Will you, Dark Chocolate, Be my Valentine?

February, though the shortest month of the year, poses unique challenges to the healthy eater. After the joyousness of the end-of-year holiday season, many take January to recover, get back on track with eating and health goals, and re-motivate themselves to reach goals. However, when February comes, some of those health goals may have fallen wayside to old habits of comfort food or quick fixes—especially when it’s too frigid to go outside to the supermarket or even the gym. Those Valentine’s candy bowls are looking especially tempting. However, fear not—here are some ways to overcome these challenges.

Research shows that clear candy bowls can increase snacking

Challenge #1: The candy bowl.  It’s 3:30 PM and the candy bowl is just calling your name, right? A way to avoid high-sugar binges— that result in the 4:30PM crash and ultimate desire for more sugar— is to re-route your path in the office to avoid walking by the candy or remove the bowl from direct eyesight on your desk. Not seeing the temptation will reduce your unconscious picking— when the “it’s just one” turns into a garbage back full of wrappers.

Out of sight, out of mind not working? Try swapping sugar-rich candy with dark chocolate pieces. Dark chocolate (60% or greater in cocoa content) has been linked with many health benefits such as stress and fatigue reduction, mood improvement, and cardiovascular improvements. Dark chocolate, compared with white or milk chocolate, contains cocoa solids that are loaded with antioxidants called flavonols and polyphenols. Though the mechanism is not completely understood, these antioxidants, as well as the monounsaturated oleic acid from the cocoa butter, can protect your heart by reducing inflammation, decreasing blood pressure, and improving blood vessel health. Studies have also linked dark chocolate intake with increasing insulin sensitivity and a reducedrisk of stroke. Despite these health benefits, do not throw caution to the wind and eat uncontrollably—dark chocolate is still a dessert.

Dark Chocolate

For more information about chocolate, look here for its history and science. 

Challenge #2: Portion control.

When snacking- all nuts are not created equal

There are many recipes for homemade roasted nuts

Nuts are a great choice for a quick, nutritious snack.  They provide many nutrients like minerals, fiber, protein, and essential fatty acids (think good, unsaturated fat).  Yet- some nuts are more nutritious than others- providing more bang for you buck, so to speak (more nutrients per calorie or per gram of fat).

But- always keep in mind that high fat products are high in calories!!

When snacking on nuts- take into account calories, protein, fiber and minerals.  You can use the chart below to compare:

1) similar calorie content (ex. walnuts give you more than twice the protein that pecans do for the same calories)
or
2) similar protein content (ex. walnuts have less calories and fat compared to the macadamia nut for the same amount of protein)

Nutritional composition of 1 cup of various nut varieties- 1 serving is usually 1/4 cup*

*Peanuts are not truly a nut- they are considered a legume.  But, for our purposes- they are included in this.

Nuts are one way of lowering risk of heart disease by providing monounsaturated fats

The key to nutritionally dense foods is portion control.  A quick/handy measure of a serving of nuts is the amount that fit (in a single layer) on the palm of your hand.

Take home message: 
-Choose your nuts wisely as some  may be much higher in fat or calories than another.
-Nuts should be MINDFULLY eaten (not straight out of the can!)- measure out a portion because, although nutritious, these are very high in fat and calories.

For more nut (or any!) comparisons- look to the USDA food composition website!

Source for table:
Murano, Peter S. "Chapter 2- Food Categories and Composition." Understanding Food Science and Technology. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2003. p35. Print.

What sports drink should I buy?

sports drinks are a $7.5 billion industry!

The goal of a sports drink is to keep athletes hydrated and fueled during games, training, or any physical activity.  These beverages are now formulated to be consumed before, during, and after physical exertion.  Because there are so many drinks available for purchase, it's hard to know which one to get, for what purpose, and when to drink them!! 

In general, a sports drink contains water, a source of electrolytes (salt, minerals, etc.) and a source of carbohydrates (sugar).  And, each drink has a special formula designed for a specific purpose- whether it's for hydration or recovery.  Originally, the ratio of the water:carbohydrates:electrolytes was supposed to be the same/similar to sweat, with the idea that as you drink your sports drink, you are consuming the same balance of electrolytes in your drink as those which leaving your system in sweat (perfect recovery- your body doesn't get dehydrated nor does it get hyponatremiac (meaning it has too little salt- also called "water intoxicated"). 

But- there are really 3 different types of sports drinks (isotonic, hypertonic, and hypotonic), and they each play a different role in the body's hydration and recovery process.

hypotonic sports drinks are helpful for hydration

A hypotonic sports drink is one that has less electrolytes than your own body fluids.  Water moves by osmosis and goes towards the area with more concentration (to keep your body in homeostasis or balanced).  So, when you drink something that is hypotonic (less concentrated) the water in the drink goes into your cells (which are more concentrated), and your body is most efficiently hydrated.  Essentially, hydration occurs almost simultaneously as you drink. Hypotonic drinks are best and most effective when consumed before an event.  The best example is water but watered-down sports drinks work, or anything "light" like Gatorade G2, Powerade Zero.

isotonic sports drinks are good to replenish and recover

An isotonic sports drink is one that contains fluid and up to 8% of carbs (ideally glucose) and electrolytes.  This is a similar concentration of water, sugar, and salt in your body which means that they replenish anything that was lost in sweat.  The water from the drinks is absorbed well, but when you drink these isotonic drinks you also provide important electrolytes (necessary for all body functions) and carbohydrates (an important source of energy) which help you maintain energy levels throughout the activity.  These are best to be used during and after an event.  Gatorade, Powerade, Accelerade, most commercially available sports drinks,  etc are examples 

hypertonic solutions

A hypertonic sports drink then is one that has more carbs and electrolytes than your body. The increased particle concentration is essential for athletes to replenish glycogen stores; however, they are absorbed the slowest (think- opposite of hypotonic). These are most often used as energy supplements after heavy and intense exercise.  Examples of these are the drinks that say high carb/high energy/high calorie, "endurance," "performance," or plain fruit juices, etc.

So why do I care what drink I drink and when?

why did I eat that?

It's getting dark at 4:30 these days, and I have found myself looking to eat dinner much earlier.  It's not that I'm actually hungry- most times I eat lunch around 1pm and eat a snack around 4pm.  So, why do I feel hungry?  Why do I want to eat dinner just after my snack?

We eat for many reasons.  Food is really just fuel for the body.  We eat because we have used up this fuel, and our body needs to have more.  But, in our society, food tends to be much more than simple fuel.  Food is social; food is emotional; food is yummy.  A problem arises when food becomes more emotional then physiological.

Some of the major contributors to why we decide to eat are know as external cues.  The external cue theory basically says that we eat because of external cues to our brain like:

• the smell of food (hunger you feel when you smell fresh bread)
• the time of day (you don't feel hungry until you look at the time and notice it's noon.  All the sudden you get hungry)
• the routine that we are in (dessert after dinner; popcorn at a movie)



Are you hungry for that popcorn or is it habit?

• the social environment (everyone is eating now- so I must eat now, too)

rather than internal cues such as: true hunger or low blood sugar.  I know that I fall into this trap of thinking that I'm hungry when I'm not truly hungry; it happens to everyone.

stuff the turkey- not yourself!!

Need help decorating?

The holidays are a time for family and friends... and of course... FOOD.  It's okay to try things and indulge a little bit.  But, as is the theme for most of these posts- keep on track with portion control.  I found this helpful visual guide to help with the overindulgence that often accompanies these holiday meals!!

Pick and choose what you want to eat and what adds up to a healthy dinner plate.  You can select foods that you want to eat... so if you don't like pumpkin pie, maybe you want an extra serving of something else- it's up to you.

Some tips:

• Serve yourself fruits and vegetables first.  Fill at least half of your plate with them.
• Then serve yourself the protein. (Often this is served first, which can lead to overestimating the portion you want!!)
• Measure any sauces or gravy that you add to your food.  The calories and fat from these can quickly add up!!

UT MD Anderson experts share portion control

Keep in mind:

• Lose the clean plate mentality.  You don't need to eat your whole plate before you finish the meal.  If you are full, stop eating.
• Eat slowly.  Your brain has a lag time between being full and feeling full
• Don't feel the need to try everything.  Sometimes we feel the need to make people "feel good" by trying their dessert or side dish.  Don't feel you need to do this- eat what you want to stay on track!
• Remember to drink plenty of water during the holidays.  Sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger. 
• Remember to build exercise into your day.  If you are with your family, make it a group activity.  Walk in the park, run with the dog, etc.  This will make you feel good about yourself and jumpstart your metabolism for the day.
• Lastly, don't skip meals or show up to dinner starving. You will have a tendency to overeat on the bread or appetizers served (which are often high in fat and calories).

comfort food with a twist!

Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods.  I don't eat it often because it is filled with... cheese... and be close to 1,000 calories and 40g of fat per serving!!

Last weekend, I tried a new recipe from Cooking Light that I highly recommend!  It uses butternut squash as that base which gives the cheese sauce a thick, creamy aspect without the added fat.  It also adds fat free Greek yogurt to give the sauce a slight tangy taste! Yum!

Butternut squash is a great vegetable- it's filled with vitamin A and C, naturally low in calories, and has no fat!!  I used a mix of part-skim cheddar and mozzarella cheese instead of the Gruyere and Parmesan! (That switch is up to you!)  This came out great- and because I substituted part-skim cheese for the suggested cheese, the added saturated fat and caloric content was significantly reduced!

Tis the season... for your sweet tooth

The New York Times has many indulgent recipes

It's here.  Holiday season.  We now have the Starbucks red cups (yayyyy!!), crowds making crossing 5th Avenue nearly impossible, tourists asking where Rockefeller Center is, and the release of Justin Beiber's Christmas Album.

I love this time of year.  It just smells good.  The chestnuts roasting outside, the cinnamon in drinks, the nutmeg in pies, the warm pumpkin glazes poured over pancakes, baked apple crisps... 

As great as the holidays are- this time of year can be treacherous for people's diets.  (Who can resist we have temptations from October 31 through December 31!!!).

Delicious blueberry pie can have close to 400 calories!

This time of year creates havoc on people's diets- from holiday parties and social events, where people eat mindlessly.  Having, just a piece or two of everything adds up!!  Cakes on average have 225 calories and 10 grams of fat per slice!  Cookies are not really any better- ranging from 50- 500 calories per cookie.  (by the way- did you know that a jumbo cookie equals TEN appropriately sized cookies!!!)

it's not what we eat, it's how much

It has been raining for the past three days here in New York- really, raining the whole day, everyday.  Because of this, I have not had time to do any school supply shopping or have time for fun, outdoorsy activities (read... non-school supply shopping), but I have had time to read.  This is a good thing, because I have already been given more reading than perhaps I have done in the last four years since college.

We all know that Americans are overweight- well at least two-thirds are.  But, it may not be all because of a change to a more sedentary lifestyle or the development worse eating habits.  The reason may be simply that: we eat too much.

Bucket Gulp 

The size and portion of our food has increase dramatically within the past few decades, and Americans are unaware of how much more they are eating.  Foods we buy are sometimes two to five times larger than when they were first introduced into the marketplace.  (Even our apples are bigger!!)  Haven't you heard about people who go on vacation in Italy or France and lose weight- even though "all they ate was pasta and bread and cheese and delicious crepes?"  The reason is that the portions are much smaller in other countries, and if less is on the plate- you eat less and still feel satisfied.  (by the way- the French croissant doubles in size when it's baked in America! oy)

first day!!

Classes started today; no more summer for this girl.  On the bright side- we have the arrival of the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks!  (Not quite as exciting as when they bring out the red cups at Christmas time, but it's close!)

I got my first assignment (yes, BEFORE classes even started) to write essays about the contributions of 4 industry leaders: Alice Waters, Mark Bittman, Dan Barber, and Howard Schultz.  It's pretty amazing how much each of these people have contributed to the food industry.  I will not go into details about each one, but what they all have in common is their interest in identifying and preserving the connection between food and environment.  In the United States, we rarely have to harvest our food, so we do not generally get a sense of where it comes from, what it takes to get it to the kitchen, or even what "fresh" tastes like.  Of course, there is a huge push for bringing local ingredients to your kitchen table (and you have Alice Waters and Dan Barber to thank for that!), but plenty of people opt for the convenience of prepackaged and processed foods. If I got anything from reading about these people, it is to really acknowledge where I am getting my food from.  That is the first step.