit your intake to  1.5 ounces a day, as nuts are high in calories. To avoid gaining weight, replace foods high in saturated fat with nuts.

3) Fish (Omega-3 Fatty Acids). Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. Doctors recommend eating at least two servings of fish a week – of which the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids are in mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon. Non-fish eaters can also get omega-3 fatty acids from foods like ground flaxseed or canola oil.

4) Olive Oil (Antioxidants). Olive oil contains a potent mix of antioxidants that can lower your LDL cholesterol but leave your HDL cholesterol untouched. The Food and Drug Administration recommends using about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil a day to get its heart-healthy benefits. Some research suggests that extra-virgin olive oil has even greater cholesterol-lowering effects.

5) Foods Fortified with Plant Sterols or Stanols. Plant sterols and stanols are substances found in plants that help block the absorption of cholesterol. Many foods now are being fortified with plant sterols and stanols. Fortified margarines, orange juice and yogurt drinks can help reduce LDL cholesterol by more than 10 percent. The Mayo Clinic says

The amount of daily plant sterols needed for results is at least 2 grams — which equals about two 8-ounce (237 milliliters) servings of plant sterol-fortified orange juice a day.

Keep these cholesterol-busting foods in mind the next time your at the grocery store.

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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Does Coffee, Tea, etc. Count Toward Your Water Intake?

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Water, of course, is essential to our survival as human beings. As a follow-up to our previous article, How Much Water Should You Drink, we want to explore what exactly counts as water. Does it have to be pure water or can anything that we drink that contains water count towards our daily intake? As you might expect, this is widely disputed.

Some seem to think that coffee, teas, and soda do not count towards your daily water intake because they contain caffeine and therefore act as diuretics which increase the dehydration process. Some even say that for every cup of caffeinated beverages you consume you should add a extra glass of water to your diet. But what if you are drinking decaffeinated coffees and teas? Because decaffeinated beverages do still contain trace amounts of caffeine they could still act as diuretic, but certainly would not be as bad as drinking their fully caffeinated counterparts. However, there are opposing views as well. An article from the Mayo Clinic states that recent research shows that caffeine only has a diuretic effect if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (or 4 to 7 cups of coffee) a day.

There are many people that rarely drink a pure glass of water and they are still alive. Is this the healthiest way to live? No. If you’re trying to maintain your weight or lose some you should not be filling yourself by consuming the empty calories that many beverages offer. So, it would seem that coffee, tea, and soda probably do count somewhat toward your water intake, but they simply cannot replace the beneficial properties of pure water.

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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10 Great Health Foods for Eating Well

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

A healthy lifestyle means maintaining a healthy diet of foods that benefit the body without a large caloric impact. According to the Mayo Clinic here are 10 best bet foods for eating well, in no particular order.

  1. Almonds
  2. Blueberries
  3. Apples
  4. Broccoli
  5. Salmon
  6. Red Beans
  7. Spinach
  8. Sweet Potatoes
  9. Vegetable Juice
  10. Wheat Germ

These 10 health foods are some of the healthiest because they meet at least three of the following criteria:

  • Are a good or excellent source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients
  • Are high in phytonutrients and antioxidant compounds, such as vitamins A and E and beta carotene
  • May help reduce the risk of heart disease and other health conditions
  • Are low in calorie density, meaning you get a larger portion size with a fewer number of calories
  • Are readily available

What do you think? Do you have anything else to add to the list?

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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How Much Water Do You Drink Daily?

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Everywhere you look you will find a different number. Are you drinking too much or too little, is 8 glasses really the magic number? The answer will be different for everyone because there are so many variables involved…where you live, the climate, your weight, how much you perspire, etc. Here is a little trick for estimating how much water you should drink.

Calculating how much water you need
Take your body weight in pounds and divide that number by 2. That is an estimate of how many ounces you should drink each day.  So if you weigh 100 pounds, divide that by 2 and you have 50, so you should be drinking at least 50 ounces of water per day. If you are exercising or are going to be out in the heat then you will need to drink more water than you normally would starting a few hours before you are exercising or going out in the heat.

The Shrinking Team
Weight-Loss is Hard, We’re Here to Make it Easier

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