Fort Huachuca, Arizona - March is National Nutrition Month and an ideal time to focus on what we eat.
Eating a balanced diet not only helps promote weight management but can decrease the risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers (including breast and colon cancer). Eating a balanced diet includes consuming vegetables, fruit, low fat and fat-free dairy and whole grains on a regular basis and consuming high fat or sugary processed foods less frequently and in smaller portions.
National Nutrition Month happens to be two months after the beginning of the New Year. Many individuals who kicked off the start of 2015 with resolutions to lose weight may have broken their resolution by March. Individuals on fad diets that restrict many foods may have stopped their diets by March, usually due to finding their diets hard to maintain. Some individuals do not have good ''food environments'' that can sabotage diets, such as having family members who bring trigger foods such as ice cream into the house.
Anyone who might want to start a weight loss plan or just promote healthy eating habits may find the following tips helpful.
Avoid portion distortion. Measure out foods for at least a few days when starting a weight loss plan. Many individuals frequently consume more calories than they realize. What a dieter believes is one teaspoon of butter might actually be one tablespoon of butter. What is perceived to be one-half cup of pasta may be more than one cup of pasta when measured out. Measuring out food initially takes time, but after a few days it is easier for individuals to visually estimate portion sizes.
Use smaller plates (8 to 9 inches across) and smaller spoons or even chopsticks. Individuals who use smaller plates and spoons eat less. Also avoid putting food bowls on the table. Studies have shown men eat 29 percent fewer calories if bowls are not put on the table.
Make half the plate fruits and vegetables. Find ways to include more vegetables, such as vegetable soups, mixing vegetables into casseroles, snacking on vegetables and having both cooked vegetables and salads at dinner. Serving salad before dishing up anything else and having starch and meat as the second course can also promote weight loss. Studies have shown that people tend to eat more of what they start with, so filling up on a large salad first can help individuals eat less meat and starch.
Improve your food environment. It is hard to lose weight when an individual lives and works in an environment full of high calorie trigger foods that can be hard to resist. Clear trigger foods out of the house and ask coworkers if they would keep high calorie foods such as donuts out of sight.
Last but not least, eat a healthy breakfast. Skipping breakfast can slow down the metabolism, cause sugar cravings and lead to overeating later in the day. Skipping breakfast can also cause low energy levels and difficulty concentrating in the morning. It has been shown that children do not do as well in school if they skip breakfast.
An energizing breakfast should include whole grain starch, a little healthy fat and some protein. One slice of whole grain toast with one teaspoon of soft margarine, one small piece of fruit, two egg whites and one cup of one-percent milk is an example of a healthy breakfast that includes all of the above breakfast components. Including fiber, protein and healthy fat keeps energy levels up and hunger down before lunch.
Two common excuses for skipping breakfast are not being hungry in the morning and being too busy to eat breakfast. If someone is not hungry at breakfast, they are likely eating too much the previous night. Cutting back portions of dinner and evening snacks might help promote an appetite the next morning. If someone is still not that hungry for breakfast, consuming a smoothie is sometimes easier on the stomach than consuming a solid meal.
No matter how busy someone is, breakfast should be a priority in the morning. It might take going to bed earlier so there is more time for a quick breakfast the next morning. Making the breakfast meal the day before and keeping it in the fridge overnight can also help promote the regular consumption of this important meal. On those crazy mornings, when it is impossible to eat breakfast at home, grab a premade breakfast from the fridge and consume it on the run.
Here is a breakfast smoothie recipe that includes healthy starch (oatmeal), healthy fat (flax seed) and protein (milk). Flax seed is also a good source of dietary fiber.
Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie (Serves two)
Ingredients
One cup of 1-percent milk
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 banana, broken into chunks
14 frozen strawberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of ground flax seed
Directions:
Put the oatmeal in a blender and grind until it is all powder (this keeps the smoothie from having oat chunks in it). Then add rest of ingredients and blend until smooth.
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