Nutritious choices made simple®
John’s recent post on his travels to Italy reminded me of a few things I noticed when I was over there. Italians are very different from Americans in some ways, and it’s definitely worth contrasting the two cultures when thinking about public health issues. If I had to guess why there is less obesity, I would agree with John’s points about fresh food and activity, and also add this: Italians have much lower stress than Americans.
As I hope we all know by now, there is no magic bullet when it comes to losing weight. The solution is simple, but certainly not easy to do. To lose weight we need to create an imbalance in the body’s caloric energy equation, or in plain English, we need to eat less (calories in) and move our bodies more (calories out). Many weight loss programs promise you won’t be hungry while you are eating less. From my point of view, I am not sure why feeling some amount of hunger is considered such a bad thing. Feeling hungry is a signal we can put to use to help us manage our weight.
People often assume that as a registered dietitian I don’t indulge and that I am very strict about my diet. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, I truly believe that indulging in the foods and flavors you crave most is an important part of a healthy diet. I’ll even go so far as to say that wise indulging actually helps you maintain an ideal weight.
Easy to discover in the old port area, East coast living means fresh seafood. And this is not only a touristic hook or a food staple, it’s part of local culture and pride. Mainers take special joy in cracking lobsters open and savoring the succulent, sweet, pink-colored flesh, and so have I at my very first lobster bake.
Boot camps are certainly one of the hottest trends going on right now. Originally new recruit training for the military, boot camps were intense physical and psychological conditioning programs run with the intention of turning out a “lean, mean, fighting machine.” They were also meant to train recruits to obey orders without question, “When I say jump, you ask how high.”
I’m not going to lie. Sometimes, I don’t follow my own advice. By the end of the winter, even with a gym membership (and even a free one at the school I coach at!), I struggle getting myself there. But recently, something amazing happened. Since spring sprung (you know, way back last week), I’ve gotten back into running, and started doing it two or three times a week during lunchtime. Not enough to make me sweat, usually 2 ½-3 ½ milers.
Recently I have started bumping up my iPhone apps to not only help me with my work and social life but to boost my healthy lifestyle choices as well. Here are four iPhone apps that I have found to help me stay on the healthy track!
We all know it can happen. No matter how much you prepare your schedule and your meals, sometimes life can fight back. You find yourself overtired and overworked; you get home late and haven’t eaten dinner yet. This is in no way ideal, but it happens. What do you do?
Eating late at night is not good for you. Your body doesn’t have time to burn off the calories before you go to bed and your body will be digesting when it should be resting. Late night eating can be detrimental to a healthy eating routine.