Cheese

You may read in various publications that the normal portion size for cheese is one ounce. How do you visualize this? The answer is about the size of five dice. I often encounter the "lie" or deception that this is a good source of protein. That is just a lie. An ounce of regular cheddar has 115 calories of which 81 are from fat. The rest is from carbs and protein. Remember this - cheese is primarily saturated fat. If you eat a lot of it, I promise you will never lose weight. Include it in your diet sparingly.

Good Breakfast Recipe

Breakfast Burrito

Ingredients
· 5 slice(s) turkey bacon, nitrate-free
· cooking spray, 1/3 second spray
· 6 egg(s), whites only, beaten
· 1 small tomato(es), cored, seeded, and chopped
· 1/2 cup(s) cheese, cheddar, reduced-fat, shredded
· 4 tortilla(s), flour, reduced-fat, low-carb, six-inch

Preparation
Place the bacon between two paper towels on a paper plate. Microwave on high 4–5 minutes, just until the bacon is crisp. Break into pieces. Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat on medium. Scramble the egg whites in skillet until almost done. Add the tomato and bacon. Cook 30 seconds to 1 minute. Heat the tortillas for 10 seconds in the microwave, or you can warm them in a pan for a minute or two.
Spoon the egg scramble equally into center of tortillas. Sprinkle low-fat cheese on top. Fold burrito style. Serve immediately with salsa to taste.

Nutrition Facts
Number of Servings: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 200
Total Fat: 6 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 29 mg
Sodium: 812 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 15 g
Dietary Fiber: 9 g
Protein: 20 g

Last Reason

This week, I have cited 9 reasons to be active. Today is the tenth.

10. Exercise can be fun - many of the "play" activities you did as a child count as exercise. Dancing, walking the dog, riding a bike, and gardening/yardwork all strengthen your heart and lungs.

More Reasons to Be Active

7. Exercise makes you functionally fit, meaning that it becomes easier for you to carry groceries, do housework, and perform many other activities of daily life.

8. Exercise has a calming effect. Active people are less depressed and depressed people feel better after exercising.

9. Exercise saves you money! It prevents serious and costly medical conditions.

More Reasons to Be Active

4. The less active you are the higher your risk of type 2 diabetes. If you already have type 2 diabetes, exercise can lower your blood sugars.

5. In people with arthritis, moderate exercise helps reduce joint swelling and pain, and improves mobility.

6. Strength-building exercise helps counter osteoporosis.

Good Reasons To Stay Active

Many people think of exercise as something they do to lose weight or tone up. But, there are many other benefits. For the next few posts, I will share some of those.

1. People who exercise live longer, on average, than people who don't.

2. Active people have a lower risk of dying of heart disease and stroke, and they are less likely to develop high blood pressure.

3. The more active you are the lower your risk of colon cancer.

We will discuss more benefits next time.

About Dried Fruit and Fruit Juice

I am often asked about the value of having these two items in your diet. Avoid dried fruits, including raisins, craisins, dried cherries, and dried blueberries. Dried fruits are often treated with additives, and they are overly concentrated in calories and fruit sugar, which can play havoc with your blood sugar. They are not as filling as raw fruits, so they do little to curb hunger.

Choose whole fruit over fruit juice. Fruit juice contains no fiber and therefore does little to help control your appetite or make you feel full. What's more, fruit juice is a concentrated source of fruit sugar and is thus liable to send your blood sugar soaring.

Chips label continued

The calories per one ounce serving is 140. The whole bag is 1400 calories. I ate most of the bag myself. Dumb, dumb, dumb mistake! I know how to read labels, I just didn't do it before consumption. Classic mistake - because the contents are healthy, I can eat as much as I desire. Even healthy food can make one fat if you consume too many calories!!!! By the way, check out the 1 ounce portion size - 8 chips. Not many, is it?

Emphasis on Labels

I watched the football games on Sunday afternoon. I decided to buy some snacks for the family. While at the healtfood isle, I picked some organic corn chips made from corn, canola oil, and sea salt. Sounds natural and fairly healthy, so I bought a 10 ounce bag. Attached here is a pic of the label.

Notice that 1 ounce is the portion size. How many servings are in the bag? How many calories in the whole bag? Should I eat this whole bag over the course of 2 football games?

Think 4 ounces isn't that much meat?

Sounds like a small amount right? Anna made meatloaf on Friday. I weighed that slice I ate on a food scale to see how close to 4 ounces I was. Good news - my slice was only 2.5 ounces. I was able to have a second helping.

By the way, the food scale is widely available in many stores for about $20.

Dinner - the complete ideal plate

All right, I've talked about it before. Here is what it should look like. 1/2 veggies, 1/4 lean protein, 1/4 healthy starch.

Foods High in Selenium

From most to least in descending order.

Brazil nuts, dried

Cod, cooked

Turkey, light meat, roasted

Chicken breast, skinless, roasted

Egg, whole

Cottage cheese, fat free

Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked

Garlic chopped

Foods High in Vitamin A

In descending order from most to least.

Spinach, cooked

Kale, cooked

Carrots, raw

Cantaloupe, cubed

Spinach, raw

Papaya, cubed

Mango, sliced

Peach

Red bell pepper, raw

Foods High in Vitamin E

In descending order from most to least.

Almonds, dry roasted

Spinach, cooked

Sunflower kernels, dry roasted

Broccoli, cooked

Hazelnuts, dry roasted

Kiwifruit, without skin

Mango, peeled and seeded, and sliced

Spinach, raw

Peanuts, dry roasted

Foods High in Vitamin C

In descending order from most to least.

Red bell pepper

Oranges

Broccoli - cooked

Strawberries

Papaya

Green Bell Pepper

Grapefruit, white

Canaloupe

Mango

Tangerine

Cabbage greens, frozen or boiled

Raw Spinach

Vegetarian Protein

Excellent vegetarian protein sources include:

1.Beans and other legumes

2.Egg Whites

3. A variety of traditional soy foods such as tofu and edamame

Many of these foods are rich in fiber and increase your sense of fullness

Advice on Veggies

1. Cook veggies for the least amount of time possible to perserve nutrients

2. Avoid added fat - steam, grill, or stir fry in a non-stick pan

3. Try to eat at least one raw vegetable daily

4. Eat a vegetable salad most days of the week

5. Plan ahead - keep cut up veggies at home on the fridge for easy snacking

6. Starchier veggies like pumkins, winter squash, and sweet potatoes are higher in calories and carbs, so you should limit them to 1-2 servings weekly

7. Fresh veggies are the best

Tips for Success

1. Plan meals in advance

2. Pay attention to portion sizes - do not eat to the point of fullness

3. Minimize saturated fat, trans fat, added sugars, processed foods, and excess salt

4. Record meals and snacks in a food journal

5. Drink at least 60 ounces of water daily

Motivation

Staying motivated while dieting is key. The thing you need to do to stay motivated, is keep weight loss regularly on your mind. This means educating yourself by reading short articles, this blog, handouts, regular weigh ins, etc. Along that line, I find motivation watching the NBC hit show biggest loser. Season 9 starts tonight from 8 pm to 10 pm. Watching this show on tuesdays will encourage you. It will keep you focused on achieving your weight loss goals.

Your Thoughts

So you are overwieght? How do you feel about losing weight. Is is it going to be easy or hard? Will you lose it quickly or slowly? I have some advice for you - your thoughts are very powerful. I want you to consider only thoughts that convey that losing weight is easy, and that it doesn't take a long time. Get into this mindset now, and keep it.