Those Liquid Calories
- At December 10, 2010
- By Katherine
- In Articles
0
Original Content: Washington Post
My client Caroline, who had been losing weight successfully for a month, was disappointed one recent week when she failed to do so. It didn’t make sense. Her food intake was stellar, and she had been even a little more physically active than usual. It wasn’t until we reviewed her food diary thoroughly that we discovered the culprit: liquid calories. They added up in a way that surprised her.
As for many of us over the holidays, that extra glass of wine or mixer here and there adds up in ways that you might not expect. Though liquid calories in alcohol, juices or sodas are stealthy, their impact can be enormous.
When food is consumed before or during a meal, the volume and caloric content of that food will limit what else you eat fairly proportionately. Most caloric drinks consumed before or during a meal are not satiating and have little or no effect on how much you eat in one sitting or over the course of several meals.
Scientific evidence is confirming that our bodies don’t detect the calories in these liquids the same way as when we eat solid foods.
“Fluid calories do not hold strong satiety properties, don’t suppress hunger and don’t elicit compensatory dietary responses,” says Richard D. Mattes, professor of food and nutrition at Purdue University. In fact, “when drinking fluid calories, people often end up eating more calories overall.”
It’s fairly well established that alcoholic beverages and sugary liquids, especially sodas and fruit drinks, simply add more calories.
This may help explain the results of the recent Harvard Nurses’ Health Study of more than 50,000 women over eight years. Researchers found that those who increased their intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as sodas or fruit punch, from one per week to one or more per day consumed an average of 358 extra calories per day and gained a significant amount of weight. The women who reduced their intake cut their calories by an average of 319 and gained less weight.
Studies in previous years demonstrated that consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks increased the likelihood of obesity in children, but this is the first finding from a long-term observational study in adults.
The mechanisms controlling hunger and thirst are completely different: Although liquids may contain calories, they don’t seem to satisfy hunger even if they quench your thirst. Physiologically, your thirst is quenched once your blood and cell volume are increased by water. This sends signals to your brain that you are no longer thirsty.
In contrast, hunger is regulated in your stomach and intestines. While you’re eating, nerves in the stomach wall detect that the stomach is stretching and send satiety signals to the brain. The intestines also release nerve regulators and hormones. At the same time, the level of the hunger hormone (called ghrelin), which is released by the stomach when it’s empty, is suppressed. All this helps you feel full.
Because liquids travel more quickly than food through the intestinal tract, they alter the rate of nutrient absorption, which can affect satiety hormones and signals.
Several theories may help explain why liquid calories cause lower satiety, increasing overall calorie intake, but the process is still not fully understood. The mouth feel of a liquid versus solid food may generate different signals; it takes less time and involvement to gulp down a drink, and that might reduce the psychological satisfaction of eating.
New research has found that ghrelin doesn’t work as well with liquids: “When the number and type of calories are the same, the calories in liquid form won’t suppress ghrelin as effectively as if the same calories were in solid form,” says David E. Cummings, associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington and the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System.
A study that will be published soon in the journal Appetite tested the effect of drinking water, diet cola, regular cola, 1 percent milk and pulpy orange juice during meals. It found that drinking water or diet cola had no effect on the total caloric intake of the meal. But with the caloric beverages, each of which contained 150 calories, the subjects consumed 105 more calories overall at each meal.
“People need to be mindful of the calories in beverages,” says Barbara J. Rolls, who conducted the study and is co-author of “The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan” (HarperTorch, 2003). “Most people think calories in beverages don’t count and that’s how they get into trouble.”
When you consider that an appropriately sized meal is anywhere from 400 to 700 calories, and one 44-ounce Super Big Gulp is 800 calories, you understand the scope of the problem. A 16-ounce Starbucks blended coffee Frappuccino is 470 calories. A single mixed drink can set you back 300 calories or more. One glass of wine contains at least 100 calories. Double or triple these numbers at any given party, tack on the calories in your meals, and you can understand how weight gain is the inevitable.
My clients who have become aware of liquid calories have achieved impressive results. Take Bob Levey, former Washington Post columnist, who wrote about the importance of cutting out his daily lemonade in his successful weight loss effort. Another client, Julie, easily switched from her daily Frappuccino to a cafe skim latte (coffee with steamed nonfat milk) and saved 250 calories. My friend Linda slowly phased out her daily soda ounces by filling her glass with increasing amounts of ice each week. She lost 30 pounds over a year.
Since liquid calories don’t contribute to feelings of satiety, cutting back on them doesn’t make people feel deprived; most find the change is an easy one to make. There are so many great substitutes. The one liquid that’s important to keep drinking is water. In the wintertime, I love sipping (mostly water) herbal teas through the day. In the summer, it’s seltzer with a twist of lemon or lime, and the occasional diet soda.
Of course, if we are mindful of our calorie intake, a moderate daily dose of wine or other caloric beverage can easily be integrated into our routines. Moderation is the key.
Katherine Tallmadge is a Washington nutritionist and author of “Diet Simple” (Lifeline Press, 2004). Send e-mails to her at food@washpost.com.
© 2004 The Washington Post Company
Supermarket Dining: 10 Smart Ways to Eat In
- At December 10, 2010
- By Katherine
- In Articles
- 0
Original Content: Washington Post
The first time I walked into Wegmans, I felt overwhelmed by the choices. I wanted to sample everything. So brace yourself whenever you go into any store with such a dazzling array of options. With good decisions and a clear plan, you can have an enjoyable — yet not-too-filling- — lunch in a supermarket. Here is my guide:
1. Walk a lap around the store and survey all the options. If you are famished, grab a low-calorie food such as a fruit or salad to take the edge off your hunger before you decide what to buy. Choice is great, but it can get you into trouble. “Variety has an enormous passive effect on calorie intake,” says Susan B. Roberts, professor of nutrition at Tufts University School of Medicine. “The higher the variety of items you are confronted with, the more most people consume without even realizing it.”
2. Plan your meal. Your goal is to find a satisfying, balanced meal containing about 500 to 600 calories for women or 700 calories for men. Half of the meal should be fruits or vegetables for your nutritional needs, but also because studies show they help you feel full without too many calories. One- quarter of your meal should be a grain — whole grain, if possible, for instance, from whole-wheat bread (two one-ounce slices) or brown rice (about one cup). The other quarter should be a protein, which might be three to six ounces of chicken, seafood, lean beef, lean pork or vegetarian protein sources such as tofu or legumes.
3. Stick with items for which you have nutritional information. “Calories at a glance” are posted at each prepared food station, but more complete nutrition information is posted on the Web site (www.wegmans.com)where you can find the carbohydrate, protein, fat, fiber, sodium, vitamin and mineral content of the foods.
4. Start with vegetables and fruit. The Wegmans black takeout plate, found at the Wokery, is divided into four sections, each of which holds one cup. Fill one-quarter with vegetables such as sauteed green beans (110 calories per cup) and the second quarter with cut fruit, such as strawberries, watermelon and pineapple (100 calories per cup). Try to choose as many colors, shapes and textures of fruits and vegetables as you can find to take advantage of our natural desire for variety. Each color represents a unique class of nutrients. Studies show that people who eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables eat more of them and are leaner and healthier.
5. Select a grain, preferably whole. If you would like rice, fill the third quarter of your plate with steamed rice (160 calories per cup). Make the portions level, not heaping, so they don’t contain more than one cup. You could also choose a whole-grain roll (170 calories), a slice of whole-wheat pizza or the brown-rice sushi (140 calories). Avoid the larger or fattier breads such as bagels (240 to 420 calories each), muffins (420 to 510 calories each), scones (at 4.2 ounces, 420 calories each) or croissants (at 2.5 ounces, 250 calories each).
6. Steer clear of the Sub Shop, where the 14-inch sub uses a 12-ounce slab of bread. Bread is about 80 calories per ounce, so the bread alone contains about 960 calories, more calories than you want your whole lunch to be.
7. Choose a lean protein. Go to the Wokery and select the pepper steak (80 calories per cup), pork with scallions (120 calories per cup) or chicken with vegetables (160 calories per cup). If you’ve chosen a whole-wheat roll to make your own sandwich, go to the deli counter and choose four to six ounces of the Wegmans seasoned roast beef (30 calories per ounce), Columbus fire roast pork (35 calories per ounce)or the Healthy Choice mesquite chicken breast (30 calories per ounce). Vegetarians might try the vegetarian chili (180 calories per cup). To hold down the calories try to take as little of the Wokery sauce as possible. Ask for a slotted spoon if necessary.
8. Fulfill your calcium requirement. Go to the dairy case for skim milk, calcium-fortified soy milk, yogurt or soy yogurt (90 to 150 calories).
9. Avoid the obvious pitfalls, such as anything deep-fried, crispy or creamy. Such items are loaded with calories. Also, be careful about the liquid calories. Stick with items for which you have nutritional information.
10. Want a menu, ready to go? Jane Andrews, Wegmans corporate nutritionist, suggests the following healthy meals without excessive calories:
• Spicy red lentil soup, (Prepared Foods section, 12 ounces, 255 calories) with cheddar cheese (Cheese Shop, 1 ounce, 110 calories) and 1 large apple (Produce, 100 calories), ice water. Total: 465 calories.
• Just roast beef (Deli, 4 ounces, 120 calories) on whole-wheat or multigrain roll (Bakery, 2 ounces, 170 or 230 calories) with mustard (10 calories) and fresh cut fruit (Prepared Foods, 1 cup, 100 calories), ice water. Total: 400 or 460 calories.
• Beef, chicken or seafood and vegetable stir-fry (Wokery, 1 cup, 120 calories) with sauteed green beans or mushrooms (Wokery, 1 cup, 110 calories), fried rice (Wokery, 1 cup, 220 calories), shrimp spring roll (80 calories), ice water. Total: 530 calories.
• Roasted vegetable and provolone wheat wrap (Prepared Foods, 6 rolls 405 calories), clementines (Produce, 2 small; 80 calories). Total 485 calories.
• Vanilla yogurt (Dairy, 6 ounces, 150 calories), fresh cut fruit (Prepared Foods, 1 cup, 100 calories), roasted almonds (Bulk Foods, 22 almonds, 170 calories.) Total: 420 calories.
Katherine Tallmadge is a Washington nutritionist and the author of “Diet Simple” (Lifeline Press, 2004). Send e-mails to her at food@washpost.com.
© 2005 The Washington Post Company
John Ash’s Grandmother’s Pot Roast
- At December 10, 2010
- By Katherine
- In Recipes
- 1
By Merelymel13
CHEF JOHN ASH SAYS his grandmother had a real touch for wholesome, comfort foods like this savory pot roast. The meat is cooked until falling off the bone, stracotto, as it would be called in Italy. Styles may change; dishes like this won’t. That’s why I decided to include it in Diet Simple. It’s lean and a great source of protein, iron and vitamin A. You can keep it in your refrigerator for up to three days and slice it for a sandwich or toss it in a salad using Dan Puzo’s Red Wine Vinaigrette.
| Ingredients | 6-8 Servings | |
| 3 pounds tri-tip or bottom round of beef salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 tablespoons olive oil 3 cups sliced onions 1 cup leeks, sliced into rounds 11/2 cups celery, sliced on the bias 11/2 cups carrots, cut in wedges 1/4 cup slivered garlic 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 4 cups hearty red wine |
3 cups rich beef stock 2 cups seeded and diced tomatoes 2 large bay leaves 1 teaspoon fennel seed 2 teaspoons each minced fresh thyme, sage, and oregano leaves (1 teaspoon each dried) Garnish: |
|
Directions |
||
|
||
| Per Serving | ||
| calories 430 total fat 14g saturated fat 4g |
total carbohydrate 16g dietary fiber 3g protein 40g |
|
| John Ash established his restaurant, John Ash & Company, in Northern California’s wine country in 1980. Soon, he was selected by Food & Wine magazine as one of America’s “hot new chefs.” The restaurant has regularly been recognized as one of America’s best by leading critics. He has written an awardwinning cookbook, From the Earth to the Table: John Ash’s Wine Country Cuisine (Dutton). | ||
Successful Weight Loss Depends on Frequency of Interaction with a Dietitian
- At December 10, 2010
- By Katherine
- In News
- 0
Physicians frequently prescribe medications to help individual’s lose weight. More often than not, few other lifestyle modification changes are recommended, or resources provided. Researchers sought to compare methods of delivering lifestyle modification programs to patients receiving sibutramine, a prescribed weight loss medication.
This study once again shows that the more frequently a person interacts with a dietitian to help in their weight loss endeavors, the greater the weight loss – even if weight loss medication is involved. The HF-TEL contact with a dietitian was similar to HF-F2F in promoting weight loss. Even the email counseling resulted in a weight loss that, sustained over time can have a considerable impact on a person’s risk of developing disease. In real-world situations, it may be difficult to conduct face-to-face sessions with a provider over the long haul, but when other methods are used together, they can work synergistically to help a person achieve their desired weight loss.
Resource: Digenio AG, Mancuso JP, et al. Comparison of methods for delivering a lifestyle modification program for obese patients: a randomized trial.Ann Intern Med. 2009;150(4):255-62
Like Mother, Like Daughter
- At December 07, 2010
- By Katherine
- In Articles, Recipes
- 0
By skedonk
How Parents Influence Their Childrens’ Eating Habits…
Like it or Not!
During occasional moments of frustration, mothers the world over sometimes wonder if they have any influence over their children on any issue. But we all know from our personal experiences how important our moms (and dads) are. They profoundly influence what we think, what we do, what we enjoy, what we dislike, whom we date, and how we live our lives.
Moms particularly influence what and how much we eat and, more broadly, how we regard food. There’s a large and growing body of scientific research that demonstrates that Moms are the single most important influence over their children’s eating habits.
Even children agree, though they may not like to admit it, that moms have a powerful effect on their behavior, including their eating habits. In fact, parents, with mom being number one, outranked sports celebrities as the person children aged 8 – 17 “would like to be most,” according to the Family Nutrition and Physical Activity survey conducted by the American Dietetic Association Foundation.
Like mother, like daughter is a phrase with deeper meaning than we often appreciate. Studies show daughters copy their mother’s eating habits – whether they like it or not.
Take me, for example. I grew up with a lovely mother who happened to have a weight problem. She went on diet after diet. She seemed unhappy with her body, her weight, and therefore, herself. Her shame and frustration made a big impression on me and scared me about the miseries of being overweight and dieting. I was determined not to repeat her experience.
But, being a child, I was relatively powerless over my destiny. Studies show daughters of dieting or restricting mothers are more likely to diet or develop eating problems – and I certainly did both. While I didn’t want to repeat my mother’s experience, I inevitably did.
My experience is typical for women across the country. Study after study shows the importance of parental modeling, especially with mothers and daughters, on a child’s eating habits.
Very early in life, children begin learning about eating and foods. Mom provides most of the information absorbed by the child concerning what to eat, when to eat and when to stop. Problems occur when Mom gives faulty signals, often inadvertently, possibly because she has eating and weight problems of her own, which creates eating and weight problems in her children, particularly daughters.
Parents, typically it’s the mothers, provide the structure, choose the food and reinforce certain eating practices either by reinforcement or through modeling. The mother’s dieting and weight control experience influences the children in ways they may not even realize. Moms who eat in response to the external cues of, for instance, the presence of tasty foods, as opposed to hunger, have children who do the same and are often overweight. This could happen simply through the child observing the parent and absorbing those lessons.
Weight problems are on the rise and so are behaviors such as dieting, restricting, bingeing and eating disorders. Not only is rigid dieting harmful to the mother, it can be dangerous for children and could effect their eating habits and weight in a negative way. These behaviors start as early as preschool. Researchers recently discovered that half of 5-year-old girls know all about dieting. And when researchers look further, they find it’s easy to predict which girls are diet-savvy. They’re the ones with mothers who are dieting.
It’s been established that a girl’s eating is significantly related to the mother’s eating pattern and body weight. Heavier girls, girls who have problems overeating, are more likely to have mothers who are overweight, binge, and feel out of control of their eating. In studies, obese mothers and girls ate larger quantities of food in less time than did their thinner counterparts.
Several things can influence your child’s eating and weight. Mom has significant influence on a child’s food preferences and eating patterns. For instance, when Mom tries to control intake by restricting a food which is available in the home, that food becomes more desirable to the daughter and can cause her to binge – followed by feelings of remorse and negative self-image. When mom tries to have too much control over a child’s eating, this prevents the child from understanding naturally when to eat and when to stop.
Moms who have weight problems tend to try to control or restrict inappropriately, thus setting up eating and weight problems in their children. It’s ironic, because the very problem mom is trying to prevent, she actually fosters because of her overcontrol, which limits the child’s natural abilities for self-control or self-regulation.
Also, if a young girl regularly observes restricting or overeating behaviors in Mom, she adopts the same eating patterns simply through natural observation and modeling, even if mom tries to shield her by encouraging healthy eating. It’s been documented that overweight children often have moms who binge or diet. Moms can unwittingly create eating problems in their children this way.
How you reinforce your children can undermine their ability to self-regulate, for instance, encouraging them to ‘clean the plate,” to eat at certain times, to eat in response to feelings and emotions, or rewarding them with sweets and tasty food. These patterns start the child on a course of life long eating habits which will serve her well – or not.
Studies show heavier moms were more likely to exhibit eating unrelated to hunger – in response to the presence of tasty foods or emotional factors. Daughters of these moms tend to exhibit the same eating and also tend to be more overweight.
Studies show that children will develop food preferences based on what is provided in the home by their moms. In studies conducted at Pennsylvania State University, kids’ fat preferences and fat intakes were linked to parental fatness, so the heavier parents had kids who were preferring and eating diets that were higher in fat, said Leann Birch, professor and head of the department of human development and family studies at Pennsylvania State University. Parents modeling healthful dietary behaviors is associated with lower fat eating patterns and lower dietary fat intake in their children.
“Kids really will learn to prefer calorie dense foods, and this could in fact be one of the factors that contribute to diets that are too high in calories and too high in fat,” said Birch.
Studies also demonstrate the strong influence of modeling. If parents don’t eat vegetables, children don’t. If parent don’t drink milk and drink sodas instead, children replace milk with sodas. Even if parents try to encourage their children to eat healthier than they do, the studies clearly find that children do not respond by eating healthfully, unless their parents actually do it themselves.
The studies are very clear that it’s what mothers do, not what they say, which registers with their children most strongly. “Do as I say, not as I do,” is not effective at shaping healthy eating habits in children. What moms eat, what moms make available in the home, shapes food preferences and eating habits from the womb until adulthood.
Women who eat a wider variety of foods during pregnancy or breast feeding give birth to children who are more accepting of new foods. One study found that women who drank large amounts of carrot juice while pregnant gave birth to babies who responded more positively to carrots!
Fruit and vegetable eating is a behavior often measured and studied because science has found people who eat more fruits and vegetables are significantly healthier. Nutrition scientists want to learn what behavior will help children love fruits and vegetables naturally.
What they have discovered is remarkably simple.
“Children choose to eat the foods they are served most often and they tend to prefer to eat the foods which are available in the home,” says Theresa Nicklas, Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.
Moms who regularly eat vegetables and offer vegetables to their daughters have daughters who prefer vegetables. If, on the other hand, Mom encourages eating vegetables but doesn’t personally model the behavior, those daughters will not prefer vegetables. It can really backfire if you induce your child to eat fruits and vegetables because they are good for them. The only factor which will convince kids – or adults for that matter – to eat anything, is taste. You will be most effective if you simply eat and enjoy fruits and vegetables, convincing your child that they are absolutely yummy, and make them easily available to your children.
These studies have been repeated with various eating behaviors. Since childhood milk drinking is predictive of calcium intake and bone mineralization in girls and bone fractures in older women, it has been studied extensively. Scientists have found if Mom drinks milk, daughters drink and prefer milk. But if Mom drinks soda instead, the daughter prefers soda, and studies show that means she gets less calcium and has less dense bones. Interestingly, if Mom encourages the daughter to drink milk and drinks soda instead, it doesn’t fly. The daughter will still prefer and drink sodas.
Looking back on my childhood, this is another area in which my mother influenced me, whether I liked it or not. I was one of the “unlucky” children in my neighborhood that wasn’t allowed to drink sodas. The only beverages available in our home were milk and juice. Milk was consumed at every meal – by everyone – mom, dad and all the kids. My friends teased me and snuck me sodas when I visited them. But – my guess is – because sodas weren’t available in my home, I never developed a soda-drinking habit. To this day, I drink milk at meals and only infrequently drink diet sodas, if any. Needless to say, I’m very thankful for this influence even though at the time, it made me feel very uncool and sorry for myself!
With the strong practical and emotional support from Mom and the whole family, it is very possible for children to live in a balanced, nutritionally sound and healthy way. But without it, it’s close to impossible to do so. The family environment Mom creates is a very powerful force that fosters early habits, shapes daily routines, and molds lifelong expectations. The family unit is where good things can happen and where you can build a strong foundation for good health and good food that will allow your family to overcome the negative influences of the outside world.
Here are some ideas to harness your considerable power to help your children love eating healthfully:
1. Children eat what is available to them and learn to prefer vegetables and healthy, wholesome foods if they are frequently and positively offered and enjoyed by the whole family. Studies show children sample new foods more often when they observe their parents eating it, especially if coupled with parental attention and encouragement.
2.Regardless of your weight, if you model healthy eating behavior, this will have a positive effect on your child’s eating and weight.
3.Never put your child on a diet, never tell her she is overweight, never restrict her access to any foods in your house. Don’t single her out or treat her differently than anyone else in your family. These reactions backfire and could make what may be a temporary phase of chubbiness in your child’s life to a serious weight problem.
4.Instead of restricting access to unhealthy or high calorie foods, get rid of them! Children learn to love foods which are available, and if there are only healthy foods available, no restriction will be necessary.
Roberto Donna’s Stuffed Shells with Ricotta and Eggplant
excerpted from Diet Simple
Washington, DC chef and restaurateur, Roberto Donna of Galileo is committed to introducing others to the real flavors of Italy. Born in Torino, the Piedmont Region of Italy, Donna is the recipient of the 1996 James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic and is Chairman of the Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani, an organization dedicated to presenting authentic Italian food culture in the United States. As an active member of Share Our Strength and The James Beard Foundation, he participates in numerous charityevents nationwide.
This simple main course comes together quickly and makes for a delicious Italian meal minus loads of calories.
Serves 4
8 oz. peeled and cubed eggplant, sprinkled with 1 Tbs. olive oil
8 oz. low-fat ricotta cheese
2 Tbs. capers, drained (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 fresh basil leaves
12 jumbo shells, cooked, drained and cooled
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 Tbs. grated Parmesan, optional
Italian parsley leaves for garnish
Olive Oil Spray (optional)
Tomato Sauce (as an option, you can use a favorite commercial sauce):
1 1/2 cups canned plum tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato sauce from can
1 garlic clove, minced
4 tbsp fat-free sour cream
1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Place eggplant cubes on nonstick baking sheet and roast about 15 minutes until crisped and golden. Remove from oven. Mix ricotta with capers and eggplant cubes in mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and 4 minced basil leaves. Set aside.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 400F.
4. Cover baking dish with foil and spray with nonstick vegetable spray. Fill each shell with about 1 tablespoon ricotta cheese mixture, filling evenly among shells until used up. Brush tops of shells with 1 tablespoon olive oil (or spray with olive oil spray). Bake 10 minutes, or until crisped and golden brown at the edges.
6. Meanwhile, to make tomato sauce, purée tomatoes, remaining basil, rest of olive oil and garlic in food processor. Season with salt and pepper and stir in sour cream. Heat mixture over low heat until warmed through. Remove and set aside.
7. To serve, spoon one quarter of the of sauce on dish and place 1 stuffed shell on top. Drizzle a little extra sauce over each top and garnish with parsley leaf. Repeat with remaining shells and sauce. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
8. To reheat, place 3 shells on top of sauce on microwavable plate or shallow bowl, cover with a glass bowl or microwavable plastic and microwave 2 minutes.
Daily Value
Calories 360
Calories from Fat 160
Total Fat 17g 27%
Saturated Fat 6g 29%
Cholesterol 35mg 11%
Sodium 580mg 24%
Total Carbohydrate 38g 13%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Sugars 10g
Protein 12g
Vitamin A 25%
Vitamin C 25%
Calcium 15%
Iron 10%
Copyright by Katherine Tallmadge.
Overweight Teens becomes An Increasing Epidemic
- At December 07, 2010
- By Katherine
- In Articles
- 0
Mike Licht
“Disorganized Eating” Is Cause
Nutritionist, Katherine Tallmadge, responds…
“The number of overweight adolescents has tripled within the past two decades and the problem is becoming a serious epidemic,” according to the Surgeon General in his Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity. Leading nutritionist Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D., believes the root of the problem is “disorganized eating” patterns among adolescents and young adults.
In her new book, Diet Simple, out in January 2004 from LifeLine Press, Tallmadge emphasizes how changing life-styles and habits have led to large weight gains and health risks for teens. Teens are often left in control of their own meals leading to irregular patterns including eating on the run or snacking continually in front of their TV and computer screens. America’s youth is unaware that this is a potentially deadly habit, which therefore increases their risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and stroke.
In Diet Simple, Tallmadge provides solutions to “disorganized eating,” which is both a family and a cultural problem. She presents 192 simple, small changes that can be used in order to achieve significant weight loss within three months to a year. As a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, member of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Nutrition Education Task Force and advisor to Head Start Centers, the President’s Counsel of Physical Fitness and Sports, and several colleges, and high schools, Tallmadge has been working for twenty years with teens and adults and understands exactly how to get teens and their families into eating patterns that reduce weight and increased levels of energy by:
- Saving time and money while eating food that is completely satisfying
- Reducing the risk of “out of control” eating including emotional eating and overeating, which then leads to obesity
- Improving mental focus to make permanent health changes in diet and nutrition
Tallmadge is the leading expert on how to permanently lose weight and change your life for the better while balancing the needs of health, career and family. Nearly 11 million people have seen Tallmadge through her regular interviews on NBC News, Fox News, CNN, and ABC’s 20/20, and heard her on National Public Radio. She also reported on food and nutrition as a correspondent and producer for the Television Food Network.
For more information or to schedule an interview with Katherine Tallmadge, please contact Katherine at 202-833-0353
###
LifeLine Press is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and groundbreaking research in the fields of alternative health, nutrition, wellness, and child development. Our mission is to provide timely and accurate information for consumers concerned about their health.
For Successful Weight Loss, It’s the Little Things That Count
- At December 07, 2010
- By Katherine
- In Articles
- 0
New Book Shows How Small Changes Add Up to Big Weight Loss over Time
Did you know that if you add salad to your lunch and dinner you could lose 36 pounds a year? Or that eating four frozen dinners a week could result in an 18-pound loss?
When it comes to dieting, time is on your side. Make one or two minor changes in your eating or activity habits, and over the course of three months, you will begin to see significant weight drop. But you won’t feel as if you are dieting-and that’s the whole point.
KATHERINE TALLMADGE, RD, author of Diet Simple (LifeLine Press, January 2004), has compiled 154 easy tips, substitutions, mental tricks, and inspirations that have helped her clients shed from 10 to 50 pounds a year-effortlessly and without feeling deprived.
During her twenty years as a weight-loss and nutrition counselor in Washington, D.C., Tallmadge has discovered that modifying small habits is easy. Over time, the extra calories saved or burned add up to staggering weight loss. This is the Diet Simple approach.
With Diet Simple, every individual can customize a plan that best fits his or her eating, exercise, and work habits. Readers will find:
- 192 proven weight-loss strategies to match any appetite or lifestyle
- 55 Recipes from world-famous chefs for preparing low-cal, gourmet convenience meals ahead of time
- Delicious Diet Simple Meal Plans in which the calories and nutritional balance have already been worked out
- Dozens of expert tips to control emotional eating, reduce stress, and stay motivated for permanent weight loss
- Tried-and-true strategies for bar-hoppers, frequent travelers, non-cooks, midlife women, workaholics, and disorganized eaters
- The “Metabolism Toolbox”-a scientific formula for calculating your own body’s calorie-burning capabilities
Based on solid science and years of proven success, Diet Simple offers the easiest, most painless way for anyone to lose weight the healthy way.
To schedule an interview with Katherine Tallmadge, contact:
Katherine at 202-833-0353
Defying the Holiday “Hang Over”
- At December 07, 2010
- By Katherine
- In Articles
- 0
by Lori Ann
Katherine Tallmadge, nutrition and weight loss expert, and author of DIET SIMPLE, shows how to overcome “holiday overindulgence”
Here’s some rocket science: What happens when you go to three or four parties a week, and eat yourself silly at each one? You’ll make a good social impression, and an even bigger impression on the scale. Add that plus five weeks’ worth and you’ll have five extra pounds of holiday “hang over” your belt.
“For social butterflies, a weight gain of up to two to five pounds over the holidays is common,” says Tallmadge, a Washington, D.C. based weight-loss and nutrition consultant and author of DIET SIMPLE 192 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations (LifeLine Press, 2004). And the studies confirm Tallmadge’s experience. (see studies below)
“Several social occasions per week often leave us with thousands more calories than we need,” says Tallmadge.
Tallmadge’s Diet Simple Program was recently hailed by Good Housekeeping Magazine as both nutritionally sound and easy to follow. Her program is simple: It allows you to make simple, individualized changes which fit into your life-style and personality. This way you lose weight without the pain and suffering of being on a depressing diet.
Tallmadge’s 20 years’ experience of helping thousands lose weight permanently has enabled her to develop a plan that retools the mind into eating in a whole new way. Here are a few of tips so you don’t end up feeling like a stuffed turkey by the time New Year’s rolls around:
* The 25 Percent Blowout: Never stay at home for the sake of worrying about your weight. If you are invited to four social gatherings for the week, go to all – but indulge at only one. You can allow yourself to splurge while still saving your waistline.
* Savor each bite: Particularly at parties, we tend to gulp food without even thinking about it. You start talking and before you know it, you’ve consumed everything on your plate. Be aware of what you are eating. Fifteen crackers plus the trimmings can be equal to one meal.
* Say no to food pushers by complimenting lavishly: Let’s face it. Your family and friends love you and want to show you they care through the food they serve you. But you have to be firm and use a positive approach (NEVER tell people you’re “on a diet” or “watching it”). Instead, try “That looks wonderful. Your meal was so delicious, I can’t make room for one more bite!”
* Write it and lose it! A major study showed that while people had trouble getting through the holidays without weight gain, the most successful at managing their weight monitored their eating (see studies below).
How can obese weight controllers minimize weight gain during the high risk holiday season? By self-monitoring very consistently.
Boutelle KN, Kirschenbaum DS, Baker RC, Mitchell ME.
Institute of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Center for Behavioral Medicine, Chicago, USA. kerri.boutelle@childrenshc.org
This study examined the efficacy of augmenting standard weekly cognitive-behavioral treatment for obesity with a self-monitoring intervention during the high risk holiday season. As hypothesized, the intervention group self-monitored more consistently and managed their weight better than the comparison group during the holidays. However, both groups struggled with weight management throughout the holidays.
These findings support the critical role of self-monitoring in weight control and demonstrate the benefits of a low-cost intervention for assisting weight controllers during the holidays.
Holiday weight gain: fact or fiction?
Roberts SB, Mayer J.
Energy Metabolism Lab, USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
On average, weight gain during the 6-week winter period from Thanksgiving through New Year averaged only 0.37 kg. However, weight gain was greater among individuals who were overweight or obese, and 14% gained >2.3 kg (5 lb). In addition, among the entire population, weight gain during the 6-week holiday season explained 51% of annual weight gain.
These results suggest that holiday weight gain may be an important contributor to the rising prevalence of obesity.
Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D.
Harper’s Bazaar called Katherine Tallmadge, MA, RD, “the best nutritionist in Washington, D.C.” Tallmadge is an American Dietetic Association Spokesperson, an advisor to eDiets.com, Shape Magazine, The National Enquirer, and more. She has appeared on ABC’s 20/20, NBC Nightly News and the Today Show, CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Wolfe Blitzers News Programs, Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show on Comedy Central, Fox News, National Public Radio and others. Tallmadge has also been featured in The New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, The Washington Post, The New York Post, The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping Magazine, and Family Circle Magazine, among others.
To schedule an interview with Katherine Tallmadge, please contact Katherine at 202-833-0353
LifeLine Press is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and groundbreaking research in fields of health, nutrition, wellness, and child development. Our mission is to provide timely and accurate information for consumers concerned about their health.
Are You A Disorganized Eater?
- At December 07, 2010
- By Katherine
- In Articles
- 0
by Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D.
If you have time for everything but regular meals, it’s time to establish some new habits.
Do you:
- feel as if you need a wife, mother, or maid to take care of you?
- get so busy that you forget to eat?
- wait until your refrigerator is barren to grocery shop?
- let yourself get ravenous, and then grab any food you can find?
- graze through the day but never sit down for a real meal?
If this describes you, you are a disorganized eater. Disorganized eaters often gain unwanted pounds, have a hard time losing weight, and are in need of better nutrition.
Weight-loss and nutrition consultant Katherine Tallmadge, author of Diet Simple (LifeLine Press, Jan. 2004), says that the major reason for weight problems is simply a lack of planning. In her new book, she serves up dozens of tips specifically geared for people whose eating, shopping, cooking, and exercise habits stand between them and their weight goals.
Many people are under the mistaken impression that they don’t have time to shop and cook in a way that diet programs require. To the contrary, says Tallmadge. Changing some of the key behaviors behind disorganized eating will save you time, money, and psychological stress.
Best of all, you will drop pounds, have more energy, and be healthier.
Tallmadge’s Diet Simple Plan has helped hundreds of disorganized eaters lose weight and keep it off by modifying a few behavior patterns that lie at the heart of their weight problem. Adopt one or two of the strategies below and you will lose weight.
- Stock your office with quick and healthful foods-especially breakfast stashes and afternoon snacks.
- Get in the habit of “batch cooking”-cooking large amounts of soups, stews, and main-course salads to eat throughout the week.
- Always shop with a grocery list, and shop at regular intervals.
- Stash frozen dinners at work for nights when you work late.
- Eat out just once a week-at a really good restaurant.
- Incorporate more physical activity into your routine-e.g., park farther away; use stairs; take a five-minute walk once an hour.
- Keep a supply of frozen vegetables at home.
Katherine Tallmadge: 202-833-0353
Fit and Frugal
- At December 07, 2010
- By Katherine
- In Articles
- 0
Photo: CA Walnut Commission
Original Content: The Washington Post
There is, I believe, one widespread myth in the world of food and nutrition that urgently needs to be debunked. That myth is that it is too expensive to eat a nutritious diet.
Lately, I’ve seen reports in the media that say eating healthy is very costly, but that doesn’t jive with my professional or personal experience. When my clients switch to healthier diets, they tell me their food costs plummet. When I was a poor college student and 20-something professional starting out, having little money to spend on food kept me healthier than ever! In today’s economic crisis, I and my clients are experiencing the same thing, cutting back on food expenses forces a person to eat healthier.
Am I just being naïve? Could my experiences be so off-base?
Some argue that eating healthy is expensive in several respects.
First, they say that 1,500 calories of McDonald’s burgers and fries is cheaper than 1,500 calories of healthy food. While this may be true, this argument rests exclusively on considerations of calories and neglects to take into account the quality and the health benefits of the calories consumed. It also fails to recognize the astronomical health costs of being overweight or unhealthy as a result of regular (though cheap) fast food dining.
Second, they contend that eating frugally, which requires shopping and cooking, is time-consuming and has significant opportunity costs; that is, you could be doing more valuable things with your time. I find this argument unpersuasive because I believe it both overemphasizes the time required to prepare a good meal and fails to account for the positive benefits of food preparation. Anyone who has strolled through the Farmer’s Market with a friend, cooked a healthy meal with family members and children chipping in, or felt the warmth and nurturing of sharing a home-made meal would dispute that these activities are wastes of time and have no value.
Third, some argue that inexpensive food doesn’t taste good. My personal experiences and those of my clients’ suggest that the exact opposite is true. Is there anything tastier than a summer watermelon? A crisp, Fall apple? Or a piping hot bowl of home-made chicken soup? These are some of the simplest, most healthy and inexpensive items you can eat, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS).
I’ve been heartened by a number of studies which confirm my own experience and demonstrate it is possible to eat delicious, healthy food at reasonable prices.
Let’s take a look at fresh fruits and vegetables. I think we can all agree – and scientific evidence confirms – that a healthy diet can be largely defined as one which contains at least five cups of fruits and vegetables. But the price of fresh produce is often cited as too exorbitant for the average consumer and is one reason why Americans fall alarmingly short of the recommendation.
But the reality is fresh produce gives you some of the best bang for your buck. In fact, in June 2008, the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service studied the prices of produce throughout the country. They concluded “A person needing 2,000 calories per day could meet the dietary recommendations for fruit and vegetables for under $2.50 per day.”
Why the disconnect between perception and reality?
“Our advice to consumers is they need to be savvy. Don’t just consider the cost per pound, but think about the number of servings you’re getting,” says Jane Reed, Agricultural Economist with USDA’s ERS and co-author of the study.
The researchers said people may balk at paying $1.36 cents for a pound of peaches because they don’t realize they’re getting four fruit servings at just 37 cents per 1 cup serving. Some don’t mind paying 75 cents for a soft drink but would object to paying 75 cents for an apple. There’s a perception that these aren’t important foods, that they’re side dishes. But plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, are the foundation of a healthy diet, a Mediterranean diet, too, and should make up the majority of what you’re eating if you want to stay healthy.
Things to consider when you’re buying fruits and vegetables are seasonality, comparing the number of servings in the can or frozen container to the price. Canned vegetables, for instance, contain liquid which is included in the total weight, but the liquid is thrown out and not eaten. Many people find the convenience and shelf-life of frozen produce outweighs the small price difference. Throwing out rotted fresh produce, of course, is no savings, which is why planning your weekly meals and shopping with a list is always an important money saver.
Planning and organization is emphasized by all the experts as important for saving money. Take an inventory of what you have on hand and shop from a list based on your needs and weekly menu plan. And make good use of leftovers.
My clients call me the leftover queen. When I was in college, I first mastered batch cooking. I found that I could save money and time by making big batches which I could eat – and share with friends – through the week. I built my meals around beans, a very inexpensive, but excellent protein source. I ate plenty of vegetables, fruits and skim milk (it’s all I could afford!). Some of my favorites were a very tasty veggie chili, split pea soup with ham, chicken corn soup, carrot yogurt soup, lasagna, Asian chicken or tofu stir fries, and spicy bean- and grain-based salads. I made them in huge pots on my boyfriend’s two electric burners or my tiny group house kitchen– later my efficiency apartment. I had wonderful impromptu dinner parties and delicious leftovers for days! I couldn’t afford to eat out so there were no temptations there. Funny, I still batch cook and usually build meals around beans and other plant foods. It’s not only inexpensive, it’s healthy, delicious, and it saves time (my clients agree).
Shopping and preparing food at home is not only cheaper, but studies show people who lose weight and keep it off prepare most of their meals at home, so you’re killing two birds with one stone.
A study confirmed that when families switched to healthier diets and lost weight, their food budget decreased while protein and nutrient density of their meals increased.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in 2002, gave 24 families, each with an obese 8 – to 12-year-old child, lower calorie diets with increased nutrient density. After 12 months, the children and parents lost a significant amount of weight and the total cost of the diet significantly decreased.
Among the families, servings of unhealthy, high calorie, nutrient-poor foods decreased (high fat/sugar foods), and servings of low calorie, nutrient-dense foods increased (lean protein sources, fruits/vegetables, etc.). The reduced intake of the unhealthy foods had the greatest impact on the cost of the diet, according to the authors.
High fat and sugar, calorie-laden convenience foods such as bakery goods, snack foods, fried foods and sodas can be very expensive. A 10 ounce bag of potato chips is $2.59 (ten servings of a high fat/calorie, nutrient-poor food), which may seem like a cheap source of calories. But you could buy four pounds (16 servings) of fiber and vitamin-C rich fresh red potatoes – or three pounds (12 servings) of vitamin, mineral and beta-carotene-rich carrots – for the same price! In the long run, the nutritious food wins hands down. The calorie density is lower but the nutrient density is higher.
Also, when switching to a healthier diet, many people cut down on the amount and portion size of expensive, fatty meat cuts. Switching to smaller portions of leaner meats, poultry and vegetarian protein sources is not only a healthy savings, but often a cost savings, too.
This is all great news, but none of this research explains why the majority of Americans still don’t eat a healthy diet. There may be barriers such as inability or lack of desire to cook or, for some with lower incomes, difficult access to grocery stores. But, in my opinion, the studies and my own experience rule out expense as a barrier!
“Within the limitations of your budget, you can set a table that has variety and distinction. You can serve gourmet food… It is not the basic cost of the food but the care with which it is selected and prepared that makes it gourmet rather than pedestrian,” James Beard in “How to Eat Better for Less Money” (Simon and Schuster, 1970)
Shopping List
Tips for Healthy Inexpensive Meals
Plan before you go shopping by taking an inventory of what you have on hand and what you’ll need,
* Make a shopping list to avoid impulse purchases or costly mistakes,
* If your storage space permits, buy in large quantities,
* Buy store brands, as they usually cost less,
* Compare prices based on how many servings you’ll get,
* Build your meals around legumes and whole grains, less expensive, but nutritious protein sources,
* Buy seasonally. Food will usually be cheaper when it is in season,
* Buy locally. The less a food has to travel, often the less expensive it is,
* Buy cheaper meat cuts such as the beef round,
* Buy whole chickens and cut them up yourself,
* Batch cook, divide into servings and save the leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer for future meals,
* Bring lunches to work. Simple sandwiches, salads, soups, wraps and leftovers make terrific meals at work,
* Make sure each meal is balanced with at least four food groups, and plenty of fruits or vegetables at each meal,
* Compare the cost of a home made version verses a store- or restaurant-made version of the same dish.
* Try canned salmon or frozen fish filets to save money on seafood
* Compare the fresh, canned and frozen version of your foods. Buy the one which gives you the best price for the serving size,
* USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion has many ideas for saving money while eating healthy meals at http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/foodplans.html. For a copy of CNPP’s “Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals,” call the government printing office at: 202-512-1800, $5.50 each (GPO Stock number: 001-000-04680-2).
Katherine’s Chile Non-Carne
excerpted from Diet Simple (LifeLine Press, 2004)
I love this simple, quick – ten minutes – chili recipe. Of course, there’s zillions of ways to make chili, most don’t need a recipe. But this one’s easy to follow and everyone loves it. It’s meatless but you don’t miss the meat because it’s so flavorful. You should use the amount of garlic or chili powder that appeals to you. I like it hot and spicy!
I double the recipe so I have plenty for the week. I use this dish as a lunch or dinner alongside a green salad. I also serve it at parties as a dip next to fresh tomato salsa, light sour cream and guacamole. It’s perfect rolled up in a tortilla or stuffed in a taco with some reduced fat cheese. Great for informal super bowl or Halloween parties.
Serves 4
1 Tbsp Olive or Canola Oil, or more
1 Large Onion, Chopped
3 Large Garlic Cloves, Minced
3 Tbsp Hot Chile Powder
1 Large Fresh Green Pepper, Chopped
1 28- oz. Can Italian Plum Tomatoes, Chopped, including the liquid
1 Pound Can Kidney or Black Beans, whichever is preferred
1/2 Cup Water or Bouillon (To Hydrate the Bulgur)
1/2 Cup Bulgur (Cracked Wheat).
2 Seeded Jalapeno Peppers, Chopped, if desired
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Saute the onions and garlic in the oil over low heat in a large pot until soft, 15 or more minutes. Add the chile powder and simmer for a few more minutes. Add the Fresh Green Pepper and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, soak the bulgur in the boiling water for 15 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients including the bulgur and simmer slowly over low to medium heat until flavors are well blended and vegetables are cooked to the desired consistency … a few minutes or longer, if desired. Adjust seasonings to your preference. Since many canned items were used, additional salt will probably not be needed.
Calories 320
Total Fat 7g 10%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 730mg 31%
Total Carbohydrate 59g 20%
Dietary Fiber 13g 54%
Soluble Fiber 1.59 g
Omega 3 Fatty Acids 0.07 g
Sugars 17g
Protein 12g
Vitamin A 70%
Vitamin C 120
Calcium 15%
Iron 30%
