FitSugar

Tyra Gets a Nutritionist to Get Her Shape in Shape

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:00:17 -0800

You may already know that Tyra's made a lifestyle change, thanks to a little healthy competition with her girlfriends that began last January. While being more active and committing herself to regular cardio sessions certainly helped her tone up, an episode of Tyra's show this week reveals that her slim-down is in large part due to working with a nutritionist and drastically changing her eating habits. With recent studies debating that weight loss has less to do with exercise, and is more about food, Tyra's revelation seems a timely bit of healthy advice.

Overall, I'm totally impressed with Tyra's take on getting fit - proclaiming the episode "Get Your Shape in Shape," she emphasizes the focus on individual body type, rather than on being skinny, and offers constructive tips for shaping up your shape - like making a decision to get healthy for yourself and keeping a food journal to monitor what you're eating.

A true believer in the power of food, Tyra also claims that new eating habits put and end to her "stomach attacks," which she suffered from since she was 10, and reveals that her weight loss is 80 percent attributable to diet and 20 percent attributable to exercise - she didn't even hire a personal trainer. Are you a believer yet?

Photo Courtesy of Warner Brothers

Weekend Reading: The Daily Fix by Alexa L. Fishback

FitSugar — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 04:55:49 -0800

Alexa L. Fishback is my kind of nutritionist: one who understands that nutrition isn't always easy for young working women on the go. Her book The Daily Fix: Your Guide to Healthy Habits For Good Nutrition, released last week, acknowledges that work happy hours can tempt us from working out and that lunch meetings are a necessary but often unhealthy obligation.

To these modern-day challenges, The Daily Fix offers all kinds of solutions, depending on your lifestyle. Fishback recommends everything from keeping a food journal to setting BlackBerry reminders for your workouts and healthy snack times. She explains how to deconstruct those catered-lunch sandwiches to make them healthier and explores how one chai latte a day can really add up in terms of calories. For all the tasty details, read more.

The book is an easy, breezy, and fun read that's also packed with pointers from how to shop smart for groceries to dealing with dining out. She illustrates her lessons with real-life case studies where she solves individual women's nutritional needs. Fishback even has a chapter called "Things We Don't Like to Discuss" that deals with health issues like IBS, PMS, and other "girly" maladies. I particularly love the Savvy Girl Tips scattered throughout, such as "Make a pact with yourself not to purchase food unless you are in a grocery store or a restaurant," to avoid impulse buys at places like Blockbuster and Walgreens.

If you're into a healthy (but realistic) lifestyle, I highly recommend picking up this surprisingly hearty book.

Dietitian vs. Nutritionist

FitSugar — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:30:00 -0700

A dietitian is an expert in food and nutrition. They give dietary advice, help promote healthy eating habits, develop specific diets for people, and participate in nutrition research. In the U.S., nutrition professionals include the registered dietitian (RD), and the dietetic technician, registered (DTR). They are regulated by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). They must meet strict educational and professional prerequisites and pass a national exam before they are registered dietitians.

Nutritionists are health specialists who are interested in food and nutritional science, preventative nutrition, diseases related to nutrient deficiencies, and the use of food and nutrients to cure disease and ailments.

They also are not regulated. They have varying degrees of education in nutrition – some have very little and some have a masters or phD. Since the term "nutritionist" isn't regulated, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist and dispense nutritional information without having any education whatsoever - they even write books.

Fit's Tips: If you want advice on your diet, food, or nutrition, I'd see a dietitian unless a nutritionist could prove to you how much education they've had.

Source

You Asked: The Science of Snacking

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Dear FitSugar-
Do you know how many calories you can allow in a day for snacking? What should a snack consist of nutrition wise?

I love snacking and I too had some questions about snacking so I consulted nutritionist Rania Batayneh, MPH of Essential Nutrition For You. Here's what she had to say:

One key factor you should think about when you snack in between meals is that it is all about SMART SNACKING. If you are simply adding calories to your day that may result in weight gain depending on your activity levels. You want to make sure that your snacks are between 100 – 200 calories and ideally you will want to fuel your body every 3-4 hours, so you may end up having both a mid-morning and a mid-afternoon snack.
Now, one purpose of snacking is to prevent over-eating or being starved at lunch or dinner. With that said, you want a snack that has a balance of protein, carbohydrate and some fat. For example a string cheese and an apple comes it at 160 calories, a non-fat fruit flavored yogurt averages from 60-140 calories, or 1/4 cup of nuts comes in at 200 calories.

Need some more inspiration when it comes to healthy snacks, check these Snack Attack ideas for all your snacking needs. You should also take advantage of Rania's free 15 minute consultation if you would like to talk about creating an eating strategy that is right for you.

Is Bottled Water Better for You Than Tap?

FitSugar — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 02:30:00 -0700

I just read some alarming news on Reuters.com, well alarming to me at least. Did you know that 25% of all bottled water is actually just repackaged tap water? I definitely did not know that.

Nor did I know this: Because bottled water is considered a food, it is regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration. Tap water is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. However, both types of water are subject to testing for contaminates. Furthermore, since 60 to 70 percent of all bottled water in the U.S. is packaged and sold within the same state, it is exempted from the FDA regulation. And 1 in 5 states do not regulate that bottled water. Basically, it's a crapshoot.

22 percent of all the bottled water tested was found to have man-made chemicals, bacteria and arsenic. It doesn't end there, tap water in the 19 U.S. cities tested was found to contain arsenic, lead, and pesticides. Boy let me tell you, nothing says refreshing like arsenic. Luckily for us, most healthy adults' systems can handle the contaminants but this is not always the case for those with weakened immune systems (like children and cancer patients).

So what's the moral of the story? Bottled water is not necessarily better. To get the most out of your water, buy bottled water treated with reverse osmosis and/or drink distilled water or city tap water with a filtering system certified by the National Sanitation Foundation.

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.

7 Tips For Eating Cheaper From Biggest Loser Nutritionist

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

Money is tight for a lot of people these days, and the majority of you admit to cutting back on buying organic produce to save on the expense. Cheryl Forberg, a nutritionist for The Biggest Loser, is aware that "fresh and healthy" appears to be more expensive than "packaged with preservatives," and shared her tips on how to eat cheaper while staying healthy.

Buy in bulk: You have control when buying from bulk bins and can save on products like whole grains, dried beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, and cereals. Look for spices sold in bulk at health food stores.
Go seasonal: If it's in season, then it's cheaper. Plan your meals in advance and save money by choosing seasonal ingredients.
Shop locally: Healthy bargains can be found at local grocers or farmers markets. Take this a step further by checking for end-of-the-day specials.

To see four more cheaper eating tips, read more.

Grow your own: Growing produce in your garden can cut your grocery spending, and if you don't have room for a whole garden, try growing herbs in a pot near the kitchen.
Make it from scratch: A pre-made version of your favorite meal can cost 50 percent more than making it at home, and you have control over how much oil/salt/butter goes into the dish.
Shop the outer aisles: The perimeter is home to all of the healthiest ingredients, while the inside aisles have shelves of the most processed items. Make the outer aisles your focus to avoid spending on food that isn't good for your body or budget.
Load up on legumes: There's plenty of variety when it comes to choosing which beans and legumes to consume, and Forberg is a big fan. She said, "A stellar source of protein, legumes may be the biggest money saver of all as they cost a fraction of the price of most animal proteins."

These tips will be good for your wallet and your waistline.

Source

Personal Trainer and Nutritionist: Just 6.99/Month

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 02:28:14 -0800

Have you always wanted a personal trainer and nutritionist but just can't afford one?

GymAmerica.com offers online personalized workouts and diets -- The artificial intelligence will change your plan based on your progress in relation to your goals. I like this site because it's great for the person who likes to go to the gym but has no idea what to do once they walk through the door. The site also offers many animated exercise demonstrations so you can see how to do certain exercises. The other cool thing is that you can print out shopping lists and recipes as well as see ways to substitute with your current recipes.

This site is not good for you if you are the type that needs a supportive community or if you need someone pushing you every step of the way. It is up to you to log on and fill out the forms so GymAmerica can track your progress.

Right now GymAmerica is offering a free 10 day trial (you do have to give them your credit card info though) so you can try it out with no obligations! Visit GymAmerica for more information.

FDA Rethinks "Smart Choice" Food Labels

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:00:51 -0700

When the concept behind the "Smart Choice" food labels was introduced, it sounded like a good idea. The goal was to provide easy to digest nutritional information on the front of food packages and the products bearing the label were to meet health guidelines - low calorie count, low in sugar. But when the green check mark made its debut this August, it seemed rather fishy that the cereal Fruit Loops, which lists sugar as its first ingredient, could score the "Smart Choice" badge of approval.

The FDA is cracking down on the use of the label and many large food corporations, like Pepsi-Co and Kellogg's, are suspending their use of the symbol while the FDA creates guidelines for nutritional labels used on the front of food packages. Although no time line was given, the FDA has plans to design a standardized food labeling system, to replace the many voluntary nutritional labels that have been created by the food industry, supermarkets, and nutritionists. The FDA will be working with food manufacturers as well as nutritionists to create a label that helps shoppers select healthy foods. My suggestion: don't rely on the front or the back, read the ingredients and the nutritional panel. Or shop for whole foods and forgo products with labels entirely.

Michelle Obama Hula-Hoops to Health

FitSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:00:36 -0700

The secret to Michelle Obama's slim waist? Hula-hooping! The first lady hosted a Healthy Kids Fair on the White House South Lawn this week to promote her ongoing message that Americans need to get healthy.

Among the attendees were chefs and nutritionists who prepared lunch while also passing along the valuable lesson of healthy eating. Afterward, the kids and Michelle completed an obstacle course, hula-hooped, and tried double-dutch jump rope.

The first lady managed to swivel the hula-hoop around 142 times before it fell!

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