4 Healthier Food Picks, plus my two cents

I found a great article, from a link Bill Poppin sent with the 5k Lavender Days run email today, written by Liz Applegate on Runnersworld.com. Since the original article was targeted toward runners, I have condensed it for your reading pleasure on how to make smarter choices on a few things!

Regular Peanut Butter vs. Low-fat Peanut Butter
While reduced fat peanut butter has less fat, it almost always has more sugar. Also, the reduced fat version has hydrogenated vegetable oils, which is the kind of fat that clogs up your arteries. The fat in peanut butter, cholesterol lowering monounsaturated fat, is much healthier. Winner: REGULAR PEANUT BUTTER (even better, go with Natural Peanut butter which doesn't have all the added sugars and preservatives).

Multi-Grain Bread vs. 100% Whole Wheat Bread
5, 7 or even 12 grain breads may sound impressive, but most multi-grain breads will still contain enriched flour. A whole grain flour, found in 100% whole grain breads, means the entire grain kernel was used to make the bread, making it nutritionally superior to an enriched flour (which won't contain the whole grain). WINNER: 100% WHOLE GRAIN BREAD

Reduced-Fat Potato Chips vs. Baked Potato Chips
Let's face it, we all dig chips sometimes. Go baked for all the crunchy goodness with FAR less fat.
Reduced fat chips still mean 7 grams of fat per 1 oz serving, compared to 1.5 grams of fat in the baked chips. Add some nutrient rich salsa or a yogurt dip and they make a great post-workout snack. Just watch your portions! WINNER: BAKED CHIPS

Frozen Yogurt vs. Light Ice Cream
Yogurt is healthy, but in frozen form it has more calories and sugar than you might think. In a half cup serving, frozen yogurt has 200 calories and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Light ice cream has 120 calories and 2 tablespoons of sugar, about the same amount of fat, and slightly less saturated fat. WINNER: LIGHT ICE CREAM


Here's my two-cents worth on a few other healthy lifestyle food choices:
Skip the mayo. At 110 calories in 1 tablespoon, it is also 80 percent fat. Even light mayo are still 50 calories. OUCH. And you add that to a large sandwich, you are using more like 2-3 servings. Sadly with mayo, the higher fat version always taste better. Try switching to mustard:
Yellow mustard is only 11 calories per tablespoon, while brown mustard is still only 14 calories. If you want to make an ever bigger impact, go with vinegar. Only 2 calories and packed with flavor. Trade in your ketchup for salsa. While ketchup is only 16 calories a tablespoon with 5 grams of sugar, it can add up fast and has little in the way of nutritional value. A good fresh salsa, on the other hand, is packed with flavor and brings vegetables into your diet. Find a good fresh salsa or a bottled one without sugar, it's packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Plus it tastes amazing. A great addition to eggs as well as traditional uses!

Eating for Wellness

Since the start of our Wellness Program, I have had lots of great questions about eating well and how to control weight. Lots of people are wanting to trim a few pounds, while others are wanting to gain some muscle. I recall when I first realized how little I knew about how to properly nourish my body; I was 225 lbs and about 34% body fat. My youngest son was almost two and I had been a stay-at-home mother for about 5 years, eating way too many servings of mac and cheese and lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread. I was drinking a lot of Coke and I wasn't exercising. I started to exercise and immediately lost 10 lbs, then couldn't lose anymore, so I drastically reduced my food intake and was shocked when I still didn't lose any more weight. I very astute trainer told me I wasn't eating ENOUGH, and sat me down for a talk. It changed my life.

So, here's some quick hints to help you along:

Yes, cutting back on fast food will help. This is a lifelong thing that has major benefits for long-term health.

Eat smaller meals and eat more often. People who know me always comment that I seem to be eating all the time, anywhere from 5-7 times a day. This helps prevent overeating by giving your body a steady supply of fuel. Don't starve yourself by cutting back too much, but let your body know it's OK to surrender some fat by supplying a steady flow of good foods. This will boost your metabolism. If you want to gain, simply make sure your calories exceed your daily maintenance levels. Conversely, if you want to lose then eat fewer calories than your maintenance levels (more info on this coming soon!).

Avoid processed foods. I tell my training clients, "If you can hunt it, pick it, or gather it, then you can eat it." Sounds simpler than it is, because the majority of what is in your pantry is processed. The closer the food is to its natural state, the simpler you body can use the nutrients it contains. Convenience foods are really hard on the body, so this rule takes a lot of planning. That being said, the most dramatic changes to your body will happen when you cut back on processed foods and develop a taste for natural. Think fruits, vegetables, meat and whole grains.

Drink LOTS of water. A gallon a day is a good goal to shoot for if you are working out as you need to stay hydrated and the fluids help flush toxins from your body.

Integrate Pure Protein and/or Balance Complete into your diet. Yep, this is a product endorsement, but one I feel very strongly about. Clinical studies have found that people who drink a healthy meal replacement daily tend to keep at a healthier weight than those who don't. This is a simple way to get in a meal, especially since we are all very busy. If I am eating heavy to gain muscle, I will drink Balance Complete or Pure Protein as many as 3 times a day, alternating with solid meals. This also helps your energy levels through the day as you aren't starving yourself. Also, protein intake is key for building muscle.

This is a short course and really basic, with more to come. Feel free to post questions or email me at rross@youngliving.com. Shayne Stavens, our resident nutrition guru, will be graciously providing a Wellness Meeting in March about eating well, at which point we can get as detailed as anyone would like. Until then, keep moving forward in wellness!

Welcome to the Health and Wellness Blog

I hope this finds you feeling well, motivated and enthused about the coming year's wellness possibilities! The new program has a lot to take in, so remember that gradual change is the best kind and don't worry if you haven't hit every possible point each day for the first week. The Wellness Committee is gathering information and doing our best to address everyones interests and needs with this plan, and would certainly like to thank the Executive Committee for their backing and willingness to provide incentives.

So far, I have heard the greatest amount of feedback regarding awareness. The tracking sheets are a great navigational tool for this fitness journey, giving us guidance, encouragement and course corrections as we move forward. Accountability is an amazing thing! And ideally, we become accountable to ourselves for our own wellbeing and reap the benefits in terms of lifestyle upgrades.

Is the monthly point goal an aggressive one? You bet it is. It won't be easy for you to hit the goal each month and will take planning and commitment. But don't worry if you miss days because you are ill, busy, or just plain forget. The idea here is to make positive changes in your life and to feel better! It's a process.