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FERRETLOVER1's Recent Blog Entries
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Saturday, February 06, 2010
We all know how much better salt makes food taste, right? We also know that too much sodium is not good for you. Here are some ways to get the flavor benefit of salt without going overboard:
Start fresh. Only a quarter of your sodium intake comes from the salt you add to food; the rest is from packaged products (sauces, soups, canned foods and baked goods). This means the first step in creating a healthy recipe should be to start with whole, unprocessed foods. Use fresh vegetables, fish, chicken, meat and beans whenever possible.
Change your techniques. Bring out the natural sweetness in vegetable dishes by roasting or grilling them. For more intensity, finish with a flavored oil. Condiments like ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce and dips are sodium minefields, so use sparingly and experiment with spices and a variety of salt-free seasoning blends by Mrs. Dash or McCormick.
Read labels. If you are an adult age 50 or younger, try to trim your intake to 2,300 mg of sodium or fewer a day. For those over 50, African-Americans and others at risk of elevated blood pressure, aim for 1,500 mg or fewer. Pull out those reading glasses and your calculator-check labels for sodium content and keep your daily target in mind.
Keep track. Use a measuring spoon when adding salt to a recipe. Start with 1/8 teaspoon and add more if you find you need it after tasting. Consider switching to kosher salt-it has less sodium per teaspoon than regular salt.
Salt sensibly. Avoid adding salt to recipes if it doesn’t contribute to flavor. For example, don’t use when boiling pasta or rice. Sprinkle on salt when you’ve finishing cooking your food, so you’ll get the maximum impact. Give a grind of fresh black pepper a try.
Smart swaps. Balsamic vinegar (which also comes in varieties like cherry and fig), rice wine vinegar and lemon or lime juice all bring out the savoriness in a dish. Garlic, ginger, fresh or dried herbs, spices and grated lemon zest also wake up the flavor in foods.
Friday, February 05, 2010
A book that has recently hit the bookstores is The End of Overeating, by Dr. David Kessler, former head of the Food and Drug Administration. He writes that restaurant food is so irresistible because it has multiple layers of sugar, salt and fat. He belives this triple combination of sugar, salt and fat makes food “hyperpalatable” and triggers the brain to release dopamine and to stimulate endorphins. These effects signal a pleasurable experience, creating a cycle of what he describes as “conditioned overeating.”
How do you tackle the stimuli of the sight, taste and smell of good food? Dr. Kessler gives 6 strategies to put you on the offense:
• Remove food from your environment
• Create rules specific to you
• Structure eating episodes
• Find a more rewarding action
• Enjoy the foods you can control
• Rehearse your response to cues that result in overeating.
Dr. Kessler describes what he calls the moment of choice. This is the time when one has the ability to refuse the cues invitation to the brain to eat. He states that we have control only at the beginning of the cue. For example, when at the shopping mall, your moment of choice is the moment you either smell or see a food that would cause you to overeat. That is when you must decide how you are going to choose to respond. If you don’t decide to go in the opposite direction, you will become more stimulated by the smell and sight, then respond by stopping and eating, and then become more stimulated as you eat. Before you go to the mall again, you need to rehearse what your response to the cues of the smell and sight of that cue will be. One response could be mapping your route so you do not come near the smell or sight of the food.
These new behaviors need to be practiced so that you learn new thoughts that become automatic. Practice with determination and commitment, because old habits easily reappear.
It is necessary to become aware of situations that lead to overeating and to know how much of a response you, personally, have to stimuli. It is impossible to have power over cues if you don’t know they exist or to what degree they encourage you to overeat. Keep a diary of your overeating episodes and write down the cues that led to the overeating. Then you can start devising strategies for preventing the overeating.
Write a set of rules that are specific to each of the cues on your diary to help you stop your overeating. These rules should be very specific and practical, so they are easy to keep in mind and become an automatic substitute action.
Dr. Kessler reminds his readers that conditioned overeating is a biological challenge and a chronic problem that needs managing. A change in attitude toward food is required, and we need to consider large portions the enemy.
Finally, he stresses putting structure into your eating, eating just-right, choosing foods that satisfy you, and eating foods that you enjoy. “Putting structure into your eating” means planning when and what you will eat. A “just-right” meal keeps you from feeling hungry for about four hours, and a “just-right” snack has the same effect for two hours. The “just-right” meals are a combination of the complex carbohydrates high in fiber together with protein and a small amount of fat-selected from the foods that you enjoy.
Based on the weight of the food, the amount of protein, and the amount of fiber, www.WebMD.com devised a point system to rate 20 foods for the ability to make you feel full.
Those that scored highest were:
• Bean burrito
• Grilled reduced-fat cheese on whole-wheat bread
• Minestrone soup
• Oatmeal made with milk
• 1 cup whole-wheat pasta with marinara sauce and 2T Parmesan cheese
• Veggie cheese omelet
• Turkey sandwich on wheat bread
• 2 whole-wheat pancakes with 2 turkey bacon strips & 1T lite syrup
In the middle range were:
• Raisin bran with milk
• Sour cream potato
• Fresh fruit salad
• Caesar salad with reduced-fat dressing
• Cheese pizza
• Lite nonfat yogurt
• Chocolate shake
Not surprisingly, a candy bar, potato chips, French fries, cheese puffs, and a Twinkie scored very low on the scale in their ability to make a person feel full.
In 1995, Australian researchers found 38 foods to have a higher satiety rating than other foods. The foods that had the highest scores for making people feel full were:
• apples
• baked beans
• beefsteak
• whole grain bread
• cheese
• cod
• eggs
• grapes
• oatmeal
• oranges
• brown pasta
• popcorn
Incorporat these just-right foods into your diet (except, of course, for the high-calorie, high-fat chocolate shake!) and get started on your game plan to “sack” the opponent.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Did you know that, over the past 30 years, Americans have gained an average of 19 pounds?
According to the report The Preventable Causes of Death in the United States, overweight contributes to 216,000 deaths a year. Overweight may lead to diabetes, cardivascular disease and certain cancers.
Why are we eating more than our bodies need? In her blog, Why Restaurants Make You Fat, Dr. Susan Roberts, a nutrition professor at Tufts University in Boston, attributes much of our overeating to this sequence of events: Eat out, eat too much, feel bad, repeat. She calls this the Restaurant Syndrome and goes on to describe what she calls the Second Meal Effect: After a particularly tasty meal at a restaurant, we are hungrier and need to eat more at the next meal to achieve that same satisfied feeling.
To break this cycle, Dr. Roberts recommends following an indulgence with a low-fat, low-sugar and low-salt meal. She also advocates eating out less often, micromanaging the food order when we do eat out, and not starving ourselves before going out to eat.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Feeling good doesn’t have to be hard work-it can be as simple as looking at everyday life in a whole new way.
Trying to find joy is a little like learning to drive a stick shift. It really shouldn’t be that difficult. But unless you know what you’re doing, you end up grinding the gears, making a lot of noise-and going exactly nowhere.
It needn’t be that way. In the last several years, positive-psychology researchers have been digging into what really gives us joy. Part of what they found is that there is a genetic component to happiness. But that’s just the beginning. “Feeling good is also a skill you can learn,” says Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., author of The How of Happiness (Penquin). You’ve got to be willing to put forth some effort and maybe feel a little foolish sometimes, but eventually you will get where you’re going. Here’s the best of the latest studies. Put them to good use-you’ll be glad you did.
Loosen Up Your Attitude
SMART START: Keep an open mind and you won’t feel so overwhelmed, say researchers at the University of Rochester, in New York. When you’re freed to respond in a relaxed, less defensive way, you’ll extract the most from each moment, says Todd Kashdan, Ph.D., author of Curious?(William Morrow).
GO FOR GLAD: Train your brain to view things differently by peppering your language with the word “sometimes.” That simple qualifier prevents you from stereotyping situations and people. So instead of just looking for facts to prove your point of view, you’ll take everything as it comes. Less resistance to things as they are makes for a pleasanter day all around.
Make Out Like a Teenager
SMART START: Kissing and hugging boost blood serum proteins that reduce stress and activate the immune system, says Masahiro Matsunaga, Ph.D, who has studied the subject. Practically speaking, this means that you’re happier and less irritable.
GO FOR GLAD: Set aside some private time and kiss your husband in your favorite way for three minutes, then switch to his preferred technique. Ready for the AP course? Pick a mood-passionate, romantic, tender-and communicate all its nuances with only your lips.
Shake Up Your Workday
SMART START: Employees who find more on-the-job excitement have better family relationships, according to a study from Kansas State University. “You’re in a better state of mind and you take it home with you,” says Satoris Culbertson, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at KSU.
GO FOR GLAD: Be a hero to your boss by taking over what’s overloading her. The different responsibilities will kick you off autopilot. “Your mind is firing on new things,” says Kimberly Yorio, coauthor of Happy at Work, Happy at Home(Broadway). That same energy will fuel upbeat family interactions later on.
Get With The Moment
SMART START: It’s a fact: Consciously acknowledging and experiencing positive emotions as they’re happening makes you less likely to feel overwhelmed when things get tough. “Noticing good things widens your perspective,” says Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “Then you can see more options and solutions.
GO FOR GLAD: Several times a day, slow down and check in with your touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. Keyed in to your surroundings, enjoying life will become a habit.
Learn Something New
SMART START: Reaching external goals-money, looks, fame-“does not contribute one iota” to feeling good over the long haul, says Edward L. Deci, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Rochester. What counts is attaining an internal goal. Activities like developing a talent or serving the community are what increase well-being, satisfaction and self-esteem.
GO FOR GLAD: Do something you’ve always dreamed of-learn Spanish, coach a soccer team or just plan a block party. Instead of focusing on results, though, let yourself really relish the skills and relationships you develop along the way. You’ll be creating a sense of satisfaction you can tap into endlessly.
Reward Yourself
SMART START: Money can’t buy happiness, but knowing that you’ve got resources creates a greater sense of security, says Kathleen D. Vohs, Ph.D., consumer psychologist at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. In fact, just thinking about it can make you feel less awkward in social situations and better able to withstand physical pain.
GO FOR GLAD: When something you want to do seems too difficult-running a 5K, for example, or chairing a PTA committee-promise yourself a financial gift if you achieve your goal. Knowing there’s $20 waiting can motivate you to move beyond your resistant, says Vohs.
Choose A Feel-Good Mood
SMART START: A study from the University of California, Riverside, found that people who practiced keeping their thoughts optimistic increased their overall sense of well-being. Basically, this means you can train your mind to look on the bright side the same way you train your body for a new sport or yoga position. When you think positively, your life works better.
GO FOR GLAD: Become your own publicist, and, for 15 minutes a week, picture your ideal self. Each time focus on a different facet of your life-marriage, parenthood, job, friends, hobbies, community involvement, physical and mental health-and imagine a best possible scenario coming true. What at first looked impossible will begin to feel attainable, says Lyubomirsky.
Be Generous
SMART START: People who spend on others instead of themselves experience a whole lot more joy. While the reasons for this spending bonus aren’t totally clear, researchers surmise that the benefit comes a few ways: an ego boost; the joy of taking care of someone else; being able to see the direct effect of one’s spending; and building social connections.
GO FOR GLAD: Rather than going out and buying something for family or friends, spring for an experience-a cup of coffee or tea, a few lessons, a trip to a museum or zoo. A focus on doing over having doubles the benefit. “You rarely look back and remember the day you bought something,” says Robert Biswas-Diener, coauthor of Happiness(Wiley-Blackwell). But good experiences create memories you can always draw on.
Invest in your Marriage
SMART START: Lots of things happen in relationships that we can’t control, but if you’re able to stay with your spouse for the long haul, research shows you’re better off. One study found that people who remained married to their first spouse had the best physical and psychological health, reportedly from enjoying an overall sense of security and support.
GO FOR GLAD: Are you convinced you already put a lot of energy into making your spouse happy? Take a closer look-for most people that actually means giving what you’d want rather than what the other person would choose. Think about what he’d really love-tickets to a local sporting event, a movie-marathon with the family, a Saturday without a must-do list-then make it happen.
Spread the Joy
SMART START: Happiness is contagious, says a study in the medical journal BMJ. When you show kindness to a friend, she passes it along to her friend. Even the smallest moment of cheer has a ripple effect, says Nicholas Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., coauthor of Connected(Little,Brown).
GO FOR GLAD: The next time you’re ready to blow up at that woman in the express line with 20 items, smile at her instead or even strike up a conversation. Maybe she’ll go home and be nicer to her kids. For sure, you’ll have spread a little goodwill. And who knows? It may come back around to you one day.
Dump the Downers
There are some mental bad habits that never fail to ruin a good mood. Break them before they pull you in.
Ruminating. You have a problem going round and round in your mind and it might feel like you’re going for genuine insight, but you’re really caught in an endless, unproductive loop. Break out by injecting an upbeat new thought and doing some quick, easy exercise like stretching or going for a walk.
Judging yourself again others. It’s fine to look at people’s achievements to give yourself goals. Measuring your own character and accomplishments against someone else’s, though, can leave you feeling unworthy. Remind yourself that someone can look totally awesome on the outside, but that doesn’t tell you much about what’s going on underneath. Then focus on your own assets and abilities.
Seeing only the negative. When you watch the news or listen to some people talk, you could conclude that everybody’s job is tanking, every marriage is going down in flames and everybody’s kid is in trouble. Before you decide that everything stinks, take a random sampling-friends, relatives, co-workers-and ask how they’re doing. After your reality check, you’ll probably see that while bad things do happen, overall the world tends to be a pretty positive place.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Dr. Tilli Williams is a naturopathic physician in private practice in Washington, D.C. For several years, Dr. Tilli was the medical director of an eating disorders facility in Tucson, Arizona. She has worked extensively with women who suffer from anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating and obesity.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi
As a naturopathic physician focused on weight management, eating disorders and other chronic health challenges, I am a doctor who uses a holistic approach, treating body, mind and spirit together. In my 12 years of practice, I can sum up my patients’ biggest challenges in taking better care of themselves in two ways:
1. There is no “magic bullet” or “quick fix”
Every day, we encounter messages telling us how we should look and feel, and what we should consume to look and feel this way. They make it sound so simple. But one truth is that there are no quick fixes or magic bullets to health and well‐being. The other truth is that we get to declare our independence. We say who we are, how we should look, how we want to feel.
2. Health begins in our own mind
We have to create new habits to replace the old habits that don’t work for us. We can set priorities and think good thoughts about ourselves. This starts in our own mind. For example, everyone can appreciate the beauty of a sunset or flowers blooming in the spring or birds in flight; we honor the beauty of nature. So what happens when we remember that we’re just as much a part of nature — just as magnificent in our design — as the sun, the flowers and the birds? When we start to see ourselves that way, we find a way to get back in harmony with the natural forces all around us. We start to make decisions about what is really important in our lives and do things that add to our own natural beauty.
And we know that things are shifting when we can look in the mirror and see “what’s right” instead of “what’s wrong.”
Taking care of the basics
Health and vitality don’t come from a pill or bottle. Health is physical, mental and spiritual well‐being. Health is about everything we do — and we can achieve it by taking care of the basic things in life:
• Thinking of “food as medicine.” Consuming whole, nourishing foods and eating in moderation — small, frequent meals throughout the day
• Drinking eight glasses of water daily, avoiding sodas and caffeine
• Getting daily movement or exercise for at least 30 minutes
• Sleeping seven to eight hours each night
• Nurturing and accepting ourselves for the magnificence of who we are
Whether my patients are overweight or underweight, fatigued or depressed, I start with these basic recommendations. I have them incorporate one step at a time while keeping in mind that the “journey” is much more rich and important than the destination. By creating new habits that focus on healthy living, my patients reach their ideal weight, have more energy, decrease anxiety and feel better about themselves. This works for all of us. As family, friends and children see us making healthy changes in our lives, we become an inspiration to them and to ourselves.
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