Breaking Down Nutrition

PODCAST. Are you so stressed that you’d kill for a cookie? Are you worried about money? Have you lost your job and concerned about paying bills? Maybe you’re going through a divorce or diagnosed with a tough medical issue.

When Dr. Christie and I wrote our first book I’d Kill for a Cookie, we surveyed 1000 people and guess what we found? Two out of three reported that they stress eat for most of the above reasons. The reality is that life throws us curve balls that we never expect…right?

I remember when I found out my brother had cancer and wasn’t going to survive. He was only forty. I didn’t cope so well. The food-mood connection is real and it’s strong. I, for one, can testify to this, as my reaction was to not eat and lose way too much weight. I felt too sick inside to eat.

But for you, it may be just the opposite. Food is your comforter, your best friend. After all, it’s legal and everywhere. But food only meets emotional needs as a quick fix and for a very short time. It’s not a replacement for love or support and can’t fill us with joy. Ultimately we have to do deal with the issues.

If food calls your name when you’re stressed and you turn to food for comfort, practice these three strategies to help conquer emotional eating.

* Recognize emotional eating for what it is. Pay attention to your emotions. Every time you eat something, ask yourself…are you hungry or are you eating because of stress? Even better, keep a journal for a few days. Why? When you write down what you eat, how much you eat and why you eat, patterns become clear very quickly.  For example, you’ll notice if you eat because the bills are due and the checking account balance is low.

* Decide what actions you can take to help deal with your stress besides turning to food. Find a substitute to replace food…walk and talk with a friend, reach one chapter in a good book that takes your mind off food, or chew sugarless gum. Come up with something that you can do repeatedly instead of eat.

* Seek professional counseling if you feel it’s needed or confide in friends or family members. Come up with some strategies together to deal with the stressful situation or the situation will deal with you.

Start one new smart eating habit. Here are two to choose from:

* If you don’t eat breakfast, start. Research shows that people who eat breakfast crave less food during the day. It’s easier to control your food intake when you do feel stressed and your emotions seem out of control.

* Eat more frequently. If you are an emotional eater and go more than four hours without food, you already know that it’s easy to eat and eat a lot. When you eat small meals more frequently, you have less low blood sugar moments and feel less compelled to eat in response to your stress.

If it’s hard to find time to eat, make sure you have healthy snacks at work or in your gym bag, briefcase or home office. Otherwise it’s too easy to reach for junk food. It’s always available somewhere, right?

What should a healthy snack be? A lean protein, high fiber carb combination such as sliced fruit spread with peanut or almond butter, baby carrots or sugar snap peas dipped in hummus, trail mix made with a variety of items such as nuts,  , dried cherries or blueberries, mini chocolate chips, whole grain pretzels or whole grain cereal, sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

Comment below and tell me how you’re coping with emotional eating.

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PODCAST. You’ve probably been consuming prebiotics every day and just didn’t realize it. They occur naturally in many foods like these 5 that may surprise you: apples, bananas, onions, garlic, and asparagus. The good news about eating whole food sources is that these foods contain beneficial nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and other fiber.

Prebiotics are also added to food products like cereals, breakfast bars, and breads in a form called inulin that you’ll likely see on the ingredient list. You can also find them in pill or powdered supplement forms.

You might be wondering if I’m going to cover prebiotics, bloating and gas. Yes! Listen now if you’re considering a supplement and find out how much to take.

Don’t miss the companion recipe 20-Minute Roasted Leeks and Asparagus 

 

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PODCAST. Eating mindfully…I blew it. A few days ago we had a bad day in the office…computers went down, podcast production was delayed, wifi was affected by the weather…you get the ugly picture. A friend had brought me a tasty snack mix of nuts and M & Ms that were sitting on my desk. What do you think I did? Yes, ate half of the container…mindlessly stress eating. No mindful thoughts at all. It happens right? Stuffed full of snacks, I decided perhaps a podcast on mindful eating might be a good thing with stress levels being so high. You with me?

When was the last time you stopped, focused on and truly enjoyed a piece of your favorite chocolate? Mindfulness/mindful eating/conscious eating/intuitive eating…all of these terms get used interchangeably but actually have slightly different meanings. While the definitions can be ambiguous, mindful eating is probably most commonly used.

Listen to the podcast and let’s talk about six tips from dietitian Amanda Clark, who specializes in weight management, to help you eat mindfully PLUS my intern Jessica Glosson takes you thru a short mindfulness experience.

Be sure and try the companion recipe Loaded Vegetable Soup. A perfect strategy for mindful eating.

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PODCAST. Say the word diabetes and you probably think about counting carbs. Is that still the way to manage it? Certified diabetes educator and registered dietitian nutritionist Jill Weisenberger joins me on the podcast to share news you don’t want to miss. From the effect of sleep on your blood sugar to foods that help and hurt, she has the latest.

I love a comment that Jill made to me: “Exercise is FREE medicine.” I couldn’t agree more. Listen and find out why she feels that way and what it means for your body and your health. Regina is a big walker and I am too. We both think it’s a great way to just walk off the stress. Are you with us?

Jill is the author of the best-selling book Diabetes Weight Loss – Week by Week. You can find out more about Jill at jillweisenberger.com.

Also listen to the podcast: 3 Ways to Protect the Heart of Women You Love 

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PODCAST. Ok, tell the truth…have you ever taken coffee that’s been sitting around way too long and added ice to make your version of iced coffee? Traditional iced coffee is regular coffee brewed hot and then cooled down. The brew we’re talking about today is cold-brew coffee,  the opposite of traditional coffee.

You use water that’s room-temp or chilled and then the coffee steeps slowly over time…usually 20-24 hours to get the caffeine and the flavor. Cold-brew needs more ground coffee to get the flavor than traditional brewed coffee. Usually it’s concentrated and then diluted with milk, cream or water.

When it comes to taste, cold-brew is milder and less acidic since cold water doesn’t dissolve coffee as well as hot water. Traditional coffee can be bitter from the heat, which breaks down the natural coffee oils.

What about the caffeine in cold-brew? And does it affect your cholesterol? Listen to the podcast for more.

Here’s how to make cold-brew at home. Regina shares her easy recipe.

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PODCAST. Is your memory not quite as sharp as it use to be? Are you thinking about taking Ginkgo biloba? You’ve heard it could help.

Ginkgo is one of the most popular supplements and no wonder with a huge baby boomer population beginning to age. Ginkgo biloba supplements are made from dried powdered leaves of the tree bearing its name. Several naturally occurring compounds referred to as phytonutrients are found in ginkgo and may have health benefits.

But the results from studies of ginkgo’s effects on the brain and memory are mixed. If you decide to take ginkgo biloba, listen now to the podcast for three things you should know first.

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PODCAST. Flexibility can be a good thing. It’s not about a total flip-flop from low-fat to high-fat dairy but rather a move towards personalized nutrition. The idea is to eat a variety of dairy versus a variety of low-fat dairy with the decision on what you choose based on your personal health, weight and the number of calories you need, and not to be overlooked…your personal preferences.

Maybe you won’t consume low-fat at all but would happily consume some full-fat and get all the benefits from the protein, calcium and other nutrients. Then you could make a trade-off elsewhere. Looking for tasty and quick recipes for breakfast? Don’t miss this delicious Swiss Frittata Muffin Recipe.

But how do you know if it’s the right thing for you to do? Listen to the podcast for more insight.

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PODCAST. Did you know that urinary track infections, not-so-lovingly called UTIs, are the second most common infection? Let’s look at this compound in cranberries that may help.

You might have heard about naturally occurring plant nutrients called polyphenols found in cranberry juice and thought to reduce the chance of bacteria sticking to the bladder wall. SSGG is a second naturally occurring compound that may be beneficial for helping with UTIs too.

Two 8-ounce glasses of cranberry juice daily may be the amount needed to help prevent UTIs. But, really, this can be a lot of juice every day and not always realistic. Cranberry powder equivalent to two glasses of juice in capsule form has been shown to lower the risk of UTIs. This is where cranberry supplements may be worth considering.

Scientists from Rutgers suggest that cranberry capsules should contain 250-1000 mg of cranberry powder with an average of 500 mg per capsule per day when used for urinary tract health.

Listen to the podcast on cranberries for more on UTIs and heart health.

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PODCAST. My Mom made THE best chocolate chip cookies. I remember scooping out a spoonful of raw dough from the bowl. I can still smell them coming hot out of the oven with those gooey chocolate chips. Yum. Regina just shook her head when I was telling her this. I just don’t get the cookie dough thing she said. Do you? I bet you do.

Fast forward to today and as much as we may like raw dough, there are 2 new reasons why you (and I) and your kids should just say no. Let’s talk about raw dough…beyond just cookie dough. I’m talking about dough used to make homemade kids’ ‘play’ clay, ornaments, pizza dough, tortillas, and breads.

Did you hear about the outbreak of infections in dozens of people across the country? When the Centers for Disease Control or CDC investigated, they found bacteria called E. coli was making them sick. And guess where the bacteria seem to be coming from? Not eggs. Flour!

Listen to the podcast for two new reasons to just say no to raw dough.

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PODCAST. Are you concerned your child may be dealing with binge eating disorder? On the podcast, certified eating disorder dietitian Karen Beerbower will answer a lot of questions you may have. Her practice, Nutritional Guidance, is based in Orlando Florida where they’ve been serving the community for 20 years.

Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder. Did you know it’s been diagnosed in children as young as 5? Karen shares how binge eating disorder is different from bulimia and the patterns or behaviors you need to know about that would tell you something out of the ordinary is going on.

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