FitSugar

Nutrition 101

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Aside from ushering in Spring, March is also National Nutrition Month - the perfect time for a nutrition quiz! Take this quiz to test your nutrition knowledge.

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New For 2009: CalorieKing Pocket Guide

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:00:00 -0700

To celebrate National Nutrition Month, why not put a nutritionist in your pocket? Or at least the next best thing: the 2009 CalorieKing Calorie, Fat and Carbohydrate Counter ($9). This handy book, which fits perfectly into a purse, is like all of my food breakdowns times 10. So if you haven't scooped up a copy yet, now's your chance.

The truth is, we never really know what we're eating when we're eating out, and the CalorieKing guide helps solve that problem. It lists calorie, fat, and carb counts for all manner of supermarket foods, including specific brands and broad categories like fruits and meats. It also dishes on 200 restaurant chains, including fast-food joints, coffee shops, and sit-down dining establishments, both national and regional.

The thing I really like about it is that it also helps when ordering food from nonchain restaurants, like your local taqueria or the takeout Chinese spot down the street. The more than 14,000 food listings include estimated calories and fat for just about any meal you might encounter: BLT sandwiches, chicken tamales, red beans and rice, and matzo ball soup, to name only a few. Get your copy here, and if you get really addicted, you can get a mobile version too.

Find Good-For-You Food With GoodGuide

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Just in time for National Nutrition Month, one very good website is getting even better. The GoodGuide, a directory of healthy and eco-friendly products I first read about on lilsugar, has expanded its reach to include food ratings.

With a database of more than 5,000 food products - including fresh produce and packaged goods - GoodGuide helps you make buying decisions based on a product's environmental impact, healthfulness, and social responsibility, including workplace issues. In each of the three categories, GoodGuide ranks products on a scale of one to 10, 10 being the best. You can browse by category, such as yogurt, to see the rankings from best to worst, then click on each brand to get a detailed explanation of its score.

I could spend hours clicking through this site, so check it out and tell me what you think. It would make a great supplement to your pocket-size produce and pesticide guide.

Match the Food to Its Health Benefit

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 04:30:00 -0700

National Nutrition Month encourages us to eat right, and I think it's easier to add more healthy food when you know how it's benefiting your body. Increase your enjoyment by learning how different foods are working to enhance your health. Can you match the food to its benefit? Take the quiz!

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Take the quiz

Healthy Eating Tip: Add Up Your Fruits and Veggies First

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:00:00 -0800

It is National Nutrition Month and time for us all to rededicate ourselves to eating right. One simple way to improve your diet is to make sure you're eating five or more servings of fruits and veggies a day.

Before eating, I like to add up how many servings of fruits and veggies I have eaten already for the day. This tally inspires me to eat more produce. If I am out for dinner, taking inventory of my earlier meals reminds me to order a salad. If I am in a veggie deficit, when at home, I might make a stir-fry for dinner. A couple of Cuties clementines, my favorite mandarin oranges, make a tasty dessert and often push me over my daily quota of fruit and veg.

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Fact or Fiction: Brown Foods Are Always Better

FitSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:15:00 -0700

It is National Nutrition Month and I feel like celebrating with a quiz! Here is a quiz about brown foods (sugar, eggs, rice, etc.) and if they are always healthier than their white counter parts. Take the quiz and see if brown foods are always better for you.

Source

Take the quiz

National Nutrition Month: Seeing a Nutritionist

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:00:00 -0700

There is so much nutritional information out there to process and at times it just gets overwhelming. Since, March is National Nutrition month I thought I would go see a nutritionist to help me weed through all the information and get some personalized info too. Let me tell you it was a pretty cool experience.

I met with Rania Batayneh of Essential Nutrition For You, who is also a wellness coach. I have to say this combo makes a lot of sense since we want to eat well so we can live well. Rania holds a Masters in Public Health with a Nutrition focus, but you can also choose to meet with a Registered Dietitian. While many seek the advice of a professional when they are stalled dieting, there are other reasons to work with a nutritionist or dietitian - like to improve energy, to eat healthier, regain the feeling of your fitness level from yesteryear.

Here's highlights of what to expect:

Initial Phone Interview: Assess and clarify your goals and discuss your basic health and eating history. This is an informational interview for you too, so use it to get a feel of the person and see if they are someone you want to work with.
Food Journal: Track all that you eat for 5 days including a weekend (from experience Rania knows a lot of structure and good habits fly out the door on Saturday and Sunday). This is valuable information for the nutritionist to learn how and what you eat.

There's more, so read more

Metabolic Rate: This measures how efficiently your body burns calories so you know how many calories you can consume to maintain your weight, or how many calories you can healthily cut if you are looking to lose weight. The test is done after a 12 hour fast.

The nutritionist will analyze all this information and figure out how to optimize your diet based on your goals. For instance if you suffer from an energy drop in the afternoon, you might be told to have a protein/carb snack and then learn foods that meet these requirements. You will hopefully learn that changing your diet doesn't mean suffering and eliminating an entire category of food. Rather than being told exactly what to eat, you leave with a bigger picture - what to eat and why, as well as eating, cooking and shopping strategies. Reminds me of the saying "If you give a man a fish he will eat for the day. Teach him how to fish, and he will eat forever."

All and all, I would say it was an informative experience. After an initial meeting, you can choose to meet weekly which is beneficial if you are working with a wellness coach. Or you can meet in person every three to four weeks, but chances are high you will keep in touch with your nutritionist via e-mail. Just e-mail your food journal, the nutritionist analyzes it and sends back food suggestions and new strategies if needed. Pretty cool and easy to fit into the busy life that likely got you off the healthy track in the first place.

Just One Question: Want Fruit?

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 03:00:00 -0700

There is a lot of buzz surrounding our kids and what they eat at school, since most of us agree that tater-tots are not in fact a vegetable. Wouldn't it be great if we could just get our kids to eat more fruit by doing something as simple as asking them a question?

Turns out there is and it's as simple as this: Want fruit? Yup! New research from Yale University has found that when cafeteria workers asked elementary school children if they wanted fruit or juice with their lunch, the children usually took one or the other and most of the children actually ate it.

It seems like this theory can be applied to getting kids to eat more healthfully at home as well. Don't have kids? You could even apply this idea to getting yourself to eat more fruits and veggies too. For example, if I have fruits and veggies readily available, I'll eat them because they are there. When you're feeling snack-y, ask yourself, "Want fruit?" Chances are you will and having it readily available for yourself will further increase the likelihood you'll actually eat some.

Fit's Tip: How many fruits and veggies do you eat in a day? Take the poll. Want to really increase your chances of upping you and your kids fruit and veggie intake? Check out these tips on getting more in your diet.

How Many Times Do You Eat Fruit & Veggies in a Day?

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:45:00 -0700

Recent reports are showing that while most of us know the benefits of eating enough fruits and vegetables in a day, we aren't actually eating them. In fact only 32.6 percent of adults are eating fruit two or more times per day, and only 27.2 percent are eating vegetables three or more times a day. The recommended amount is currently at least five (fruits or veggies, or both) a day.

So I am curious about you guys -- How many times do you eat fruits & veggies in a day?

Nutrition Questions Answered

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 14:30:00 -0700

March is National Nutrition Month (here are some quizzes to test your nutritional knowledge) and since the month is about to go "out like a lamb" I thought a short interview with a nutritionist would be a great way to end our celebration of the month.

I met with nutritionist Rania Batayneh, MPH, of Essential Nutrition For You. I had a lot of questions for her and she in turn had some really great answers. So informative, in fact that I wanted to share them with you. Here is a bit of the interview for you to read. You are sure to learn a thing or two from it - I sure did.

FitSugar: Is it important to eat protein at breakfast?

Rania: I always recommend that my clients have a balance of protein and carbohydrate at every meal. You can incorporate protein into your breakfast by eating a ½ cup of non-fat plain yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit. Other ideas include a veggie omelet with 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites and 1 slice of toast. If you are more the cereal or granola type, you will get protein in your milk, or you can try it with ½ cup of cottage cheese which will give you 14 grams of protein.

FitSugar:I have heard that it is good to avoid carbs at night…is that true and why?

Rania: Our bodies use carbohydrates during the day to fuel our brain and muscle. At night we are less active, so that means that we do not need that “immediate energy” that comes along with carbohydrates. Now, realize that vegetables are carbohydrates but they are not the starchy variety that you want to eliminate. Enjoy veggies and a protein source at night.

By limiting your carbohydrates at night, your body will actually be burning fat at night- thus allowing you to become naturally leaner and feel less bloated in the morning.

There are a couple of more questions, so read more

FitSugar: What do you think of fasting as a means to detox your body? Are there foods you recommend for detoxing the liver, and/or kidneys?

Rania: I am not an advocate of “detox” diets or fads that exist out there. What most of us do not know is that the body naturally detoxifies itself through our lungs (think….breathing), sweating, and through the liver and kidneys (always check to see that your urine is not too bright yellow- a sure sign that you are dehydrated).

For optimal “detoxing” make sure that you are hydrating daily, eating at least 25 grams of fiber/day to keep you regular and limit your consumption of packaged and processed foods. Think fresh is best and natural.

FitSugar: Do you have a supplement you recommend?

Rania: In all of my years as a Nutritionist I have never recommended a supplement until now- MONAVIE- you can learn more about it on my website at www.essentialnutritionforyou.com. I have been using if for 3 months now and what I notice most is a boost in my energy, my skin looks better ( I don’t’ need to use my Retin-A every night) and best of all, my sugar cravings are down. I used to be a dark-chocolate chip kind of girl and now I go anywhere from 4-8 days without it. I enjoy using this product and I believe that prevention is the key to living well.

Check out Rania in action on MSNBC - gives her interpretation on the recent study claiming that diet soda is making Americans fat.