WHICH FOOD TO ORDER WHEN EATING OUT?

When we go out to eat, quite often for some of us, it is for a special occasion. For others it may be a regular event several times a week.  We all want to enjoy our meal without thinking about the extra fats and calories we will be consuming. 

However, if we don’t put some thought and planning into what to order it’s likely that the ‘bad stuff’ will very happily move into our cells and stay there for quite some time.  Several years ago I was at a business lunch and decided to order fries with my meal.  The people I was with said that the fat from the fries would stay in my body for about 14 days; so I switched to a small side salad even though my taste buds wanted the fries. 

Some guidelines are as follows:

1. Limit fried foods; baked, broiled, or grilled are better options.
2. Ask for your meal to be prepared without butter or oil.
3. Ask that sauces and gravies be served on the side.
4. Order extra portions of veggies to replace potatoes.
5. Limit breads and butter.
6. Alcoholic beverages contain a lot of extra calories.
7. Drink water with your meal, rather than soft drinks which are high in sugars.
8. Salads can be high calorie with extras like bacon, cheese, and mayo.
9. Portion size is so important.  We live in a super-size world.
10. 10. Don’t super-size anything.  Smaller is better.
11. 11. Share a meal, or order from children’s menu.
12. 12. Desserts can make or break a meal. Try fresh fruit or a coffee.
13. 13. Stop eating when you are full.
14. 14. Don’t finish everything on your plate; ask for a take-out bag.

Cooking Method Examples:

1. 10 oz potato – 200 calories
2. 10 oz baked potato – 235 calories with one pat butter
3. Large french fries – 400 calories
4. Large baked potato with chili and cheese – 630 calories
5. YIKES!!!!!

Watch your fast food sodium intake

High salt/sodium contributes to cardiovascular disease.  Adults should stay under 1500 mg of sodium per day and never go higher than 2300 mg per day.

A study by the New York City Health Department surveyed 6,580 meals bought at fast-food restaurant chains and found that:

1. About 57% of the meals exceeded the 1,500-mg daily sodium level.
2. Fried chicken outlets were the worst offenders, with 83% of meals exceeding 1500 mg of sodium and 55% of the meals surpassing 2,300 mg of sodium.

BUT FAST FOOD IS SO CONVENIENT!

Fast food is usually cheap, and yes; it is convenient, and it usually tastes so good too.  The bad part is that just ‘one’ fast food meal can give us enough calories and fat, as well as, sodium for a full day or more.  If we eat fast food every day we could be sabotaging our health and adding inches and pounds to our body.  So what are we to do when it’s so hard to resist going out for fast food.  We could make healthier choices.  Moderation is the key.  We could check online about the nutritional content of meal choices before we go to a specific restaurant.  Or if we’re already there and don’t know what to order, ask to see the nutrition information available for the menu items in your cafeteria, restaurant or fast food restaurant. Use it to help you choose the healthier menu options.

Check out Canada’s Health Food Guide website and their excellent Tips for Eating Out.  If we follow these guidelines, we can always eat healthy at any fast food restaurant. 

WHAT IS DIGESTIVE HEALTH AND OVERALL WELLNESS

Our Digestive Health related problems are often overlooked; we accept them as another unpleasant thing to endure.

Our Digestive system does the most important function in our body. What goes in has to come out. In the meantime, there is some supporting action – nutrient absorption – goes on.  We have to pay attention to what we eat and drink and make sure that our body absorbs the nutrients, and that the waste (toxins) is eliminated from our body.

Nutrients are important to keep our body functioning; to maintain strong immune function, energy, vibrant skin, proper weight, mental health etc.

We have to see the link between Digestive Health and Wellness. We have to pay more attention on Quality Food Intake, Absorption of Nutrients, Toxin Control – periodic cleansing and Elimination.

Our kitchen should be filled with Quality, Whole Foods. We should buy organic, local fruits and vegetables and avoid processed, canned and packaged foods. If it is unavoidable – reading the labels is important.

Here I will share some interesting thoughts about whole food and choosing different varieties of fruits and vegetables. Always try something new. Fruits and vegetables have different shapes and colours. All of them have different energies, different nutrients to supply our bodies with the needed vitamins, minerals and trace minerals.

One could ask “why are the colors and shapes important in fruits?”  We can get some answers if we observe Nature.  Fruits and vegetables have certain patterns that resemble the organs of our body.  We might say that our organs can benefit from the nourishing properties of the fruits and vegetables they resemble.

Examples

Foods                                                  Our Body Organ

---

Walnut                                                Brain

Ginger                                                 Stomach

Grapes                                               Lungs

Avocado                                             Womb

Carrots –cross section                         Eye

Celery                                                 Bone

Olives                                                  Ovaries

Sweet Potato                                       Pancreas

Go into your Kitchen and experience this interesting comparison.

We might already have some Digestive Health issues; sometimes we don’t know why it gets worse and harder for us to handle.

There are certain foods that don’t agree with us because we don’t have the necessary enzymes to digest the food. We can avoid these foods, or we can take some enzymes to help us.

Some foods should be avoided all together even if we don’t have any digestive problems. By avoiding these foods, we can support our Digestive Health.

To Avoid                               

Food Types                Discomfort                             Digestive Health Challenges

---

Fried Foods                Un-healthy, pale stools              Acid Reflex, Heartburn, IBS

Foods with high          Hard to digest                            IBS, Heartburn

Fat content                 

Dairy                          Gas, bloating, cramps              Crown’s disease

Alcohol                       Stomach inflammation              Acid Reflex, Heartburn

                                   

Some foods we should consume with moderation (four day rotation diet) – avoiding these foods have some benefits to help our Digestive Health.

Berries                       Tiny seeds can be a problem       Diverticulitis, 

Coffee / Tea                Over-relax the esophageal            Gastroexophageal Reflex disease

                                 sphincter, Diuretics,                    (GERD)                 

                                  cramping

Corn                           Cellulose – hard to digest           Lack of enzyme

                                  Gas, abdominal pain                                                                                       

Chocolate/mostly

the Milk in it               Constipation, cramping,          IBS, Chronic Constipation

                                  Bloating

After we have a grasp on healthy eating, we have to consider proper hydration; and develop our knowledge about right amount of calories; sufficient fiber, protein and carbohydrates;  combining our foods to maintain our Digestive Health with optimum level of vitamins, minerals and trace minerals.

We are focusing on good nutrition, which is very important to our Digestive Health. The next step we have to maintain is proper elimination.

Elimination of toxins are very important. As we are keeping busy in our mind and body, there is not enough time to pay maximum attention to our Digestive Health and we might need some support of additional Vitamins, Minerals and Trace Minerals.

We might benefit from a 21 day Herbal Cleansing Program; products that soothe and improve digestion.

WHAT ARE NUTRITION LABELS, FATS AND PORTION CONTROL

Do we understand exactly what nutrients are we getting from our foods?

Let’s learn how to make healthier food choices by using nutrition labeling information.

The Nutrition Facts table gives us information on the amount of 13 core nutrients and calories in an amount of food.  Reading the ingredient list can help us to make better choices.

For example, here is the label of a 284 ml (10 oz) can of tomato soup.  The serving size says 125 ml (approx 4 oz) before adding water. 

The Nutrition Facts are based on a 125 ml serving.

Calories – 100

Fat – 0

Cholestrol – 0

Sodium – 480 mg and 20% DV

Potassium – 360 mg and 10%  DV

Carbohydrate-  22 g and 7% DV

Fibre – 2 g and 8% DV

Sugar – 14 g

Protein – 3 g

We sometimes overlook the fact that the nutrition facts are for one serving only.

If we consume the full can of soup, we are actually eating double the number of calories and other ingredients on the label.  In this can of soup, there is no saturated or trans fats.  But if there were fats listed, keep in mind that every 5g of fat equals a teaspoon of fat (a pat of butter).  The carbohydrate may include natural source sugars, so the sugar portion at 14 g may actually be higher.  Every 4 g of sugar is equal to 1 teaspoon of sugar.  So our can of tomato soup has approximately 3.5 teaspoons of sugar per serving, or 7 teaspoons of sugar if we eat both servings.

Another example of using NUTRITION LABELS is for soft drinks (soda pop, colas) which come in various sizes of large and larger.  8oz is officially a serving size, but so many people ‘guzzle’ down a 32 oz or 1 litre bottle.  Did you know that many popular soft drinks contain approximately 39g of sugar in a 12 oz can; that is over 9 teaspoons of sugar?  Recently, I purchased a can of coconut water without reading the NUTRITION LABEL.  It contained 41g of sugars.  10 teaspoons of sugar—Yikes!!  That is a huge ‘sugar hit’.  I decided not to drink it.

Fibers and sugars are part of the total carbohydrate count.   Percentage (%) of Daily Value (DV) was developed by the Food and Drug Administration as a standard for food labels to compare what is recommended per day.  It’s based on a 2000 calorie diet that doesn't apply to everyone.

Health Canada has an excellent interactive Nutrition Facts Table on their website where we can select any item to find out more information.

Fats-Good and Bad

There are many types of fatty acids, but we tend to talk the most about the Omega-3 and Omega-6.  If we differentiate between the two by remembering that the Omega-3s reduce inflammation in our body, lower blood pressure, fight bad cholesterol, and protect our brain and nervous system.  Omega-6s tend to increase inflammation.  Omega-3s are found in fish, flax seed, seaweed algae, and grass.  Omega-6s are found in corn and wheat.  A healthy balance between the two will decide our health and again that information is found on NUTRITION LABELS.

Meal size and Portion size is very important to maintain a healthy weight specially when attention is given to NUTRITION LABELS.

Use smaller plates, drink out of glasses that are tall and skinny, eat with a teaspoon, eat slowly and enjoy each bite.  Stop eating when you start to feel full.  Be careful of restaurant portions – they are usually 2 or 3 times more than what we require.  Eating 5 to 10 servings of fruits and veggies daily means small portions, such as; ½ apple, ½ banana,  ½ cup veggies, 1 cup of raw leafy veggies, ½ cup cooked peas or beans, etc. 

For myself, after losing over 26 pounds, I am able to maintain my weight by choosing my main meal of the day to be between 12 and 2-pm.  My breakfast contains 20 to 25 g of protein along with balanced nutrition in a meal-replacement shake, and my evening meal is very light with salad, or raw veggies, and about 20g of protein.  If we eat less and move around more, we can begin to change our lifestyle toward effective weight loss and maintenance and superb energy.

What are Carbs?

Carbohydrates; how much is too much?  If you know your daily Calorie intake, can you calculate your daily Carb needs?

So many of us struggle to maintain the Ideal Body Weight.  Why?  Most start when we don’t pay enough attention to the Quality and Quantity of our food and carb intake.

One morning, we turned on the TV --- It was not tuned to the News Channel as usual, but rather to a channel that was discussing Weight Loss being attainable by combining our food;  the right amount of Calories, Proteins and Carbs.

We talked about Proteins in a previous article; let us now talk about Carbohydrates. How important they are to our body maintenance?

Carbohydrates are Fiber providers for our body.  The body breaks down the Carbs to make glucose and  uses these sugars to give us energy.

Are there Good and Bad Carbohydrates?

Good Carbs are found mostly in Complex Carbs; the ones, that are rich in Fibers. They are a combination of 3 or more molecules. These Carbs absorb slowly in our body, preventing blood pressure fluctuations. They are energy sources. Carbs should supply half of the calories in our diet. These are foods such as; whole grain sources of breads, cereals, vegetables and beans. 

Simple Carbs are made up of one or two sugar molecules. These are fuel for the brain and body. We digest these simple sugars easily in the form of fruits and vegetables. They become Bad Carbs as we refine them, such as; white sugar, white bread, white rice, etc.

It might be useful to be aware of your Carbohydrate intake per day. First steps first.

We have to calculate our ‘Calorie Needs’ per day.  Calories are units of energy that your body needs to perform basic functions. It is important to know your optimal caloric intake for a healthy balanced body.

To determine your optimal daily caloric intake, use our Calorie Calculator 

We have a wonderfully simple program to calculate Protein, Calorie, Lean Body Mass Index.

You can go to the following website

1./   http://esz.herbalhub.com

2./ Choose “Great Shape Today Community”  on the left.

3./ Scroll down, at the left hand side

4./ Choose “Tools”

5./ Enter your Height, Weight and Age.

( this is for your info only)

After calculating your Protein, Calorie intake, you can calculate your Carb needs per day. If you know how many Calories you need per day, you can calculate your Carbohydrate needs, by calculating 1/8 of your Calorie intake. Example: If your daily Calorie intake is 1600 cal/ day, then your Carbohydrate intake is 200 grams.

You can find charts on the Internet for Calorie and Protein and Carbohydrate count for different foods. However, if you have no time to generate this information, feel free to contact us and we can provide extensive Nutritional information.

HOW TO BOOST METABOLISM

What is Metabolism?

Metabolism is the chemical processes that happen in our body to keep us alive.  Everything we do, such as: breathing, blood circulation, nerve functions, eating, sleeping, housework, walking, thinking, etc. happens because our body takes energy (calories) from the food we eat 24-hours a day to keep us going.

What is Metabolic Rate?

Metabolic rate (BMR) refers to the number of calories our body uses each day while we are resting to keep all of our vital organs working.  We can burn lots of calories doing our daily activities and exercise; however, the highest percentage of our total energy (calories) that we burn each day is while we are resting.

What does Body Composition Mean?

This refers to the amount of muscle, bone, tissue, blood (no fat) compared to the amount of fat.  The size of our fat-free parts determines our metabolic rate.  Muscle uses more calories than what fat does.  People who are considered to have a high metabolism are more muscular and have a low percentage of body fat.  Strength training can boost your muscle mass. 

TRUTHS AND MYTHS

MYTH:  Aging Slows Your Metabolism.                                                                                         

Truth:  As we age, many of us put on weight because we don’t move around enough. This means fewer calories are burned each day.  When our activities go down, loss of muscle mass occurs and leads to a lower metabolic rate. If we do resistance-type exercise we burn more energy; and we can build muscle mass. 

MYTH:  You’re Stuck With The  Metabolism You Have, and Can’t Change It.                        

Truth:  How many people do we know who can ‘eat whatever they want and never gain weight’ or those who ‘just look at food and gain 10 pounds’. People who eat whatever they want probably make healthy, low-calorie choices and they are active – moving  around a lot during day.  We can build more muscle mass by moving around more each day. Aerobic exercise will help decrease the amount of fat in our body.

MYTH:  Eating A Grapefruit With My Meal Will Speed Up My Metabolism.                        

Truth:  Grapefruit is a watery, low-calorie food.  Eating half a grapefruit at the start of our meal will leave less space in our stomach for our higher-calorie foods. Grapefruit may be great for weight loss, but it does not have any effect on our metabolism.

MYTH:  If I Cut Calories, My Metabolic Rate Will Slow Down, So What’s The Point Of Exercising?                                                                                                                           Truth:  Our metabolic rate can slow a bit when we cut calories.  However, our body wants to hold on to all the calories it can.  Exercise such as aerobics is important when we are losing weight as it will help improve the rate at which our body burns calories.

Boost Your Metabolism and Keep Your Weight Down                                                         

Our body processes energy from the food we eat.  Our muscle mass burns calories and stored fat for energy.  We require some protein at every meal so that we don’t lose muscle mass or lower our metabolism. Daily exercise will stimulate our metabolism into giving us more muscle and less fat. The more muscle mass - the higher our metabolism – and the more calories burned.