FitSugar

You Asked: Fiber Per Meal - Is There a Limit?

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:30:00 PST

A while back, I did a post about the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber and received this great question:

Is there a recommended amount that you shouldn't go over in one meal? Like I know the body can only absorb so much calcium at one time, I wonder if it's that way for fiber. I know it's always better to spread things out, but I was just wondering if there was an actual number that I shouldn't be going over in case my body doesn't process it all. Thanks.
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When it comes to fiber, you should focus on getting 25 to 30 grams a day. Fiber helps keep you regular, lowers cholesterol, can help prevent both breast and ovarian cancer, and also may reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. So is it bad to eat all 30 grams in one meal? To find out

Nutritionally speaking, there's nothing bad about getting all your fiber in one meal, it's just that it's difficult to do. (Most people can't fit in 30 grams of fiber in their entire day, let alone in one sitting.) If you sat down for breakfast and ate a cup of a high fiber cereal such as Kashi Go Lean (10 grams of fiber), 1/2 cup of raspberries (5 grams of fiber), 1 banana (3 grams of fiber), and 1/2 cup of walnuts (2 grams of fiber) on top, that would still only be 20 grams of fiber. Many people find that if they eat this much fiber all at once, especially if their bodies aren't used to it, they'll feel bloated, gassy, and may have diarrhea.

To prevent tummy troubles, instead of trying to eat all your fiber at once, focus on eating a well-balanced diet that includes fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, and nuts throughout your day. Naturally, these all are great sources of fiber too, so if you stick to healthy foods like these at every meal, you'll be able to get your fill of daily fiber.

Fit's Tips: If you're trying to get 30 grams of fiber a day, and your body isn't used to it, gradually increase the amount of fiber in your diet over a few weeks. This allows the natural bacteria in your digestive system to adjust to the change, which will prevent gas and other belly problems. Be sure to drink enough water too, because it'll help the fiber do its job. Without enough water, you'll end up constipated.

Source

Thinking About a Juice Cleanse? 4 Ways It Can Cause Weight Gain

Jenny Sugar — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:19:17 PDT

Whether it's to improve energy, clear acne, Spring clean the digestive system, or shed a few pounds, juice cleansing is all the rage now. Even celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow and Nicole Richie are buzzing about the benefits of liquid detoxing. Before you splurge on a juicer or lay down the dough for a liquid detox program, learn how a juice cleanse may lead to weight gain.

Hard-to-measure liquid calories: Since all the calories you're consuming are liquid, if you're not watching your intake, it's easy to consume well over the daily limit. (A pressed juice averages between 100-350 calories per 16-ounce bottle.) Make sure you have a plan to follow and an accurate way to determine how many calories are in each glass or bottle you're drinking. Most retail juicing programs provide calorie counts, but are also pricey to join.
Messes with metabolism: A typical juice cleanse lasts anywhere from three to seven days (or sometimes longer), where you drink 32 to 64 ounces of freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juice each day. When your body doesn't get the all the nutrients (or the amount of calories) it's used to, it stresses out because it thinks it's starving. Often the body reacts to this by slowing down its metabolism, which can make losing weight harder in the future. And while juicing is an easy way to deliver phytonutrients to the body, the fruit-based juices tend to be high in sugar, which can negatively affect insulin levels in the body.

Continue reading for more ways a juice cleanse can cause weight gain.

7 Easy Swaps to Eat More and Weigh Less

Self — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 04:06:30 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Have you ever wished that you could eat the same amount of food (or even more) and still lose weight? Well, actually, you can! Studies have shown that people tend to eat about the same amount of food (volume-wise) each day. That means if you can build your diet around foods that have fewer calories but more volume, you can lose weight without eating less food. This principle is called volumetrics and was developed by Barbara Rolls, PhD, of Pennsylvania State University. She's written several books on this topic, including The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet, which is scheduled to come out this April.

So how do you make volumetrics work for you? It's all about knowing what foods have a lower calorie density (less calories per bite), which are primarily foods with higher water content. Then you can make smart swaps using those foods. To make it even easier, here's an easy list of swaps you can make today!

Read on for the list.

10 Salad Dressings With 50 Calories or Fewer

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:21:08 PST

If you want to sit down to a super-healthy meal, a big salad is the way to go. With all those iron-packed greens and fiber-rich veggies, a fresh and delicious salad is super filling, without a ton of calories. That is, unless you douse your bowl in high-calorie creamy dressings. Don't let your salad cause weight gain by limiting the extras like nuts, dried fruit, croutons, and avocado (yes, it's full of healthy fats, but you don't need an entire avocado on your salad), and drizzle your bowl with one of these salad dressings, all with 50 calories or fewer per two-tablespoon serving.

Annie's Lite Gingerly Vinaigrette: 40
Seeds of Change Organic Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette: 50
Newman's Own Organic Lighten Up Balsamic Vinaigrette: 45
Spectrum Sweet Onion & Garlic Fat-Free: 15
Maple Groves Farms Maple Fig Vinaigrette: 30

Continue reading for five more low-calorie salad dressings.

Feel-Full Quick Tricks

Health — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:49:40 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

By Health.com

It's not just what you eat that can make you more satisfied - it's how you eat, too. Try these tips to feel fuller longer.

H2O some more
Drink two eight-ounce glasses (16 ounces total) of water before each meal. It will fill up your stomach and trim up to 60 calories per meal.

Health.com: Which Foods Burn the Most Fat?

Flavor of the day
Use vinegar (or vinaigrette) and cinnamon for flavor whenever possible. These two ingredients can help regulate blood sugars after meals and help you feel full longer after eating, according to a study from the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, in Zurich, Switzerland.

Keep reading for quick feel-full tricks.

How to Eat During a (Real) Blackout

Susannah Chen — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:01:41 PST

Have you clicked around the Internet today? It's overrun with site blackouts, with everyone from Wikipedia to Reddit completely shut down in protest of SOPA and PIPA.

All of this blackout talk has us thinking about what we'd eat during an IRL blackout. When it comes to natural disasters, it's best to prepare for the worst, then hope for the best. This includes food and drink! For seven shelf-stable provisions that I recommend you have on hand, keep on reading.

8 Small Ways to Lose Big Pounds in 2012

Prevention — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:06:22 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Quadruple your weight loss by making one easy tweak to your routine per week
By Alyssa Shaffer

If your goal is to lose weight and exercise more, forget the deprivation diet and marathon workouts. New research shows that taking baby steps - not giant leaps -is the best way to get lasting results. A study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that participants who made one small, potentially permanent change in their food choices and/or physical activity each week (such as drinking one fewer can of soda or walking five more minutes each day) lost more than twice as much belly fat, two and half more inches off their waistlines, and about four times more weight during a four-month program, compared with those who followed traditional calorie-restriction and physical-activity guidelines.

"When you focus on just a couple of small changes at a time, you begin to ingrain some healthy habits that last for a lifetime, rather than trying an all-or-nothing approach that more often than not fails because it's too hard to follow," says Lesley Lutes, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at East Carolina University. We've uncovered these simple steps (with proven results) to help you move more, eat less, and look and feel better than ever. Add just one or two a week to your regular routine and you can lose nearly three inches off your waistline and be about 10 pounds lighter come in a few months. Even better: Once these healthy habits become second nature, they'll benefit you for a lifetime.

1. Pick Up a Pen After Every Meal
Mindlessly munching on a bag of chips could result in easily polishing off the whole thing; write down how much you've eaten and you're more likely to practice portion control. Keeping a food log helps control extra calories in two ways: the combination of plain old reality check (I just ate 30 minutes ago!) and awareness that what you're putting in your mouth will soon be recorded for posterity. In a recent study, people who kept a food journal lost twice as much weight as those who didn't. When they combined it with a moderate diet and exercise plan, they lost an average of 13 pounds in 6 months. Journaling also gives you insight on your eating habits, says Lutes. Do you skip meals? Eat the same during the week as on the weekend? Binge when you're feeling stressed? "Knowing your routine helps you figure out what changes are right for you," she adds.

Avoid these 14 "health food" diet disasters.

2. Limit High-Fat Foods to One Per Week
Tag the high-fat/high-calorie foods that are typically your favorites (our top five: cookies, candy, ice cream, potato chips, and fries) and gradually downshift. "If you're eating six of these foods a week, try to go down to five," says Lutes. Each week, drop another until you're at no more than one or two; at the same time, add in a good-for-you choice like baby carrots, sautéed broccoli, oranges, and other fresh fruits and veggies.

Keep reading for more simple tip to help you lose big.

4 Surprising Things You Don't Know about Calories

Prevention — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:12:55 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Only 12 percent of Americans can estimate the calories they eat in a day! Find out why we're so clueless and get easy ways to stop calorie confusion.
By Mara Betsch, Prevention

You know what calories are, and you probably know that if you eat too many, you’ll gain weight. But do you know how many are in your favorite deli sandwich? Or how many calories you should really eat each day? Most Americans don’t. Only 12% can accurately estimate the number of calories they should consume in a day someone their age, height, weight, and physical activity, according to a 2010 survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation. So what is it about calories that keeps us baffled? Here are 8 reasons you’re confused about calories and the simple steps that will help you do the math.

8 Healthy Foods That Help Fight Disease

1. Portions Sizes Are Out of Control
You’ve all heard about the rapidly expanding serving sizes of restaurant and fast food portions, but just how bad are they? Portions sizes in restaurants may contain double or triple the calories of home-cooked meals, and studies show eating out is associated with a higher BMI. Unfortunately, those portions affect our waistlines. When there’s more food on the plate, people eat more-up to 30% more, according to an analysis of several studies.

Stop the confusion: Use this cheat sheet of portion sizes. We know it’s hard to look at your plate as decks of cards, tennis balls, and all the other, so start by measuring out your food servings at home and take a good look at what a half-cup of pasta looks like. Until the serving sizes are engrained in your brain, when dining out, aim to eat half of your meal, saving the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Comfort Food That’s Actually Good for You

2. Serving Sizes Are Deceiving
"There really aren’t standard serving sizes for packaged foods, which makes them confusing," explains Elisa Zied, RD, author Nutrition at Your Fingertips. She gives the example of cereal. A standard serving size of breakfast cereal is approximately 50 g, but depending on the cereal, that could mean a cup and a half of flakes or half a cup of heartier granola. Depending on the type of cereal you’re eating, just eyeing how much you put in the bowl, like most people do, can lead to inaccurate calorie counts.

Not only that, but larger-than-life snack foods may seem like single servings even though they often contain two to three servings per packet. Buy a 16-ounce bottled Coca-Cola, and the nutrition label reads 100 calories . . . for one of the two servings in the bottle. Drink the whole thing, as many people do, and you’re really getting 200 calories. Eat the whole bag of Austin Zoo Animal Crackers, commonly found in office vending machines, and you’re getting 230 calories, nearly two servings, instead of just one.

Keep reading to learn even more about calories!

Nutrition Myths That Can Cause Weight Gain

Shape — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:04:23 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Myth: Going Vegan Will Make You Lose Weight
"While various research shows that vegetarians and vegans, on average, consume fewer calories and less fat than omnivores (a 2009 Oxford study found that vegetarians weigh 3 to 20 percent less than their meat-eating counterparts, and a National Cancer Institute study found that subjects who consumed four ounces or more of red meat weekly were 30 percent more likely to die of any cause than those who ate less), these numbers may be misleading," says Rania Batayneh, MPH, a certified nutritionist and owner of Essential Nutrition for You.

Going vegan solely for weight loss can backfire, big time. If you aren’t vigilant with a vegan diet, it’s easy to lack in vital nutrients, vitamins, and proteins, which give you energy and help keep your metabolism stoked. Many first-time vegans may also find themselves reaching for more processed foods like vegan cookies, chips, or even ‘ice cream’ more often with such a restricted diet, and many end up packing on the pounds instead.

If you do decide to adopt a vegan diet, be sure to keep the ‘treats’ to a minimum and plan balanced meals (we love ‘Domestic Vegan’ Diva Jessica Olson’s tips for "going veg"). "Aim to get about 10 to 20 percent of your calories from protein (or about 1 gram per kilogram of body weight), replacing animal protein with healthy plant proteins, like those found in beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy products," Batayneh says. "And, whether you are vegan or not, eating more green, leafy vegetables is great for your health and your waistline."

See which other diet habits may also being causing weight gain after the break!

Prevent Holiday Party Weight Gain With 3 Must Dos

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:13:39 PST

Everyone's approach to beating holiday weight gain differs. Some amp up the exercise time, while others simply give in to the extra noshing and stick to clothing with elastic waistbands. Regardless of your philosophy, the abundance of holiday parties, full of rich foods and fancy cocktails, is a major reason the numbers on the scale often go up. Keep these three tips in mind at your next shindig, and hopefully you can prevent your waistline from expanding this season.

Don't Show Up Famished or Empty Handed
Before heading out the door, snack on something filling like a banana with peanut butter, a pear with some almonds, or some whole grain crackers with hummus. Combining fiber and protein in a sack is satiating, so you won't arrive famished and end up making a meal out of appetizers. To show your hosts some appreciation for throwing the party, it's nice to bring along a present; but instead of the usual bottle of wine, prepare a healthy dish or dessert to complement the meal. Not only will party-goers appreciate the gesture, but you'll know at least one thing on your plate is good for you. This chard, avocado, and asparagus quinoa makes a great side dish, and a batch of healthier holiday cookies are often a nice addition as well.

Continue reading for two more tips to help prevent holiday party weight gain.