People who are vigilant about keeping a food diary are usually the most successful in losing and keeping weight off, meeting nutritional needs, and spotting deficiency in their diets. Writing down what you eat forces you to evaluate your choices and to avoid food temptations. Gaining control over what you eat is a huge step in improving body composition, wellness, and fitness. Here are some tips on keeping a diary:
- Write down EVERYTHING you eat or drink, including vitamin/mineral supplements and medications.
- Record the time you ate or drank.
- Record food immediately so you don’t forget what you’ve eaten.
- Be honest. Don’t beat yourself up for overindulgence or eating “comfort foods.”
- Be specific. Write down cooking method, brand names, amount, and ingredients in foods such as sandwiches or salads.
- Record any feelings related to eating or any obstacles you face when making your food choices.
See also: Keeping a Food Diary
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October 31st, 2007
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Weightloss Wisdom |
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Eating out can be an adventure for many and who better to give advice on how to make the most of your dining experience than gourmet chefs from across the country?
The Relais and Chateaux Association asked their member chefs what piece of advice they would give to people who dine out. Here are their tips:
- Never order fish on Mondays.
- If you are unhappy with a dish, send it back.
- Go to restaurants with an open mind.
- Eat each dish the way the chef prepares it.
- Be patient. Good food takes time.
- Taste the food before adding salt and pepper.
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October 26th, 2007
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Food Facts |
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You are more likely to become obese if you have a sibling, spouse, or friend who is obese, say researchers who tracked more than 12,000 people who participated in the Framingham Heart Study from 1971 to 2003.
Women are influenced by other women only if they are mutual friends, the researchers found. Men are influenced by other men whether or not the friendship is mutual — that is, even if only one of the two identifies the other as a friend. And friends of the opposite sex have no impact.
The likeliest explanation: People come to think that it is okay to be bigger since those around them are bigger, and this sensibility spreads.
Don’t worry that you’ll “catch” obesity, but do be aware that a friend’s weight may influence your thinking and eating. Of course, you could always influence your friends to move more and eat less! 
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October 21st, 2007
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To Your Health! |
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The omega-3 fats in fatty fish such as wild salmon can help reduce the risk of sudden-death heart attacks. And salmon that is caught wild has fewer PCB contaminants than farmed salmon.
See also: Salmon Recipes
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October 19th, 2007
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Food Facts |
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Broccoli contains lots of vitamin C, carotenoids, and folic acid. Steam it briefly and add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and a dash of soy sauce.
See also:
Beneficial Byte: Broccoli
Good Eats: Broccoli
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October 12th, 2007
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Food Facts |
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Manufacturers are replacing trans fat to comply with the “nutrition police” organizations; however, some are just replacing one evil with another — saturated fat, usually in the form of tropical oils, such as coconut, palm kernel, and palm oil.
Although researchers claim that saturated-fat loaded tropical oils are less harmful than previously thought, some reformulated products may have slightly more saturated fat than they did before.
There are two new types of oils that are better for you than those tropical oils: Ultra low linolenic soybean oil and high-oleic canola oil. Three new soybean oils are now on the market from Monsanto, Bunge Food, and Asoyia (which is made from nongenetically modified soybeans). Food giants like Kraft, Kellogg’s and Pepperidge Farm are using these soy oils in some of their most loved products. KFC has made the switch to low-linolenic soybean oil, too.
Still, experts say the best approach is to limit packaged and processed foods. Instead, load up on “whole” foods — fruits, vegetables, grains and lean proteins.
Healthier Oils:
Look for soybean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, ultra-low-linolenic soybean oil, or high-oleic canola oil.
Where to find them:
Goldfish crackers, Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars, Bear Naked All Natural Granola, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Health Valley Chocolate Cookie Cremes.
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October 8th, 2007
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To Your Health! |
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To reduce abdominal fat one must strengthen the abdominal muscles. These muscles consist of three basic muscle groups: The upper abdominal muscles, the lower abdominal muscles and the obliques – the side where those love handles like to accumulate. There are many ways to work the abdominal areas. You can target a specific area but you are working all the abdominal muscles together with each exercise. Some will just put more emphasis on a particular area. Too much fat around the abdominal will get help from working the abdominal muscles, but this also means you have been eating more calories than you are burning. Of course, the obvious solution to this is to reduce caloric intake.
A large waist is usually the result of a lack of muscle tone and too much fat. A combination of diet, abdominal exercises, and aerobic exercise will help to decrease your waist size.
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October 7th, 2007
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Fit Facts |
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To get the last drop out of a ketchup bottle, grasp the bottom of the bottle firmly and swing it in a circular motion from your side. The remaining ketchup will go to the top. But make sure no one is standing too close to you!
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October 3rd, 2007
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Food Facts |
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In any given week, half of U.S. adults will use prescription medicines and 10 percent will take at least 5 different ones, according to a survey conducted by the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University. Over-the-counter drugs are also used frequently in American households.
Under the law, FDA must make sure that drug treatments are safe and that for most people the drugs will not cause harm. But almost all drugs can cause harm to some people. FDA deems a drug “safe” when its benefits outweigh its risks for the people the drug is intended to treat and for its intended use.’
On Jan. 30, 2007, FDA announced 41 initiatives it is undertaking in its ongoing commitment to drug safety, as well as the safety of medical devices and biologics such as vaccines, blood products, and gene therapies.
We read and hear a lot of scary stories about bad drug interactions and/or side effects. But we don’t always get the “other side” — the issues faced and addressed but the FDA.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is aggressively improving the management of important drug safety issues. Safety has been, and continues to be, a central focus of their regulatory work.
FDA came up with its drug safety initiatives, organized around three key themes:
- Strengthening the science that supports FDA’s medical product safety system
- Improving communication so that health care providers and patients can get the information needed to make informed decisions about treatments
- Improving FDA’s operations and management supporting drug safety.
Now you can also read an interesting Q and A with Paul Seligman, M.D., M.P.H. that informs you as to what process the FDA goes through when approving drugs.
Read the Q & A Managing Drug Safety Issues.
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October 1st, 2007
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To Your Health! |
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