On the Road Again...

Hands down, the most common question people have about healthy eating is what to do when they are away from home.   Whether you are in your car for an afternoon, or away on a week’s vacation, here are a few tips to help keep your healthy lifestyle on track:

In the car:

• Pack your own snacks.  If you are going on a road trip, pack a cooler full of fresh cut veggies and fruit, turkey sandwiches on wheat, string cheese, and water to keep you from wasting money, time and calories at the fast food restaurants.   Also, I always keep an emergency snack pack in my car for those times you aren’t expecting to get caught in 2 hours of traffic.  Pack nonperishable items, such Kashi granola bars, 100 calorie packs of almonds or individual packs of dried fruit in the pouch behind your seat or in your arm rest.  That way, these snacks are out of site so you won’t be tempted to overindulge when you aren’t hungry, but they will always be there for when you do need them.
• If you must stop for food, try stopping at a grocery store instead of a gas station or fast food restaurant.  There are a lot of grocery store that are right off the exit, and most have a deli section where you can build your own sandwich (packed with veggies, of course), grab some cut up fruit or salad, or sometimes even sushi (an 8 piece California Roll made with brown rice usually is only about 250 calories- just watch the sodium by not soaking it in soy sauce!)
• Don’t wear your pajamas.  This may sound like a silly tip, but if you have on your biggest, softest sweatpants to make a road trip cozy, you may be tempted to eat more and snack on junk because you feel so little in those big pants.  This doesn’t mean you have to wear your skinny jeans, but wear pants that fit you well, so you will feel your stomach expanding before you reach for another bag of pretzels. 

On the plane:

• Again, bring food with you. As long as you aren’t bringing liquids (which actually include things like yogurt) in your bag, you can bring food with you through security. Put a granola bar in your purse, or go all out and pack a turkey sandwich, apple and carrots.
• If you forgot to pack a snack, I’d recommend buying food at the airport to bring with you on the plane, rather than waiting until you’ve boarded.  This is a good idea for 2 reasons:  the food aboard the plane is generally ridiculously expensive and the limited selection available is awful for you ($14 for a “snack pack” full of oreos, salt water taffy, cheese and crackers).  Inside the airport, you usually have more options. I was at the Denver airport yesterday and saw fresh fruit available, along with yogurt parfaits, grilled chicken sandwiches, custom made salads, etc.  I chose the Turkey and Craisin sandwich on whole wheat with no mayo from the Denver Airport Boulder Brewery, but all of these options would be easy to grab and take on the plane with you. No need to sit down at the Tequilaria, down chips and queso and be late for your flight.
• In mid-air, when they wheel the drink cart by, choose water (or if you are feeling fancy, choose seltzer water, which they’ll serve to you with a lime- delish!).  This will keep you well-hydrated and keep extra calories from sneaking into your day. 

In the hotel:

• If you are going to be at the hotel for a few days, ask where the local grocery store is and stock the mini-fridge with yogurt, fruit, cut veggies, low fat milk, etc.  This way you will have healthy snacks and a healthy breakfast at your disposal.  If there is no fridge, you can still get granola bars, nuts and canned fruit (choose the low sugar varieties) to keep around, so you won’t be tempted to free the Doritos from the vending machine.
• Going out to eat for dinner? Check the menu online before you go. This way you will be able to have a healthy option picked out before you arrive starving and order whatever sounds good.
• Do your research ahead of time and book a hotel that has a fitness facility or pool. If you get in a work out, you are more likely to feel motivated to keep up your healthy eating habits too.

These are just a few tips I have found to be helpful. What tips do you have for how to stay on track while away from home? Please share! J

High Fructose Frustrations

There seems to be a lot of confusion around about high fructose corn syrup.  Some health experts vilify it, while commercials (especially those made by the corn growers of America) say it’s no big deal. So what’s the truth behind all the controversy?

First, let’s take a look at what it is. HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is made by converting glucose in corn starch into fructose (both types of sugar, FYI). The resulting mix of fructose and glucose acts as a preservative (extending the shelf life of products) and is cheaper than plain, old fashion table sugar (sucrose). This is why so many companies opt to use HFCS over regular sugar.

The problem occurs when people eat and drink too many products made with HFCS. Not because HFCS is inherently bad for you (it’s no transfats!), but because, like sugar, it is high in calories and low in nutritional value.  If you are eating a lot of HFCS, it probably means you are eating a lot of processed foods and drinking a lot of sweetened soft drinks and juices. It also probably means you are at least a little bit overweight and not getting all the nutrition your body needs.

There is also some research showing that fructose is converted to fat more quickly in the body than glucose. Unlike glucose, fructose does not increase insulin or leptin production, and it does not suppress ghrelin (translation: Fructose does not decrease hunger when you eat it).

My bottom line: there is no need to go crazy, throwing out everything you have in your pantry that contains HFCS, but cutting down on your consumption of HFCS will be beneficial to your health and your waistline.  Look at labels when you are grocery shopping and try to avoid avoid products with HFCS listed under ingredients (especially if it is listed in the first few ingredients, as ingredients are listed in descending order of weight). Try these other tips to cut down on HFCS in your diet:

• Limit your amount of processed foods (bars, sauces, cereals, condiments, baked goods, etc)
• Drink water instead of soft drinks and fruit-flavored drinks
• Want the benefits of fruit? Eat a piece of the real thing, rather than drinking juice. It will help fill you up, thanks to the fiber.
• Eat more foods that occur naturally (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, etc) and don’t come in packages with nutrition labels and a long list of ingredients
• Snack on whole foods, like almonds and raw vegetables
• Chose whole grain cereals over sugary, sweetened versions

Bagelicious = Bootylicious?

Many of you have become accustomed to Arnold Sandwich Thins as being an easy, calorie conscious choice for sandwiches, mini pizzas, etc, but have you seen the new Thomas’ Bagel Thins?! Such a simple concept, but they have changed my life.

I’ve always been a carb lover, but had mostly given up bagels a few years ago due to the calorie bomb that most of them are...

• Dunkin Donut Wheat Bagel (plain) 320 calories, 3.5 g fat, 550 mg sodium
• Starbucks MultiGrain Bagel (plain) 320 calories, 4 g fat, 220 mg sodium
• Panera Whole Grain Bagel (plain) 370 calories, 3.5 g fat, 420 mg sodium

But now, Thomas’s has brought my love back to me with their new Bagel Thins! They taste just like a regular bagel, but thinner (obviously…), and the best part is for one 100% Whole Wheat Bagel Thin, it will only cost you 110 calories, 1 g fat, 190 mg sodium!

This means you could enjoy a delicious bagel thin, topped with 1 tbsp of low fat cream cheese (45 calories, 3 g fat, 100 mg sodium) for less than HALF of a regular bagel with no creamy topping…

• 100% Whole Wheat Bagel Thin + Cream Cheese = 155 calories, 4 g fat, 290 mg sodium

• Panera Whole Grain Bagel, no topping = 370 calories, 3.5 g fat, 420 mg sodium

For an even more satisfying breakfast, try the breakfast I make for my husband:

1 Whole Wheat Bagel Thin

½ c Egg Beaters (southwestern style is the best!)

2 tbsp chopped onions and peppers

1 slice reduced fat cheese

Saute the peppers and onions in a pan with a little nonstick spray, add the Egg Beaters and scramble. Sandwich the slice of cheese and egg inside the Bagel Thin and enjoy a satisfying breakfast that will stick with you for only 220 calories, 5 g fat!

With a breakfast that low in calories, you’ll be able to add in some fresh fruit and coffee with milk as well. Bagel lovers unite, and bring the joy back to breakfast!

On again, off again...

A common habit I see in my clients is a weekly switch from being “on” the diet or “off” the diet. This makes losing weight or being healthy so much harder than it has to be. First of all, the word diet has GOT to go. I nixed in from my vocabulary and I suggest you do the same. The use of the word diet automatically implies that the method of weight loss you are using is a temporary change in your eating habits used only to get you to a desired weight. Diets are pointless on so many levels, including the fact that years of off and on dieting will wreck your metabolism, will deprive your body of nutrients it needs to be healthy and to keep working correctly, and will drive you insane as you put your will power up against the biological NEED of hunger.

There is a lot of talk of lifestyle change. In my opinion it gets thrown around too much without people really focusing on what it implies. With a lifestyle change, you are not starving yourself, obsessing over every calorie or staring at the seconds slowly pass on the treadmill.  You are not eating only cabbage, drinking only liquids or staying home every night afraid to face the calories that going out to dinner with your friends will bring. So that’s what it isn’t. What it IS, is small changes. Focus on including more fruits and vegetables. Make a goal; I will eat 3 fruits instead of 2 fruits today. Is that hard? I will take a 15 minute walk around the block after work. EASY.  Now these small changes will not immediately make weight fly off your hips, but they will begin chipping away at it, and more importantly they will bring important changes to your life, such as more energy, glowing skin, and a better night’s rest. Don’t underestimate how good these will make you feel.