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!!!)

diet myth #2: red meat is bad for you

Charcoal Cow Butchery Diagram

There is a big push for us to eat less meat, especially red meat.  There are some reasons why this is the recommendation, but not all red meat deserves a bad rap!

The Bad News: Red meat, in general, has more saturated fat than other more lean meats. In fact, red meat is the 2nd biggest contributor to saturated fat in the American diet (behind cheese!).  Saturated fat leads to many health problems, including cardiovascular disease. There have also been studies that correlate people who eat more red meat in their diet to higher risks of both disease and cancer (although this has not been scientifically proven, yet). 

nutrient rich beef

The Good News: Red meat has a ton of nutritional benefits.  For starters, it's a complete protein (which means it contains all of the essential amino acids your body needs).  Additionally, because they are from an animal source, many of the vitamins and minerals obtained by eating red meat are absorbed more easily than their vegetable counterparts. 

too much of a good thing?... even if it's vegetables

Check out this Root Vegetable Gratin

We all know that vegetables are great for you.  They are a great source of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals (small biologically active compounds), etc.  With few exceptions, unprocessed (not breaded and fried!) vegetables are naturally low in calories, cholesterol, sodium, and fat! They are not a good source of protein, but they often serve as an excellent complement to it in meals.

Vegetables, however, do contribute to calorie intake, and some vegetables are more calorically dense than others.  These calories can quickly add up.  When choosing vegetables, you must be aware of differences between those that are starchy and those that are non-starchy.

good v. bad fat

fat marbling in this Kobe beef is an example of visible fat

Fat is confusing.  There are good fats, bad fats, soft fats, hard fats, visible fats and fats we can't see (...sneaky fats?).  

Fats are useful in many ways:

• Fats are the body’s chief storage form of energy
• It pads internal organs
• It insulates the body against temperature extremes
• It is the major material for cell membranes (phospholipids)
• Essential nutrients stored in fat (...remember the fat-soluble vitamins)

 

Fats are useful in food because it gives enticing aromas and flavors, and it leads to tenderness in meats and baked goods! (yum!)  The problem with fat is that it is extremely high in calories and can "pack" well.  Fat has 9 cal/g as compared with proteins and carbs that have only 4 cal/g, and the body has unlimited storage capabilities for fat  (unlike protein and carbs!).  

so about that protein shake...

Some fun recipes from The New York Times

I love my morning shakes.  I really do.  I look forward to making them- at the store I think about what  things I can add into my shake to make it extra yummy- sometimes it's coffee, sometimes it's peanut butter.  I try to make it healthy by adding seeds, nuts, greens, oats, protein, etc.  I never gave much thought to the protein that I add.  I guess I thought- the more protein, the better.

This not really the case.

cooking lesson #2: salt the eggplant

Western variety

Asian Variety

Eggplants come in many shapes and sizes, but 2 varieties are most common: Asian and Western.  Asian varieties include round or long and thin ones.  Western varieties may be larger and are shaped like plump pears.  They are all super yummy and can be cooked in many ways.  They can be grilled, baked, steamed, fried or sauteed!  

Tip:
When you cook your eggplant- add salt.  

diet myth #1: food combining

Top 10 Secrets...

It wouldn't surprise anyone to hear that my classes spend time talking about current dieting techniques or "fad diets."  There are plenty of diets with outrageous requirements, like the watermelon diet or the grapefruit diet, but there are some that seem to work.  For example, Kate Middleton has famously lost weight on the high protein Dukan diet.  Food combining seems to be in this group of diets that appears to work, but like any diet, there are flaws.


The premise of the food combining diet is that foods are optimally digested in specific combinations.  The theory is that the stomach releases enzymes, either acidic or basic, depending on the food ingested.  However, if you eat food that requires both acidic and basic enzymes (ie. chicken with rice), the released enzymes will neutralize one another, thus making food hard to digest (slowing your metabolism and causing stomach pain).  By eating food in the "right" combinations, proponents of this diet say that you will increase your metabolism, lose weight, and ultimately feel better.  Here is a chart of the combinations and rules, but basically- there are 3 groups of foods: proteins, starches, and "neutral foods" like seeds and nuts. You can only eat a protein with neutral food or a carb with neutral food, but neither can be eaten together.  Further, fruit must be eaten in isolation.  (There are many rules, and I am dramatically generalizing it- please feel free to read about this diet on your own!!) 

if you can't stand the heat... cooking lesson #1

Cooking (heating) does a lot for us in terms of food: It improves palatability of food; makes it easier to digest; adds a variety of flavors; and it kills some harmful pathogens.  Cooking can make food gorgeous- bringing out color of fruits and vegetables, but it can also help bring out some vitamins and and other phytochemicals!!  However, you must be careful with cooking because you can quickly and unknowingly lose nutrients and flavor.

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Lesson #1: water soluble v. fat soluble vitamins

A carb is not a 4-letter word!

We've all heard it- carbs are "bad" for you. They are making you fat.  Avoid them.  

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Over the past several decades, Americans have increased their relative proportion of carbohydrates and gotten fat.  But, are the carbs the problem?  The answer turns out to be- yes and no.  Since 1970, the average consumed calories per person has increased 300-500 calories per day, and these calories seem to be coming from carbohydrates.  So, in a way, the 20 lb increase in the American body weight is coming from carbs.  But, they are not the enemy!  In fact, countries that live on a traditional high-carb or rice-based diet (Japan, China, Africa) have lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.  Why?


Carbohydrates are essential for your diet.  The sugar from carbs (glucose) plays a vital role in the functioning of body tissues and are a critical energy source for nervous system (think, your brain!).  Carbohydrates also are an important factor in weight management because they supply fiber, other nutrients, and beneficial phytochemicals!

superfood me

I remember, in college, I "learned" that blueberries support short-term memory, so I decided to eat as much of them as possible. Seriously.  While studying for organic chemistry, I ate.... pints of blueberries (and Alpine's frozen yogurt- but that's a story for another time).  I did well in that class, but I think it had more to do with the fact that I was studying than with the blueberry consumption while studying. 


I wasn't totally wrong about the blueberries though... there are some fantastic components in certain plants called phytochemicals (phyto= plant; chemical= chemical).  These are the compounds that give food color and taste (and other characteristics) and promote biological activity in the body beyond their simple nutritional benefits.  (Meaning- these foods do more than provide a source of vitamins and minerals and calories!)  There are tens of thousands of these that are known to exist, but just a small amount have been analyzed with research.  This poses a slight problem because often we see products containing some of these elements that manufacturers will label as 'preventing cancer' or 'sharpening brain function' in order to promote sales.  You must be aware that many claims about "superfoods" are not yet based on scientific evidence; no single food has magical health benefits! (Sorry- acai berry diet devotees!)  What we can say with reasonable certainty though is that diets rich in plant foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts) help lower blood pressure and risk for inflammation.

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.

Welcome!

Hi! Thank you for visiting my website! I have started this blog because I want to share what I learn in school with my family and friends as I start a new career path. Coming September, I will be starting classes at New York University in order to get a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and become a Registered Dietician.  I'm really excited about this change, and I look forward to sharing all of my experiences and new knowledge with you as I go.

Discover as I discover; learn as I learn; laugh as I laugh.