The Food Lies We Tell Ourselves

Straight from our Community registered dietitian nutritionists, we get a firsthand look at some of the lies clients tell themselves when it comes to rationalizing what they eat. Unfortunately, these little untruths can quickly sabotage a healthy diet. Could you also unknowingly be ruining your healthy eating plan by telling yourself these little white lies? Read on to learn the truth.

 

Food Lie #1: I need to snack frequently to keep my metabolism up.

You may have heard that you shouldn’t wait too long between meals to prevent your body from going into “starvation mode”—a time when your body conserves calories to prevent depleting its energy stores. Think back to the caveman days when humans wouldn’t eat for days; their bodies would become efficient at holding on to what they ate so they could survive until the next time they were able to have a successful hunt. The theory is that this may be happening on a smaller scale when you wait too long to eat.

So you try to prevent this scenario and overcompensate by making sure you eat something every few hours. The problem is, if you’re attempting to eat several mini-meals throughout the day, the calories add up. Even a couple of energy bars throughout the day can add an extra 500 calories, contributing to a body-fat gain of 1 pound per week! You may think that bar is keeping your metabolism revved up—but even if it is, the additional caloric burn won’t contribute 500 calories (or anything even close to that!) each day.

Solution: If there is more than four to five hours between your lunch and dinner, allow yourself one small fiber- and protein-filled, mid-afternoon snack—but no more. A hardboiled egg and a piece of fruit, for example, would be a great choice.

Food Lie #2: I can eat whatever I want because I just burned off a lot of calories during my workout.

Although the treadmill or the elliptical (or your spin teacher) may all tell you that you burned 800 calories, this is usually not true. Unless you weigh 200 pounds and run for an hour, you won’t burn close to that many calories. If you are eating without much restraint after a workout, this is likely having a negative effect on your waistline. For many people, not only do they rationalize that they can eat a lot of food after a workout, they also feel hungrier after working out and tell themselves it’s because they burned a lot of calories. Unfortunately, appetite after a workout tends to increase to a much greater degree than the amount of calories you actually burned.

Solution: Eat to fuel your workout and refuel, not to replace the calories you think you burned. If you notice that your hunger increases a lot after you exercise be sure to drink extra water and fill up on veggies to help to satisfy your appetite without consuming too many calories.

Food Lie #3: It was just a few bites.

Just because you didn’t order it and it wasn’t on your plate, doesn’t mean those bites of your significant other’s burger, fries or dessert won’t add up. Ditto for the small piece of cake in the break room. A few daily extra bites may seem forgettable, but they can easily set you back 100 calories (or more!) each day. Although that may not seem like much, over the year that will set you back ten pounds!

Solution: If you find yourself having those little bites here and there, cut them out completely for two weeks and track your weight. If you are like our clients, you’ll notice a difference on the scale.

Food Lie #4: The bag (carton, box, or whatever you just finished off) was almost empty.

Plow through an already opened bag of chips, box of cookies or carton of ice cream and it’s easy to believe there wasn’t much in there. If you don’t portion food out on a plate first so that you can see how much food you truly are eating, it’s easy to tell yourself you didn’t eat much.

Solution: Easy! Simply portion your food on a plate and eat from that—you won’t be able to trick yourself into thinking you ate less than you did!

Food Lie #5. You need that electrolyte drink.

Sure, that brightly colored, sweetened drink filled with electrolytes might seem necessary, but unless you’re exercising intensely for more than an hour (and most people aren’t) you really don’t need it. It just adds extra calories.

Solution: Stick to water, seltzer or another calorie-free fluid, unless you are exercising for more than an hour.

Food Lie #6. You ate it because it gives you extra nutrients.

Every food seems to be fortified these days. Even if it has extra calcium, additional B vitamins or added fiber, it’s still not reason enough to eat it. After all, cookies with added calcium are still cookies. Don’t justify eating the chips because the label claims they have added fiber.

Solution: Get your nutrients from your food. If you want a small indulgence, choose it because it’s an indulgence and not because it’s providing you with nutrients.

 Source : Tammy Lakatos Shames and Elysse (“Lyssie”) Lakatos

How to Fall in Love With Whole Foods

Have we fallen in love with convenient, processed foods? With busy schedules, fast-food restaurants on every corner, and an abundance of comfort foods available (even at the local Starbucks), it’s no wonder we opt for all those fatty, salty and sweet foods. It just tastes so good. And it’s so easy to get. Food manufactures know exactly how to get us “hooked” without us even knowing it, and many of us have lost the desire and taste buds for whole, unprocessed foods. It’s time to go back to the basics and rediscover a love for whole foods. It may not happen overnight, but with these tips you may just have a new love affair for healthy and tasty “real” food.

Add Flavor With Spices and Herbs

Put down the salt shaker and start enhancing the flavor of your food with spices and fresh herbs. Not only do herbs and spices taste good, they are loaded with anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial properties. Turmeric, for example, is made from the turmeric root and often found in curry dishes. It also happens to be a powerful anticancer agent. Cinnamon (one of our favorites) can be added to any sweet or savory dish and gives both an earthy and sweet taste. Plus, cinnamon has been shown to help lower blood sugar in people who have diabetes or who are prediabetic. Fresh rosemary, thyme and oregano can be added to a pot of homemade chicken soup to help fight the common cold. Make sure to check the spices and dried herbs you keep in your pantry and buy new ones every six months as they lose flavor and potency over time (except salt and pepper, which last longer). 

Shop Local and In Season for Fresh-tasting Produce

Do you have a farmer’s market near where you live or work? If so, make a trip there as soon as possible and check out what’s in season. Or check out websites like Natural Resources Defense Council and Epicurious, which provide information on what foods are in season in your area each month of the year.

Eating food that is locally grown and in season is less expensive and usually tastes much better than food that is grown in a hothouse or transported thousands of miles. Produce that comes from far away is usually picked unripe and transported in refrigerated containers, which affects its ability to properly ripen. Stick with local, seasonal food for better taste and to save money. 

Healthy and Convenient?

There is something to be said about the benefits of pre-packaged foods. Sure, they’re easy and quick, but most packaged food is full of refined carbohydrates, sugar, bad fats and preservatives. Read the ingredient list and see what you find. If there's anything on that list that you can't pronounce, you probably shouldn't be eating it. Instead, make your own convenience foods that are healthy and tasty. The best snacks are a combination of protein and fiber as they work together to keep your blood sugar balanced and energy level higher for longer periods of time. Here are some ideas to get you started: an apple (or other seasonal fruit) with some almonds (or other nuts); veggies and hummus; black beans, quinoa, and salsa; a homemade muffin made with almond flour (for more protein and healthy fat); a snack-size baggie of mixed nuts, seeds and dried fruit; homemade egg salad; a container of Greek yogurt with some chia seeds and berries. Taking a little time each week to shop for ingredients and put them together into small packages will save you time and money during the week when you're on the go.

Turn Off Electronics and Tune Into Your Food

Everywhere we go, we see people on cell phones, laptops and tablets. We're wearing monitors that record every step, heart rate, calories burned and quality of sleep. And there's no turning back. While we're happy for all that technology brings us, there is a time and a place for it, and a time for turning it off. When you eat is a perfect time to turn off the computer, put down the cell phone and tune into your food and your body. Be present. Allow yourself to feel what hunger and fullness feels like. Distraction-free eating enables you to notice the flavors, texture and temperature of your food. And it allows you to eat at a slower, more relaxed pace. Not only will you be able to appreciate all the elements of your meal, you will walk away from that meal feeling more satisfied.

Source : Tiffani Bachus, R.D.N., and Erin Macdonald, R.D.N

What a Health Coach and Nutrition Specialists says about Isagenix

By Charity Majors on Saturday, March 1, 2014

What a Health Coach and Nutrition Specialist says about Isagenix

By Charity Majors on Saturday, February 22, 2014 at 3:15pm

From Charity Majors - CPT
Health Coach
Nutrition Specialists
Certified Personal Trainer

As a Trainer, Health Coach and Nutrition Specialist, I whole heartedly believe in great, whole food nutrition, and I am also not unaware as to the holes that our current food system creates, thus we need to make sure we are each getting the proper vitamins, minerals, phyto-nutrients, carbs fats and proteins for proper bodily function!

Isagenix is an all natural nutritional TOOL, FROM WHOLE FOOD, that fills in the gaps of every day life and the things that our food system lacks. Isagenix is not a quick fix, it is NOT having shakes all day every day for the rest of your life, and nothing else. That would be unrealistic, not feasible, and kind of stupid  We are human, and this is real life! We have birthday parties, wine, and no one can eat perfect all day every day for the rest of their life!

Isagenix is a NATURAL healthy lifestyle TOOL that provides our bodies with the proper intake of vitamins, minerals (some of the best trace minerals in the world, actually), carbs/fats/proteins, herbs and botanicals that help with toxicity from our environment, food, the air we breathe, and the chemicals we touch/put on our skin/drink in our water.

Whatever we put on our skin is absorbed into your liver within 7 minutes…what does your lotion bottle have in it? If we don't eat produce within 48 hours of it being picked, it loses up to 70% of its nutrition…how long has your apple been sitting on your counter?  And if we are missing even just ONE of the 90-essential nutrients, our body will still CRAVE SOMETHING. The absorption of the nutrients we put in our bodies is like a circuit board…if one nutrient is missing, it shuts off the ENTIRE circuit of absorption.  It isn't about calories anymore…it is about proper nutrient take and absorption.  If our body is clogged or is missing something, it doesn't absorb the nutrients we do put into our body, thus having our body malfunction.  With the holes in our food system and with most people not eating all organic, all the time, from their freshly grown and picked garden (and we are talking about a LOT of food if this is even realistic), most people DO NOT get the essential nutrition their bodies need for proper function and most people have an overloaded system that isn't able to deal with the toxicity from our environment.