Choose Foods to Chew

Foods that require more chewing


typically provide more satiety per

calorie than more processed

foods.

2 very easy ways to promote

calorie control include:

1) Choose foods that are high in

fiber and low in calories that

require more chewing. This

means more salads, cooked

whole grains, fresh fruits,

cooked beans, baked potatoes

- in other words, whole

foods that are high in fiber and

low in fat.

These foods make it easier to

enjoy a healthy diet that is

lower in calories and higher in

fiber and nutrients.

Examples of foods to avoid or

limit include: processed baked

goods, candies, cheese, fatty

fried foods, desserts, processed

meats, packaged snack

foods and fatty entrees that

are low in fiber.

2) Avoid beverages with calories.

Studies are showing that beverages

with calories go down

quite easily and without your

body registering them as calories.

So you will consume a lot

of calories quickly but you

won’t feel like you consumed

them so you are likely to consume

too many calories during

the day.

Examples of these include

large shakes, smoothies, juice,

punch, creamy coffee drinks,

sweetened teas, alcoholic

beverages and soda.

Switch to water or unsweetened

tea or coffee. Skip the

sugar and cream. Add a little

flavor with fresh lemon, lime or

orange. Buy whole fruit instead

of fruit juice. Experiment

with herbal teas and brew

them yourself so you can control

what goes in them. These

are all better for your pocketbook,

too!

Here are a few common foods

that are good sources of fiber

and take time to chew:

✦Apples

✦Pears

✦Oranges and grapefruit

✦Grapes

✦Brown rice

✦Corn on the cob

✦Baked potatoes

✦Carrots

✦Yams

✦Cooked beans/legumes

✦Broccoli

✦Greens - collards, lettuce,

spinach, kale, cabbage

Use smaller utensils and plates

so you can take longer to chew

and consume food more slowly.

Plan Your Own Healthcare

Quiz:


How much does the U.S. spend

on healthcare per year?

• $10 Million

• $500 Million

• $850 Million

• More than $1 Trillion

Answer:

More than $1 Trillion is spent on

healthcare each year.

Quiz:

Treatment for chronic diseases

such as heart disease, cancer,

stroke, high blood pressure, and

diabetes accounts for ____% of

our healthcare spending?

• 25%

• 50%

• 65%

• 75%

Answer: 75%!!

The sad truth is that the healthcare

dollars spent in the US do

not equate to better health. Our

country is in trouble because

diabetes is on the rise and the

rate of overweight adults is well

over 50% of the population.

Did you know that you can save

$2000 per year by maintaining a

healthy body weight? You can

also avoid a much higher risk for

heart disease, diabetes and many

cancers.

If you can avoid getting diabetes

you can save almost $6000 per

year!

Actually, a sustained 10% weight

loss will reduce an overweight

person’s lifetime medical costs

by $2,200-$5,300.

By Hollis Bass, MEd, RD.

Less Sodium

May is National Blood


Pressure education

month.

Here are 4 things you

can do each week of May

to learn to eat less sodium.

1. Can the canned sodium

- start watching

the sodium content on

all canned goods. Look

for items that are low-no

sodium. They contain 5%

or less for the daily value

for sodium or they say,

“no salt added”.

2. Read the label on frozen

meals and avoid the

ones which contain more

than 5% of the daily

value for sodium. This

will leave you with

mostly frozen veggies.

3. Start watching the

bread and grain items

that you bring home and

use the 5% rule.

4. Last but not least,

skip the deli and processed

meat and cheese.

These items are high in

sodium and saturated fat.

The Fattening of Americans

The Fattening of Americans

There is widespread agreement that normal weight Americans have a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, gallstones, and numerous other ills than those who are overweight or obese.
Recent data suggests that overweight and obese Americans appear to be aging faster than those who remain in the normal weight range (shorter telomeres). Not surprisingly, overweight and particularly obese Americans have a significantly shorter life expectancy than normal weight Americans.

Studies of human population groups following a hunter-gatherer lifestyle have observed that overweight and obesity are very uncommon. In addition, people living in hunter-gatherer cultures, presumably similar in many ways to that of ancient human ancestors, tend to hit their peak body weight when they are in their early to mid-20s. By contrast, in modern America, body weight tends to increase in the majority of Americans at least into their 50s and 60s, and sometimes even into their 70s. Today, about 65% of American adults are above normal weight. This cross-cultural data does not mean 35% of Americans will never have a weight problem.

An important question for which we have little data is what is the risk of normal weight American adults becoming overweight or obese? The fate of the minority of middle-aged, yet still normal weight, Americans is unclear. Are they somehow immune to the fattening of Americans? Or, are most of them destined to become overweight or obese in the future?

Study Follows Normal Weight Americans

Researchers examined data from the Framingham Heart Study to determine the future risk of 4,117 normal weight people in their 30s, 40s and 50s, becoming overweight or obese over 30 years of follow-up.

• For both men and women who were normal weight in their 30s and 40s, the calculated risk of becoming overweight or obese over the next 30 years was more than 60%.

• For that shrinking minority of men and women who made it into their 50s having remained normal weight, still 55.5% of the women and 48% of the men became overweight or obese over the next 30 years.

• About one-third of women who were not overweight in their 30s, 40s and 50s became obese. For men, the risk of obesity was similar, except for those in their 50s who had a slightly lower risk of becoming obese (25.9%).

• Overall, the researchers found more than 90% of men and more than 80% of women became overweight or obese during their lifetime.1




This study examined only those of European ancestry. It is known that Native Americans, along with African and Hispanic Americans, are even more prone to become overweight and obese than White Americans. Some of the data was collected back in the 1970s and 1980s when Americans were less likely to become overweight or obese.

Weight Gain in Adulthood Unnatural

Among those human cultures where modern foods and energy-saving devices are largely unavailable (like rural China) or shunned (like the Amish in Pennsylvania) less than 5% of adults are overweight and less than 1% are obese. Average body weight is steady or declines slightly with age. It is increasingly clear that modern foods are fattening because they are high in fat and/or refined carbohydrates, calorie-dense and low in fiber. Certainly inactivity, aided and abetted by TVs, computers and numerous energy-saving devices in the home and at work have diminished our need for calories, while modern foods promote increased calorie intake. Unless Americans are willing to exercise regularly and eat more low-fat, high-fiber foods, it is likely that most Americans will become overweight or obese.

By James J. Kenney, PhD, RD, FACN

Reference: 1. Ann Intern Med 2005;143:473-80

30 Day Fat Shred

One of my favorite exercise videos is "30 day fat shred" by Jilian Micheals. It cost 10 bucks, and all you need is a set of 3 pound dumbbells. It will really challenge your body.

Try this for breakfast

WAFFLE WITH YOGURT, BERRIES, AND ALMONDS


Ingredients

• 1 waffle, whole-grain, frozen, such as Kashi Heart to Heart

• 6 ounce(s) yogurt, fat-free plain

• 1/2 cup(s) blueberries

• 3 teaspoon nuts, almonds, slivers

Preparation

Heat waffle in toaster according to package directions.

When cooked, place on plate. Top with yogurt, berries, and slivered almonds.

Contains Nuts

Contains Wheat/Gluten

Contains Dairy

Nutrition Facts

Number of Servings: 1

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 244

Total Fat: 5 g

Saturated Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 266 mg

Total Carbohydrate: 40 g

Dietary Fiber: 4 g

Protein: 13 g

Asian Chicken Wrap

ASIAN CHICKEN WRAP


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon nuts, almonds, slivers

• 1 tortilla(s), whole-wheat, low carb, 6-inch

• 3 ounce(s) chicken, breast, skinless, cooked

• 1/2 cup(s) sprouts, bean

• 1/2 cup(s) snow pea pods

• 1/2 cup(s) pepper(s), red, bell, chopped

• 1 teaspoon dressing, sesame seed

Preparation

Heat a pan over medium heat. Add almonds to pan, turning every couple minutes until toasted (approximately 4-5 minutes). In the tortilla, place all of the ingredients and fold into a wrap.

Cook Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 5 mins



Quick Meal

Contains Nuts

Contains Wheat/Gluten

Most Popular



Nutrition Facts

Number of Servings: 1

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 359

Total Fat: 14 g

Saturated Fat: 2 g

Cholesterol: 72 mg

Sodium: 361 mg

Total Carbohydrate: 25 g

Dietary Fiber: 13 g

Protein: 35 g