Just a Few of my Favorite Things

Ms. Poppins could’tve have said it better herself! Now these are just a few of my favorite things that keep me on track to a healthier lifestyle.

Pedometer- I bought one these the other day for under $10 and it’s my new fav gadget! I clip it on in the morning and it calculates how many steps I take throughout the day. I keep track on a calendar and it has been my own little personal challenge to get more steps from one day to the next. I take the stairs more, walk to class everyday and it all adds up!

Calorie counter-If you are ever curious how many calories is in a certain food this website: http://www.fitday.com/ tells you exactly how many calories is in thousands of different food items, even down to the different ways it can be prepared. It also tracks your daily calorie, protein, carb and fat intake along with your exercise and how long it will take you to reach your fitness and/or nutrition goals!

SPIbelt- Attention all runners, this thing is amaaazing! It’s basically a tiny fanny pack that stretch to fit your cell phone, keys, GU, ID, whatever you need and it doesn’t weigh you down! www.spibelt.com

Eat this, not that- I literally carried this book in my purse like a bible for the last two years! There are several versions now, the two I really like are the original and the supermarket version.

iPhone apps- For all of you iPhoner’s out there check out these new apps:

1. Lose it (free)- you can enter your daily food intake and exercise info and this app will tell you the date you will reach your goal weight.

2. iSteps ($2.99)- this turns your phone into a pedometer which calculates the distance you cover walking in one day.

3. Nutrition Menu Calorie Counter ($2.99)- This app gives the nutritional facts at 337 U.S and Canadian restaurants.

4. Dietician ($9.99)- This app tracks your calorie intake and create meal plans, recipes, and grocery lists for you.

5. Fitness Builder (19.99)- This app actually allows you to choose from over 400 different workouts that come with videos.

EnviroSax- This nifty environmentally friendly bag has come in handy everywhere! The best thing about it is it rolls up to the size of my palm so it fits easily in my purse but it can hold soooo much stuff! They come in many different colors and cute patterns. Mine is pink with flying pigs J Get yours today at www.envirosax.com

Nike+ Shoe & Sensor System- This was so handy when I was training for my half marathon. There is a little chip in the bottom of one of the those and a connector piece that goes into your iPod. It then tracks and keeps record of miles, calories burned, pace and time it took.

Lots’O Veggies

It has been brought to my attention that my veggie intake has been on the decline lately. I just don’t seem to have the patience, creativity or desire for them anymore. So the Veggie Rejuvenation Project was born. My goal is to incorporate a veggie into 3-4 out of 5 of my small meals a day, using herbs, spices and the oven –gasp-- (dun dun dunnnn)

My first assignment: Kale

I sautéed fresh kale in a pan with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Once it was crispy I added a dash of crushed red pepper flakes and much to my surprise it was pretty good! I ate it with hummus and chicken breast to round out the meal.

Next I ventured into Brussels sprouts, Quinoa, and Zucchini. Yup, I’m going for the guttural. Go big or go home, right?

I cut the spouts in half, arranged them on a pan. Then I mixed olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and poured it over the sprouts. I set the oven to 400 degrees and cooked them for 30-40 mins. I sprinkled some parmessan cheese on top to add a little extra falvor!

And in honor of this ridiculously premature winter Mother Nature so graciously bestowed upon us, I picked up a succulent organic acorn squash at the local health food store.

I cut the squash in half (hot dog style- circa kindergarten class folding paper) and scooped out the seeds. I poured maple syrup (sugar free of course) a spray of butter flavoured pam and a pinch of S&P. I set the two halves on a pan filled with a little bit of water so the skin didn’t stick to the pan and put it in the oven for an hour and 15 mins. Once it cooled I scooped the contents out into a bowl and added cranberries and almonds. It was absolutely DELISH!

Pizza Pizza, Read All About It

I have searched high and low, near and far for the healthiest pizza known to (wo)man, because lord knows, a girls gotta eat some pizza in her life and not feel guilty about it!!

Here are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind:

1. Always opt for thin crust over thick and you’ll be saving yourself a lot of unnecessary calories and starchy carbs.

2. Load on the veggies and lay off the meat. Obviously if you can sneak in some healthy toppings it’s better than nothing.

3. Order a salad first and try to fill up on that before you dive head first into the real deal, an average slice of pizza is about 300 calories and 11 grams of fat a pop, and we all know how hard it is to stop after just one…

4. If you have the option order whole wheat crust over white, you’ll get an extra dose of fiber and feel full on less.

5. Wash it down with water rather than a Coke. The sugar in pop will spike your insulin and make you want to eat more, not to mention sugar turns to fat increasing your caloric intake. Needless to say, water is 0 cals, 0 sugar, 0 g fat and 0 carbs....you can fill up on this curbing your appetite so by half time of the game you’re a half a pizza deep!

* Pizza Fit n’ free- These little guys are fat free, sugar free and come in the appropriate serving size so it makes it harder to overdo it. They are considered a “cheat” food so having some veggies on the side wouldn’t hurt you. You have to order them online but at $19.49 for six I say why not?

* Amy’s frozen no cheese pizza, add your own veggies- I sautéed spinach and mushrooms and sprinkled on my own low fat mozzarella cheese and saved myself a lot of calories without sacrificing the taste.

* Make it yourself! This is the only sure-fire way it will be as healthy (and tasty) as it can be. You can buy a whole wheat pita, marinara sauce (mixed with pesto and chopped basil), low fat cheese, veggies and spices at the store and whip up your own pizza pie! It’s a fun thing to do with your significant other, friends or family.

The Miso Soup Project

If college offered a Major in competitive eating, I would have a 4.0. In an effort to slow down my super-sonic speed eating habit I have decided to test out The Miso Soup Project. My mom actually suggested this one to me. Since Miso soup is low cal and low carb it’s a great way to fill up on mostly water and stave off a man-sized hunger so you can eat like a classy lady should. So far it has been very effective. I have a bowl of soup, wait 20 minutes then have my meal. It gives my slow processing brain time to realize I’m full so I don’t overeat (a chronic problem of mine, check out my post Confessions of a Binge Eater). I have tried soooo many things to solve this issue, I even talked to a Doc about it! He said it is a psychological thing and I need to re-train my brain to slow down and banish my lifelong membership to the CPC (clean plate club). I blame it on those 20 minute speed lunches we had in lower school, I hardly had time to get my food (much less eat it) before we had to go! My rents weren’t too bad about finishing everything on my plate but I just feel bad when I waste food, I’m trying the ingenious trick of taking less food to being with....

Be Grocery Store Savvy

What you do at the dinner table actually has more influence on your waist line than what you do in the gym. Of course a combination of diet and exercise is idea but let’s be honest, with the busy college lifestyle sometimes that’s just not possible. So if you have to sacrifice one, skip the gym and eat a healthy meal with appropriate serving sizes. But as I said in earlier posts “eating healthy” is hard to do with all of the gimmicks and false advertising we see on the shelves. Here are a few tricks to avoid those traps the food industry looooves to catch us in:

1. Beware of deceiving labels- When a product has “Low Fat”, “Fat Free”, “33% less fat” splashed all over the box you tend to think it’s diet friendly. That leads us to think we can have more of them. What these products save in grams of fat may make up for ten-fold in serving size and the amounts of sugar and carbs. Also beware of the serving size. Those tasty little “100 calorie” snacks or drinks may be 100 calories for half of the bottle. When you drink the whole thing you’re looking at 200 empty liquid calories you unknowingly consumed.

2. Eat This, Not That Supermarket Survival Guide- I actually carry this book in my purse when I shop. You would be surprised how different brands of the same kinds of food are significantly different when it comes to the nutritional facts. Pick this book up at any bookstore, it will be one of the best purchases you make!

3. Go organic and/or local- They may be more expensive but they contain no pesticides or fertilizers and some studies show organic has a higher concentration of nutrients. Buying local means it didn’t get handled several times picking up bacteria on its way into your refrigerator. Buying organic also promotes biodiversity and minimizing pollution so you’re helping yourself and the environment at the same time!

4. Shop the perimeter- The less packaging and processing a food item goes through, in general means it’s the healthiest. Fruits, veggies, dairy, and meats are all located on the edges of a supermarket. You should stay away from the items in boxes, bags, or cans which are mostly composed of by-products, eliminating the nutritional value.

5. Save the earth one plastic bag at a time- One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone gets one item and gets a plastic bag to carry it to the car!! Buy the “green” bags for $.99 at any grocery store and keep them in your car. They are a lot stronger so you can fit more stuff in them and you have done your part for the environment for the day!

The Science Behind Overeating

David Kessler explains why we overeat and provides the science to back up his theory in his book, The End of Overeating. Food acts in similar ways to many people as drugs and alcohol do to addicts. It stimulates the pleasure center in our brain releasing dopamine, a neurotransmitter that releases messages that trigger the sensation of pleasure. Kessler says that when rats were tested sugar alone was a prime driving force, but when combined with fat, the rats worked much harder to get to it. He says this makes sense since the sugar spikes the dopamine and the fat stimulates more brain activity making it seem irresistible. This presents a huge problem because in the last 20 years or so, food companies have doubled, tripled, even quadrupled the sugar and fat in many products. If you go back to comparing food to drugs, the more you take, the more your body gets addicted to that amount. So what was “normal” 20 years ago would taste bland to us now. We have developed such a high tolerance for sugar and fat that just the sight of an ooy-gooy chocolate chip cookie gets our mouths watering.

Kessler outlines 7 tips for your “Food Rehab”: (From nutrition action health letter)

1. Replace chaos with structure. Determine ahead of time what you’ll eat for meals and snacks. Block out everything else.

2. Practice just-right eating. Figure out how much food you need. (Odds are less than you think.) Put it on your plate and don’t go back for seconds.

3. Pick foods that will satisfy, not stimulate you. What satisfies you is personal, but try foods that occur in nature, like whole grains, beans, non-starchy vegetables, and fruit, combined with lean protein and a small amount of healthy fat. (think avocados, almonds, etc.)

4. Rehearse. Anticipate your moves like an elite athlete before a competition. Tell yourself, “I know there will be cake at this party, but I’m going walk right past it.”

5. Seize control. Stay alert to emotional stressors or other stimuli that trigger automatic behavior. Recognize emotions that might lead you to overeat.

6. Stop that thought. Change the channel, go for a walk, look something up online. Turn off the image of the trigger food before you start to debate whether to eat it.

7. Think negative. Pair the unhealthy food with a stream of unappealing images. Chocolate covered olives, ketchup and peppercorn chocolate cake...you get the idea.

The Truth About Multigrain

The word “multi-grain” may sound like a healthy option for bread products but don’t be fooled. Multigrain simply means there is more than one type of refined grain in the product. If you check out the ingredients, you will most likely find at the top of the list “refined white flour”. Even though the food bread looks brown (thanks to food coloring), you might as well be eating Wonder bread. Just when you think you are making healthy choices, the food industry tricks you again! Frustrating I know, but the more educated you become about these products, the less likely food companies will be able to make these short cuts. To gain the optimum amount of healthy grains, make sure the product says 100% whole grain. Without the 100% label the FDA only requires that the product contains some whole grains.