UnDiet...Week 48

Santa is watching, UnDieters...drop that cookie!

Hello UnDieters! 


Just a few weeks to go in 2011...hope you are starting to enjoy the glitter of the holiday season without submitting to the all too pervasive stress of it all.


As the days get darker and we get more sedentary, I would like you to explore your nighttime noshing. Usually when we eat after dinner, it is for one of two reasons: we didn't eat nearly enough during the day or we are simply in the habit of snacking in front of the television. After a long day, we rush get dinner on, kids fed, bathed and tucked in and then we crash in front of the television to decompress. Potato chips in hand. And before you know it, you are passed out in front of The Office and the potato chips are gone. 


It is exactly this kind of behaviour that can result in massive weight gain over time. At night, we are less likely to need those extra calories we are ingesting and far less likely to burn them off if we eat them. This week, let's try and break from routine. If you want to eat after dinner, eat only vegetables. You still get to engage in what is probably a deeply engrained habit but you will be eating healthy, low calorie food that contributes to making you a healthier human. We can capitalize on our propensity to overeat and work towards getting our 10 daily servings of vegetables!


To make this task easier, as you grocery shop this weekend, buy extra vegetables and then wash and chop them right away. Place the chopped veggies in an airtight container in the fridge so that if you have a snack attack, you have emergency snacks at the ready.


Ever tried to overeat broccoli? Trust me, you will thank me later.


To your health,
Desiree

UnDiet...Week 39

Kiwis growing in the warm Vancouver sun...

Hello UnDieters!


I hope you enjoyed this gorgeous autumn weekend. It really couldn't have been more beautiful. I spent these sunny days taking full advantage of the season: we wandered through a corn maze, visited the UBC apple festival (and saw these kiwis growing at the botanical garden!) and picked up our CSA share of local wheat from Urban Grains. And I bought an apple tree. Which I intend to grow on my patio. Wish me luck folks - I hope to have some 0 mile apples next fall!


As the days turn colder, we start looking for heartier food and sometimes it is easy to forget a bit about fruits and vegetables in favour of grains and proteins. So this week, we are going to measure up! You all know that I am not a big fan of counting calories but a few simple metrics can help us all eat a bit healthier. So this week, your number is 50. Each time to sit down to a meal or snack, ensure that 50 percent of the food you are eating is a fruit, a vegetable or both! 


Basing all of your meals on produce is an easy way to keep calories down without skimping on the actual volume of food you are eating (and therefore not feeling satisfied). You all already know how energizing fruits and veggies are so I won't spend volumes expounding upon the virtues of fresh produce. Even if won't touch another salad until April, be sure to get those veggies in. Cool weather fruits and vegetables lend themselves beautifully to cooking: think stewed greens with cannellini beans; roast squash or red peppers over pasta; baked apple crumbles and poached pears. 


Enjoy the harvest,
Desiree

Eat...super snacks!

We are a continent of snackers...the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study this month which reveals that the time between eating occasions has decreased an average of one hour since 1977 and - surprise surprise! - our average caloric intake has increased by almost 450 calories over the same time period. This study also states that caloric intake from beverages has increased by 45.5% to 422 calories! Time to put the breaks on people!

My European friends remark that "Americans are always eating" and its true! We seem to be lost without food or a drink in our hands. However, I don't want to vilify snacks in and of themselves. We all have different eating personalities: some of us feel great on three "squares" a day and others prefer to nibble all day and hate a full stomach. What is really important that no matter how we prefer to eat, we eat enough...but not too much! The worst case scenario is when that constant nibbling turns from nibbles into feasts.

For many of us, snacks are a vital part of the day and they can do a lot to boost your overall health. Snacks can ensure we feel energized when meals are more than 4 hours apart; snacks can also give us more opportunities to get our fruits and veggies in but we need to define what makes a good snack.

More often than not, we reach for "snack foods" at snack time: granola bars, chips, pretzels, candy and chocolate....not the nutrient dense and nourishing foods we should be reaching for. And wasting calories on drinks? Be it a Frappucino, sugary "vitamin" waters or pop...caloric beverages are usually a nutritional zero and set you up for weight gain in a big way. Calories from drinks don't register with our brain the way calories from foods do, so we typically end up eating more at the next meal than we would have if we had had a food based snack.

So what should we snack on? Real food, please!

Here are 15 super snacks that feature fruits, veggies, lean protein and massive nutritional value.

1. 1 apple, quartered, with 2 slices of lean turkey breast
2. 1 pkg of instant unsweetened oatmeal topped with a banana and a bit of honey
3. 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese mixed with 1/2 cup frozen cherries and 1 tsp of hemp seed
4. 1 ounce of mozzarella (or a string cheese) with 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes
5. 2 Ryvita crackers spread with 1 tbsp almond butter
6. 1 apple, sliced, dipped in 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
7. 2 tbsp dried cranberries, 1 tbsp raw almonds & 1 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
8. 1 cup skim milk warmed with 1 tbsp cocoa & 1/2 tbsp sugar or honey
9. 1 mini can of seasoned tuna with 2 Ryvita crackers
10. 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt with 1/2 cup thawed blueberries & 1/3 cup All Bran or Smart Bran
11. 1/2 or 1 Larabar
12. 1/2 cup baby carrots or sliced celery with 1/4 cup hummus
13. 1 slice sprouted grain bread spread with 1 tbsp part skim ricotta and 1 tbsp honey
14. 1/2 tomato & 1/4 cucumber, chopped, with 1 tbsp feta & 1 tbsp dressing
15. 1/2 cup home roasted chick peas

Happy Nutrition Month everyone,
Desiree

(PS..The picture is me in front of a big spread (not fully visible...yes, there was more food!) at my grandmother's house 3 years ago. Frequently heard: "Eat, eat...you are so skinny!" Gotta love a Portuguese grandmother!)