Posts Tagged ‘Lists’



5 Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Your Cholesterol

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

Small changes can lead to a big difference when it comes to lowering your cholesterol. According to the mayo clinic here are 5 lifestyle changes that may help to reduce your cholesterol.

1. Lose Excess Weight. This goes without saying. Even losing as little as 5 or 10 pounds will reduce your LDL levels

2. Eat Heart Healthy Foods. Making smart choices for your regular diet, such as whole grains and lots of fruits and veggies, can help lower your cholesterol.

3. Get Some Daily Exercise. Small things such as short walks and taking the stairs can help you lose weight, which can only help the cholesterol battle.

4. Quit Smoking. Smokers tend to have higher cholesterol and overall risk of heart disease.

5. Drink Alcohol Only In Moderation. If you drink, you should only drink in moderation to control your cholesterol. If you don’t drink there isn’t enough benefit in terms of cholesterol improvement to warrant starting.

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
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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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Fitness Roadblocks

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

There are many things that can get in the way of your fitness goals. Here are a few things to watch out for and avoid.

  1. I Don’t Have Enough Time to Exercise: Have you ever caught yourself using not having enough time as an excuse not exercise? We’ve all been guilty of it. If it is something that is truly important to us (and let’s face it, our health should be high up there on the priority list) then we can find time to squeeze it in. You may need to rearrange your schedule a little bit. Try getting up 30 minutes earlier in the morning. Just think how good you will feel all day knowing that you have already completed your workout!  If you know that you are not going to have a chance to do a full workout that day try going for a few 10 minute walks throughout the day. You will be amazed at how refreshed  you feel after this. Give it a try when you start to feel that afternoon slump.
  2. I’m Not Athletic: Being athletic is not a prerequisite to physical activity. Try something simple to get started; go for a brisk daily walk or better yet start a walking group with your peers that are in the same boat as you. Before you know it will have gained the confidence to branch out and try other things.
  3. Exercise Is Not Fun: Then you must be doing the wrong kind of exercise. You should not dread your workout each day, it should be something that you look forward to doing. Try different things until you find something that excites you. Get some friends, family, or neighbors involved; you don’t have to do it alone.
  4. I’m Too Tired After Working All Day: For some of us if we waited until the evening to workout it would just never happen. For me working out in the morning or at least during the first part of the day is the best way to ensure that I workout each day. So if you find that putting off your workout until the evening really means that it’s not going to happen then you might want to consider getting up a little earlier and doing it in the morning. Also, make the most of your lunch hour. Get out and go for a walk. Or if your workplace has a gym then by all means use it!  Midday exercise will also give you a burst of energy that can help you get through the rest of the afternoon a little easier.  Make sure you are getting enough rest at night. It will be harder to get up and exercise if you have stayed up too late the night before, and NO you cannot use that as an excuse!

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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