Eating Out

It is estimated that Americans eat out at least once per week.  In doing so, we get caught up in eating portion sizes larger than we need making the meal unhealthy. Therefore, here are some tips that when applied can be apart of your healthful diet:

• Avoid at all costs the all-you-can eat buffet-style restaurants. So often we fall into the gimic of getting the most of our money, but is it really healthy to do so?
• A good rule of thumb is to skip the appetizer.  They are most often breaded, fried, or filled with cheese or meat.  They only add to your caloric intake for the day, and prove to make your meal unhealthy.
• Or instead of ordering a meal that no doubt will be large in portion size, order an appetizer or meal from the children's menu.

• You may also choose to share a meal with your partner or friend.  
• If you order an entree from the main menu, ask for a to go container at the beginning of the meal and divide the entree in two. Better to eat half and take half home for a later meal.
• Order broth-based soups instead of cream-based soups.  They will be much lower in calories and fat.
• When ordering meat, select lean cuts that are grilled, or broiled rather than fried or breaded. 
• Veggie burgers, chicken or fish are a better selection than beef.  
• Or you should think about ordering a meatless dish filled with vegetables and whole grains. Avoid cream sauces and cheese.
• Order a salad with low-fat or non-fat dressing served on the side.  Be mindful of your salad selection because they can be high in fat and calories.
• Ordered steamed vegetables instead of rice or potatoes. 
• If ordering potatoes, select baked and limit the sour cream and butter. If sweet potatoes, are on the menu, substitute for the white potato.
• Order beverages with few or no calories, such as water, tea, or diet drinks.  This is a hidden high caloric, empty calorie, filled with sugar item that often goes unnoticed. Many people drink most of their daily calories and still eat their daily intake without exercise, doubling their intake for the day.  
• Avoid coffee drinks with whipped cream, syrups and milk.  They are usually very high in calories and do not provide nutrients making them useless but nonetheless delicious.
• You do NOT have to finish your plate.  Look at your plate and determine what is healthful, eat until you feel satisfied.  If you feel full, you have probably eaten too much at that sitting.  It is so easy to forget how much you are taking in especially when conversations are going on.  
• Skip dessert or share dessert.  Fresh fruit is always an option.
• Yogurt parfaits seem to be a healthful choice but very often are filled sugar, fat and calories.  Keep it simple. 

Crucial to remember is that the restaurants want your business and often are not concerned with your healthiness. You can still frequent them so long as you are choosing sensibly.  Healthful eating habits include choosing smaller portions, ordering grilled or broiled, avoiding fried foods, asking for dressings on the side, choosing steamed vegetables, avoiding rich appetizers and desserts, drinking low cal and zero calorie drinks, and eating less than half of the food that you are served by realizing when you feel satisfied.

The fact is that people are happy when eating and socializing, remember that the experience can be just as gratifying to make healthful choices while enjoying those you are with. Make it about the people and less about the food!

Here is to your health and mine!

Thompson, J. L., Manore, M. M., & Vaughan, L. A. (2014). The science of nutrition. (Third ed.). Illinois: Pearson Education, Inc.

What is a Healthful Diet?

ADEQUATE

 

MODERATION

BALANCED

VARIETY

 

 

"A healthful diet provides adequate (the ability to maintain) nutrients, energy and fiber, and it includes sweets, fats, and salty foods in moderate (not too much not too little) amounts only.  A healthful diet includes an appropriate balance (combinations of food) of nutrients and a wide variety  (different foods from the different food groups) of foods.

 

No matter what your age-young or old, your weight-overweight or underweight, the status of your health-healthy or coping with illness, if you are mindful of these four characteristics of a healthful diet, you will do an excellent job in selecting foods that will provide you the proper combination of energy and nutrients on a daily basis.  Initially, it won't be easy, but with determination and focus, you will soon be on your way to eating a healthful diet"(Thompson, Manore & Vaughan, 2014).

 

Here's to your health and mine!

 

 

 

Thompson, J. L., Manore, M. M., & Vaughan, L. A. (2014). The science of nutrition. (Third ed.). Illinois: Pearson Education, Inc.

Be Wise to your Beverage Intake!

 

 Often it isn't just our food choices that land us with a weight problem. It is crucial that we are mindful of the calories we are drinking because evidence supports that liquid calories are fostering weight gain.  The surge of soft drink, sports drinks, alcohol, and sweetened teas has more than doubled in recent times.  The probability that the amount of calories you are taking in from beverages, is not being subtracted from your daily food consumption.  And therefore, we are eating our foods plus adding all of those beverages on top causing a spike in our daily caloric intake.  I would bet we aren't even exercising enough to balance those extra daily calories. Believe it or not, people are drinking 1300-1700 calories per day.  For some, that might be their entire day of caloric intake. 

 Therefore, the slogan "RETHINK YOUR DRINK" is appropriate. 

 

The following tips will help you maintain a healthful weight, allow you to be mindful of your liquid selections, and help you to satisfy your thirst:

(1) Drink water, it contains no calories and hydrates your body well. Drink enough so that your urine is close to colorless.

(2) Select low fat or fat-free milks, as they are filled with nutrients for both the young and old.

(3) Drink no more than 4-6 ounces, max, of fruit juice per day.  It is actually better to select whole fruits and vegetables as a means to get your nutrients, besides consuming the food will satisfy you best.

(4) Be very careful and selective in drinking other beverages that contain sugars, fats, and caffeine. These drinks include soft drinks, sweetened teas, energy drinks, coffees, fruit drinks, and alcohol. 

Here's to your health and mine!

http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=10931&terms=liquid%20calories

 

Thanks for reading!

ANTICIPATION

 

In anticipation of watching my daughter, Gina, make some really positive changes in her life, and with the life changes that I am invoking into my life, I thought as I take this journey that I would write about it.

The years up to this point have been indecisive for me. I never really knew what I wanted from life or really what my passion would end up being.  Unbeknownst to me, in 2008 I was laid off from my full time job. As months grew on, it became apparent that landing a job wasn't going to be easy. Because I had already been contemplating opening a business, I decided that the time had come to do so. That was the birth of Nicoletti's Italian Subs, LLC.  Although this restaurant is not in existence today, I have been working toward and looking forward to it's re-opening.  I had a wonderful team, I loved the atmosphere, the patrons were loyal and brought so much charisma to Nicoletti's and I knew I loved feeding people!  That was really when I learned that this was the place for me. This had become my reality! The smile on the faces of the many that I fed, made me so very happy.  I felt like I was home regardless of the work involved.  After I closed the place, and within days my fathers passing, I realized that I was about to be suffering not one, but two separations. Indeed my experience was difficult and it was probably one of the toughest years that I have endured as far back as I can recall. I had a hard time finding my way back, and about two years later I decided to go back to school. In the process I learned about the potential that was buried deep within me, and I just knew I wanted to be the absolute best I could be in my career.  Education is a funny thing, however, it allows you to develop and realize the options that are right in front of you. More importantly, through education I have been able to begin to hone in on exactly where my place lies. As each semester ended, I began to really think about my direction.  I had enrolled as a culinary student because I felt I had already realized my dreams and simply needed more of a business sense. After one full year, I decided to switch my major to business.  This would open up my opportunities and wouldn't be so limiting as culinary would be. As that next year progressed, I still held a passion to be attached to food. My problem was I hadn't quite figured out in what capacity. In addition, I had begun to pack on the weight again and thought, this is just crazy.  I dieted all my life, I endured gastric bypass surgery, I love food, my family and friends love food, it usually seems to be at the center of any gatherings, and so perhaps I need to be attached to food in a different capacity. One thing was certain, I didn't want to be a 300 pound restaurateur and I did not want to battle with weight gain for the rest of my life.  I had had enough classes from culinary to examine the way our foods were being produced. Listening to the media, hearing about organic, inorganic, genetically modified foods, farm caught fish, caged raised chicken...what was all this?  Our foods are growing ever complex-eat fat, don't eat fat, don't eat beef, eat wheat not white flour...these concepts were popping up all over the place. What was true and what wasn't?  And realize every time we turn around, cancer is afflicting yet another.  Years ago, we heard of cancer but it wasn't the disease in the top three that was killing off our population. And so, I decided to take a introductory nutrition class and absolutely loved it.  The science of food is interesting, at the same time, powerful. But if you are like me, food illiterate, and predisposed to carry extra weight, I hope you'll join me in learning why to eat healthy and what food choices will make you successful. The push is on, if one understands that we need to nourish our bodies to make them work with a combination of nutrients that allow us to keep our bodies going all the while practicing good health, I believe in you! I believe that people will make the proper choices given the knowledge and idea of the consequences that lie ahead.  No one intentionally sets out to be unhealthy.  And no one person wants cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or to be fat.

I began reading more about nutrition, and the careers involved with nutrition. I realize the same holds true, I would love to stay attached to food in my career, except that it will be in a different capacity.  Did you ever notice that food brings people together and they are happy?  Will I get the smiles...I believe that I will. When I learn to counsel someone and they lose their weight or they become healthy because I helped them attain their goal, they will smile!  The field of nutrition has many avenues, and probably too early to decide where I will land, but my direction is clear. While I am learning, and reducing, I hope to become a success with applying all the new information that is coming my way.  And this isn't just for me, although the drive is for me.  But many of you know my family and we all tend to carry the extra weight.  My dream is that I can save many people from the world that I lived and know so well. And that I can show them, discuss with them and teach them so that they will understand the concepts of their food choices. Understanding those concepts, should release anyone from being food illiterate. Instead you will be food literate and living life in their healthy bodies!

Lastly I wanted to mention that I found a great relation to the picture of Gina attached to this article...SHE DID IT! and her body language says so without a doubt. Don't you agree? She lost the weight, she is exercising/running at least 4-5 days per week and is making all the right food choices to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This picture is just after she ran 5 miles in the Color Run this past February. I am anticipating that I will do it, and that many others will do so also.  Perhaps my recording the journey of my learning and reduction in weight will help others DO IT one day, one selection, and one step at a time!

At this time, I cannot promise that I will re-open Nicoletti's Italian Subs, LLC, because after all, it wasn't a healthy way to eat.  And I definitely don't want to be apart of day to day unhealthy eating.  Now don't get me wrong, I understand that every now and again, you just want to bite into a great sub and I am all for that. As long as the behaviors aren't similar with every meal, every day.  If another restaurant is to come, it will no doubt have a new, healthful concept to it.

The purpose of this blog will be to introduce knowledge to those of you that are interested in learning and making life, healthful changes.  The information that I put in this blog will come from reliable sources only and I will link the information should you decide you want to learn more or challenge the information.  My disclaimer is that I am not a registered dietitian and will therefore, not counsel you.  Realize if you are unhealthy, there maybe things going on that I don't know about that may contradict any efforts that we discuss. Therefore, I strongly urge you to speak with your doctor. As I said, I want to enlighten you and supply you with sound information. The sites that I note in the blog will always be reliable should you want to further review.

Here's to your health and mine!

Donna