by kelsey | Aug 15, 2012 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management
A popular topic of discussion with my patients is fat content and ways to reduce fat in our diets. You have read about lean beef options in previous posts, but it’s also important to discuss white meat poultry compared to dark meat. Many prefer the chicken thigh over the breast due to the flavor and taste. The dark meat certainly may have more flavor, but it also has more calories, fat, and saturated fat all contributing to the flavor. A 3 oz portion of a chicken breast without the skin contains about 3 g of fat, <1g sat fat and about 140 calories. A similar serving of dark meat has about 170 calories, 9 g of fat and 3 g of saturated fat. The nutritional composition of dark meat is very similar to that of a T-bone steak. Thus, the white meat has less calories and significantly less fat.
Choosing lean meats is going to help reduce your risk for heart disease, but it’s also important to be mindful of your portion sizes to help keep your calories balanced. Keeping your protein to a quarter of your plate or about 3-4 oz will provide your body with the right amount of nutrients, while not breaking the calorie bank. In addition, be sure always include a balance at your meals with a quarter of your plate whole grains and half your plate fruits and veggies.
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Aug 14, 2012 | Diet, Weight Management
Eating out can be a challenge as you aren’t sure how the foods are prepared, what types of foods are used, and what the food prep consists of. You may question, are the healthier looking choices sometimes worse for you? A salad over a hamburger should always be healthier, right? We find that in some scenarios this is not the case at all. Because of added seasoning, dressing, and breading the choices that appear to be healthier can have more calories. A way to avoid some of these unnecessary calories is to ask for the dressing on the side, or ask for your meats grilled instead of fried. If you eat at a restaurant regularly it’s not a bad idea to look at their menu online for their nutritional values. This could help you make a healthier decision when going out to eat. In addition, you may also consider using a pocket guide book such as Calorie King’s book (www.calorieking.com) or using an app on your smart phone. Besides making a good choices, portion control is essential! Take half of your meal home or share with a friend or family member. That alone will cut down on calories, fat, and sodium.
Here is a fun quiz to help you compare some foods and see which have more calories. The results may surprise you.
1) Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad (with dressing) Vs. Applebee’s Bacon Cheeseburger
2) McDonalds the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes Vs. McDonalds Angus Delight
3) McDonalds Cheeseburger Vs. McDonalds Chocolate Shake
4) Culvers Fresh Fried Chicken Dinner Vs. Culvers Chicken Sandwich Value Basket
5) Arby’s Medium Curly Fries Vs. Arby’s Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwich
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Answer #1 The Bacon Cheeseburger has fewer calories at 970 calories compared to the Oriental Chicken Salad that has 1390 calories.
Answer #2 The Angus Delight has fewer calories at 750 compared to the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes that has 1090 calories.
Answer #3 The Cheeseburger has 300 calories compared to a Chocolate Shake that has 570 calories.
Answer #4 The Chicken Sandwich Value Basket is 422 calories compared to the Fresh Fried Chicken Dinner that has 2220 calories.
Answer #5 The Curly Fries are 540 calories compared to the Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwich that has 840 calories
*This blog post was prepared by SDSU Dietetic Student Megan Bren.
-Kelsey
by Dan | Aug 12, 2012 | Exercise, Family, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Back from our 11 day trip to Alaska–land/cruise. It rained 9 of those 11 days, which apparently is typical. Still saw some great sights. Even though we were on vacation, we, me and the family, managed to exercise every day. Again, once it becomes a habit, you don’t think about it. I will show you over the next several posts what we did for exercise, and the sights we saw, and how it made doing the exercise that much more fun, and rewarding. These pictures are just a few of the great mountains scenes we saw.
Here is one where you can see the glacier in front. I will have some close up shots later. Absolutely amazine. Keep moving everybody! It is good to be back.
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1781
by kelsey | Aug 9, 2012 | Diet, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
Have you been cheering Team USA on in the Olympic games? The Olympics are one of my favorite times as I really enjoy watching our top notch athletes perform, I enjoy watching the variety of sports, and it’s also fun to cheer them on and support the USA! Nutrition plays a key role in helping the athletes perform at their highest abilities. Many are genetically pre-disposed for their sports but they also have to put a lot of time and energy into training of which nutrition become very important. Most athletes work with a sports dietitian to help them figure out the best eating plan to help them perform. Nutrition needs vary depending on the activity, however they all have one main focus which is achieving and maintaining a lean body mass to give them the appropriate endurance, agility, energy, and skills they need.
You may have heard that the greatest Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, eats around 8,000-10,000 calories a day. Swimming takes a lot of energy and in order for him to perform well, he must fuel his body with appropriate calories and nutrients. Carbohydrates are very important for energy as they are needed to maximize glycogen (storage form of glucose) stores before training and competition, and replenish the stores after exercise. In addition, protein intake is very important to help replenish muscle cells and help provide strength to the athlete. Since each sport and each athlete are different, a dietitian can help individualize their diet plans. Proper nutrition can turn a mediocre athlete into a great one, thus it’s really important for the athlete to have this a part of their training regime.
Even though we may not be Olympic athletes, this concept applies to us as well. If we provide ourselves with the appropriate energy needs and balance of nutrients, we will perform at our highest abilities and our body will be well fueled to prevent disease, aid in longevity, and allow us to enjoy a long and healthy life! Remember, food is fuel!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Aug 8, 2012 | Diet, Food, Weight Management
I’m sure everyone has experienced a time when you get a craving for a specific food and it’s very hard to give into it. Whether it may be pizza, chips, icecream, or chocolate, many times our cravings are so intense, it’s hard not to give in! Research is still inconclusive about whether cravings are physiological or pyschological and both factors may be causes. Sometimes our cravings can be so intense and overwhelming which results in overindulgence which then results in guilt. Those that follow very restrictive diets that cut out specific food groups can get trapped into a vicious cycle of indulging, overeating, and then feeling very guilty and bad about those actions. A balanced, portion controlled diet that has small amounts of foods but sometimes includes those high fat, high sugar, high calories foods (in moderation) can be easier to maintain as there is not elimination in this diet. Moderation and portion control are truly essential to a healthy diet and can help you stay in control of those behaviors and desires and that viscious cycle of cravings, over-indulging, and guilt.
Here are some tips to help you manage your food cravings:
- Ignore the craving: if you feel a craving coming on, wait for 20 minutes and then decide if you should give in. Usually cravings are short-lived so if you can distract yourself for a little while, the feeling may go away.
- Find a healthier option: Feeling like potato chips? Find a kind that is lower in fat such as the baked chips. Feeling like pizza? Make a mini pizza with thin crust and add some great veggies and lean meats. Feel like something crunchy? Try carrots and light dip or a crisp apple.
- Choose single servings: Buy just one cookie rather than the whole box. 100 calorie packs are a nice way to practice portion control, however the key is only having one pack, not 10. In addition sometimes these foods are not the healthiest, so you will want to choose wisely and carefully.
- Practice a consistent intake: Planning your meals and snacks throughout the day and eating every couple of hours can decrease the desire to over-eat and indulge. You may have to plan ahead and have snacks or foods readily available if you’re on the run alot.
- Distract yourself: take a walk, call a friend, or work on a hobby. Sometimes redirecting your thoughts and behaviors will help you get through the craving without giving in.
- Keep a food journal: Journaling your intake not only helps with choices and portion control, but it can also help you recognize your feelings and desires about foods. Record your emotions, how long the craving lasted, what food you craved, and how you handled the situation. You may also want to pay attention to the time of the day the cravings occur. By journaling, you’ll be able to recognize patterns and be better prepared to handle these situations in the future. Keeping a food journal is a very valuable tool and something we provide at our first meeting with STRIVE 2 Survive!
-Kelsey
