January 29, 2008 by admin.

There was an article in a recent issue of “Nutrition Action Health-letter” called “Surprise! Ten Myths That Can Trip You Up.”  As I share what I read with you in the next several blogs, think about whether you’re carrying around these myths, some of which are just downright unhealthy to believe.

1.  It’s okay for older people to be overweight.  While it’s a lovely thought that as we get older we can become heavier, which takes some of the onus off of us for maintaining our healthy high school weight, it isn’t a good idea.  There are just too many diseases that occur in overweight people - heart disease, diabetes, some cancers.  Not only that, as we get older we lose muscle mass.  So, even if you’re at your high school weight, I’ll bet that you had more muscle back then.  So, as we get older, it’s more about how much muscle we’re losing.  That’s why a body composition analysis is such a valuable measurement as compared to just weighing yourself.  When you see how much less muscle you have, you’ll begin to understand that as we get older, maintaining that mass is what we should be measuring.

2.  High-fructose corn syrup is worse for you than ordinary sugar.  This isn’t so.  That’s because high-fructose corn syrup is 50% fructose and 50% glucose, the same mix you find in ordinary sugar.  Your body’s reaction to it is no different.  The impact on blood sugar, insulin, ghrelin (a hormone that stimulates appetite), and leptin (a hormone that curbs appetite) are the same.  So what’s the bottom line?  Limit your intake of both products made with high-fructose corn syrup as well as ordinary sugar.  Just remember that both supply empty calories.  Fingers are being pointed at high-fructose corn syrup because it is one of the major sweeteners in soda and because people drink far too many, they’re getting for too many empty calories.  Studies have shown that people don’t compensate later in the day for all the calories they drank in sodas.

3.  If your “bad” cholesterol is low, your risk of heart disease is low.  You may be proud of the fact that your LDL-cholesterol (the lethal variety) is low, but that doesn’t mean that you’re free from any risks of heart disease.  As we age, LDL, triglycerides and blood pressure can go up.  Often, the high triglyceride or low HDL or a combination of both may be setting you up for heart disease.  It’s interesting that it isn’t the triglyceride itself that’s the problem.  It’s the protein carrier for triglycerides (also called VLDL or very-low-density lipoproteins) that clog arteries.  A triglyceride level of 150 or more means you’re at risk for the metabolic syndrome that increases your risk for diabetes and heart disease.  Having an HDL-cholesterol (the healthy variety) of less than 40 in men or 50 in women sets you up for metabolic syndrome.  Take your numbers seriously.  Always ask your doctor for a copy of your blood test records so you can be in charge of keeping track of how you’re doing.

You might want to visit my website at www.advantagediets.com and check out ways to eat healthier.

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January 28, 2008 by admin.

It’s February 3rd, and you’re hosting a solid 20+ mob of friends, family and football-possessed fans … people looking for food & beverages and waiting for the big-screen HD kick-off of the year.  What should you prepare to keep your guests’ gullets full and focused on the game?  Here are some healthy cooking ideas for your quickly approaching “Giants vs Patriots soirée”.

Make your own samies
Rather than purchasing 6” long Italian subs packed with calories, saturated fat and sodium, give your guests the option to make their own sandwich.  Serve a platter of lean cold cuts, fresh veggies, sides of light/low-fat spreads (don’t say they’re light and the men will never know), wheat bread, buns and pitas.  The more toppings the better.  They’re easy to prepare and your guests will be impressed — chopped onions, sliced tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, carrots, sun dried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, sprouts, cucumber slices, radishes and artichoke hearts. 

Break out the Foreman Grill
A Foreman-like grill is a major plus to help cut out extra grease, oils and fats, or you can bake your meats.  Experiment with different types of proteins such as tuna, chicken or shrimp.  If you can’t break away from the hot dogs and hamburgers, no problem — use low-fat hot dogs and turkey burgers (even veggie burgers taste fantastic these days). -  Replacing your regular beef hot dog with a low fat beef hot dog will save 110 calories, 12 grams of fat, 4.2 grams of saturated fat and 83 grams of sodium-  You gain about 3 grams of fiber by replacing white buns with whole wheat buns  Addicted to nachos? Join the club….Beware: An order of nachos rakes in 1570 calories!  That’s a waistline disaster, not to mention 78% of your caloric daily value (DV). the entire order has 115 grams of fat (177% DV), 58 grams of saturated fat (290% DV), and almost 3,000 grams of sodium (124% DV).   

Make your own nachos!  
Brown lean ground turkey in a skillet; then spread over a plate of baked tortilla chips.  Top your dish with chopped jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, onions, olives and a can of fat-free refried beans. Throw (or, bam!) some low-fat shredded cheddar cheese on top, then set out sides of low-fat sour cream and salsa.  You will save more than just a few calories!   

Hydration is key
Many game-day gatherings include alcohol — a diuretic which can lead to dehydration.  Make sure to have plenty of water on hand. Guests drinking alcohol should alternate with a nutrient-packed, hydrating beverage.  A great option is VitaminWater.  Intensify your spread with bottles of VitaminWater that coordinate with team colors (15 VitaminWater varieties to choose from), the nutrients will help with Monday’s trip back to the reality of work-land.  Don’t forget, many times people mistake hunger for thirst, so before digging in, first, hydrate.   

Let traditional buffalo wings fly the coop! 
Five pieces of traditionally prepared buffalo wings can contain over 500 calories, 28 grams of fat and over 2.000 mg of sodium.  Try making your own “wings” using skinless chicken or turkey breast, cut into strips, dip in hot sauce and coat with breadcrumbs.  Then bake, don’t fry.  You can make your own bread crumbs using crushed whole grain fiber rich cereal.  Then add some baked chips to the mixture for an added crunch.  For an oh-so-delicious creamy ranch dip…swap the regular dressing for low-fat and you’ll save 80 calories and 10 grams of fat per 2 tablespoons.  

Makeover Mom’s chili
Chili is easy to reduce in fat— use ground turkey, fiber packed beans, chopped onions, hot-spices and top with low-fat cheese.  

Potato skins anyone?
Simple: scoop ‘em out (as much as you can before they get floppy) then bake ‘em up. Top with salsa, low-fat cheddar cheese and pieces of grilled turkey bacon (or bacon bits).  

Chip and pretzel options
Swap out traditional fried options for baked chips and look for “no salt” pretzels.   These are easy switches that will save loads of calories.  Dessert anyone?
Whip up a batch of low-fat brownies.  Use store bought brownie mix and substitute the oil with apple sauce.  These will make delicious, moist brownies with a fraction of the fat.  Provide light Cool Whip and plenty of fresh fruit such as apples, pears, peaches and berries for a healthy, tasty brownie topping.  

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January 22, 2008 by admin.

Okay, it’s a new year, a clean slate.  Let’s get with it.  Let’s make those New Year Resolutions happen.  The #1 resolution people always make is to lose weight.  Didn’t you make that resolution last year?  And the results?

Your goal of losing weight is a good one.  It’s the way you’ve tried to achieve your goal in the past that’s the problem.  I’ll bet you picked out the most “in” diet and figured if those people touting the diet were successful, why sholdn’t it work for you.  The reason “they” were successful was that they were approaching weight loss in a way that was comfortable for their personality type.  What if your personality type is different from theirs?  With 16 possible types based on the world-renowned Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, you may not be the same type as those successful losers. 

What you need is to learn what works for your type.  When you’ve found that out, you’ll realize that the right approach for you is NOT going on a diet but learning healthy new lifestyle habits to last you forever.

If you’re curious what your personality type is, visit www.advantagediets.com and read about type.  Then consider getting the book “Is Your Personality Type Making You Fat?”  It may be all you need to finally be on your way to fulfilling that New Year’s Resolution after all.

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January 21, 2008 by admin.

2008 stands to be an exciting year for new food trends.  I believe that people are going to begin to appreciate that what they eat can be very much related to how healthy and well they feel.  In the past we were told what we were having to give up for the food to be considered healthy.  For example, what does a label with the words, “low fat”, mean to you?  Many view it as telling them eating fat is a no-no, that it’s bad for you.  Yet, not all fats are created equal.  The monounsaturated fat that you find in olive oil, for example, is a very healthy fat and good for you. 

The problem with foods that tout what they’re missing is it sets up a “deprivation mentality”.  Compare that to foods that tell you how good they are for you.  Food manufacturers are beginning to realize that we don’t want to sacrifice to be healthy.  So, in 2008 watch for more products that tell you why they are good for you.  Foods will be marketed in regards to their “functional” properties.  Take for example Activia Yogurt.  It states on the label that it “Helps naturally regulate your digestive system.”  Then there is Cheerios telling us we can lower our cholesterol by eating the cereal.

People are more apt to gravitate towards foods that have a positive implication for eating them rather than being told what they’ll be missing if they eat them.  Unfortunately, with that thinking, food manufacturers are probably going to add nutrients to foods just so they can tout them as beneficial for one reason or another.  Yet, if there is enough of an added ingredient to provide some decent level of beneficial results, especially with an ingredient that people often don’t get enough of, then maybe there is a place for those foods.  Take Total cereal, for example.  General Mills fortifies the cereal with a day’s allowance for many vitamins and minerals.  My suggestion to you is to be sure that the food being “enriched” is a healthy food to begin with.  Taking candy and adding vitamins to it is not the same as taking a high-fiber cereal, which starts out as a healthy option, and adding vitamins and minerals to be sure you’re getting your day’s allowance for these nutrients.

“Organic” and “locally grown” foods are going to occupy much more shelf-space than before.  As we become a more conscious nation of the effect we have on the world around us, we’ll appreciate that eating locally grown foods saves on gasoline to transport it, along with the emissions put out by transporting foods long distances.  We’ll become a society of “localvores.” “Organically grown” foods will become more attractive as fear grips our nation regarding the safety of the food we eat.  A couple of more mad-cow outbreaks or avian bird flu and people will only trust the food they grow themselves or locally grown where they may even know the growers.

I believe people are going to gravitate more to cooking their own meals so they know better what they’re eating.  With that thought in mind, we’ll probably see more foods cut up and ready for us to assemble.  We already have quite a plethora of cut up vegetables and fruits, along with cooked chicken  and meat strips.  The average person will no longer see him- or herself as a cook but an assembler.  No matter what you call yourself, cooking will save you money and make you feel more confidant in the foods you choose to eat.  Food manufacturers will help out by providing more ready-to-cook foods to make you feel you had a hand in the making of dinner.  It reminds me of the Betty Crocker story where the company decided that they’d put all the necessary ingredients in their cake mix, only requiring the cook to add water.  It wasn’t well received because women believed that it wasn’t “homemade” without their adding the eggs and oil.  So take heed, foods manufacturers, leave a little something for the cook to add so some pride can be taken with the cooking process.

I’m looking forward to people being more confident in their food choices.  With food manufacturers touting health benefits (in most cases, health benefits sanctioned by the FDA), consumers should move toward healthier foods naturally rather than viewed in terms of what they’re giving up.  Keep it local and you can feel you have more control over what you eat.

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