How to lose weight and keep it off

This  week my husband saw an interesting slide show on MSN health and fitness, 35 simple tips to help you lose weight and keep it off too!   They have some great suggestions.   Their focus: We're not talking about drastic measures here, but quick and easy changes you can make in your daily life to help you achieve your weight loss goals.  If you want to see all 35 tips, click the link.  Here are a few they highlighted:   

1.  Don�t give up your favorite foods � how often do you hear someone say, �I ate a cookie and blew my diet.�  Nonsense, as Joyce Meyer says, �eat the cookie�.  But don�t eat the whole box.  MSN recommends limiting the number of times you eat your favorite or junk food to once a week and eat less of it than you normally do.  
2.  Opt for Whole grains � so many people forgo the whole grains when they are such a healthy addition to your diet.  My relatives are now into Ezekiel bread, a whole grain bread and quite nutritious.  But there are many whole grains, oatmeal, Cheerios, brown rice, whole grain crackers, even Sun Chips.  At Chipotle?  Choose the brown rice.  Find some whole grains you enjoy and add them to your diet every day.  Whole grains not only provide many more nutrients than refined grains, whole grains have fiber which fills you up.  
3. Dark Chocolate � not a lot of dark chocolate but a small piece can cut your appetite.  
4. Water, Not Soda-  sugared soda is loaded with empty calories and all that added sugar.  Drink some water before meals to help feel fuller before you eat.  Drink plain water, sparkling water or unsweetened tea.   
5. Healthier snacks � give up the junk food and enjoy some healthier snacks like a handful of nuts, apple slices with peanut butter, hummus and veggies.  
6. Use nonstick pans or PAM � to reduce the calories from oils or butter you use to cook foods.  Or limit the oil, such as a teaspoon or tablespoon of Olive Oil.  
7. Read the Food Label � look for the amount of fat, amount of saturated fat and calories.  You can�t tell how much sugar is added though by the �sugars�.  You have to look at the ingredients to see if sugar has been added to the food.  If sugar is the first ingredient (like Froot Loops), it isn�t a healthy choice.   
8. Treat yourself, but not with food � find some ways to treat yourself to keep you motivated.  Time out with friends to a movie, a game.   
9. Stay Active � less sitting, more moving.  Although MSN stated exercise at least 3 times a week, if you want to keep the weight off, find a way to exercise every day.  
10. Load up on Veggies � fill your plate with many veggies � very healthy and low in calories as long as the veggie isn�t French fries.  Avoid fried veggies and focus on steamed. 

Try some of these tips this week.  Share them with your friends.
 Sources:   35 simple tips to help you lose weight and keep it off too!  Gourmandize articleImage source:  Ezekiel bread

How to Choose Healthier Frozen Pizzas

Who doesn�t love pizza?  Buying a frozen pizza is simple, convenient and easy to pop in the oven for  a quick meal.  Are there ways to make healthier choices when choosing frozen pizza?  We enjoy frozen pizza about once a week.  We add ingredients and make healthier choices when choosing a frozen pizza and you can too.  The Healthiest and Best Tasting Frozen Pizza  lists a number of ideas for making healthier frozen pizza choices.  

1. Thin Crust � you can save a lot of calories by choosing thin crust pizzas.  If you are ordering a pizza, choose thin crust.  If they offer a whole grain crust, that would be a healthier choice.  Skip the cheese-stuffed crust and skip those added calories.   
2. Simple is Best � although the loaded toppings are tasty, they are also loaded with calories.  The �meat-lovers� pizzas are especially high in calories and in sodium.  
3. Add veggies � we cut up and add some fresh green pepper, fresh onion, fresh mushrooms and some sliced black olives.    Add the veggies you like to �add nutrition� to your frozen pizza.   
4. Portions � read the label for serving sizes.  Look for 2 slices being less than 350 calories and less than 600 mg sodium.   
5. Add sides � add a fresh salad and some fresh fruit to your �pizza meal� to add more nutrition.

What frozen pizzas does Eating Well recommend?

• Amy�s Roasted Vegetable Pizza (for vegans)
• Amy�s Pesto Pizza
• Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizza Mozarella
• American Flatbread Sliced Tomato and 5 Cheese
• DiGiorno Thin and Crispy Spinach and Garlic Pizza

Want to make your own pizza?  Check out the pizza recipes at:  Healthy PIzza Recipes and Cooking Tips

Sources:  The Healthiest and Best Tasting Frozen Pizza,  Image Source:  Amy's Pizza

Do you need fat in your diet?

Many of us are trying to cut back on calories and thus cut back on fat calories.  But do you need some fat?  The answer is yes.   Fat is important for many reasons but one is that fat soluble vitamins need some fat to be absorbed.  Thus, you may not want to use a fat-free dressing on your salad but a dressing with some fat.  If you want to cut back on fat calories, you can choose the light or reduced fat version of dressing and not the fat-free version.  

In the classes I teach, many students come up with a snack for kids of carrots and Fat-Free Ranch Dressing.  Carrots are a healthy food but serving it with Fat-free Ranch means you won�t be absorbing all the nutrients in those carrots.  Not to mention the child will be hungry in no time as carrots are low in calories and Fat-Free Ranch also is low in calories.  Are there health benefits to using salad dressings with some fat such as regular Ranch or Light Ranch dressing?

A Little Fat Helps the Vegetables Go Down so notes an article at WebMD.   The subtitle is:  �Eating Salads with Fat-Free Dressings May Rob the Body of Nutrients�.   They note eating salad dressing with some fat may be better for your overall health than fat free dressing.  You need some fat to absorb the nutrients found in vegetables like the healthy lycopeneand carotene.  If you choose to eat your salad with fat-free dressing, you may not be absorbing these healthy nutrients.  

Doesn�t mean you need a high fat diet and most Americans eat too much fat.  But it does mean you can enjoy some oil, or fat in your salad dressing.  Vegetables are naturally low in fat so to absorb the healthy nutrients you need some fat with your meal.  So enjoy some low fat or regular dressing with your salad and forgo the fat-free dressing.

Sources:  A Little Fat Helps the Vegetables Go Down,  Image Source:  Light Ranch Salad Dressing

Small Changes for a Healthier Child

Last week we talked about small changes you could make for a healthier you.  I had gathered some ideas from Jo-Ann Heslin, a registered dietitian.   I have adapted some of her suggestions for small changes families with children can make to be healthier. What are some small changes you as a parent can make for a healthier child?    
  1.  Eat together � in today�s go, go lifestyle so many families no longer eat together.  At least a few times a week plan a family, sit-down meal together.  Cornell University recommends eating together as a family at least 3 times a week.  Family meals means a focus on the family, so turn off the TV, the cell phones and focus on the kids.  According to Cornell University, (Do Famiy Meals Really Make a Difference?), family meals have huge health benefits:

          a.       Children are 24% more likely to eat healthier

          b.      Children are 12% less likely to be overweight

          c.       Children do better academically

          d.      Children have more positive family interactions   

   2.   5 A Day� many children aren�t getting five servings of real fruits and vegetables a day.  Sunny D and boxes of sugared drinks like Capri Sun juice drinks aren�t 100% juice and don�t count towards the 5 a day.  At meals, especially lunch and dinner, aim for 2 fruits and vegetables.  Make snacks of fruits or vegetables easy by having a fruit bowl on the counter, cut up vegetables ready to eat with  some Ranch dressing.    

   3.   Model Good Eating � a child that sees his mom or dad drinking milk with meals is more likely to drink milk with meals.  Kids like to copy you so are you modeling good eating habits?         

    4.  Breakfast every day � so many parents seem to forget kids need breakfast every day.  Not a Pop-Tart, Sunny D breakfast, but one of real food.  There are so many whole grain cereals to choose from, whole grain toast with peanut butter, milk, juice.  Breakfast also has many health benefits:

         a.       Better academic performance in school

         b.      More energy to start the day off right

         c.       Improved concentration

         d.      More strength and endurance

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has great ideas on Easy Breakfasts for Kids to Make:   

• Cheese slices on whole wheat toast, 100% juice
• Whole grain Cereals, milk, banana slices
• Peanut butter on whole grain toast, waffle, or rolled inside a wheat tortilla, tangerine
• Fruit � bananas, strawberries, raisins � instant oatmeal and milk
• Cold pizza 
• Apple and cheese slices on graham crackers or whole wheat crackers
• Yogurt, fruit    

 5.  Sit Less, Move More �  In the book, The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood, Dr. Sears has an excellent recommendation:  �Time Sitting = Time Moving� .  He suggests kids earn their TV, video, screen time.  30 minutes of exercise earns 30 minutes of screen time.   Many studies have found that many Americans don�t necessarily eat too much but they move too little. 

So, what small changes can you make in your family to eat healthier?  Small changes can add up to a healthier you and healthier kids.

Sources:  Live Better , Do Famiy Meals Really Make a Difference?   Image Source:  Family Meals