Category Archives: Snacking
Snacking Motivation
March 23, 2013 · 12:43 pm
What are Some Good Reasons for Eating Nuts?
In my own search for alternative sources of quality protein to take the place of the artery-clogging red meat I have added chia seeds and hemp seeds for starters.
Dr. Oz has some further suggestions in his blog post Three Health Benefits of Nuts.
Some of the benefits he enumerates include:
“• The omega-3 fats in nuts, especially walnuts — which have six times as much as the next nearest nut — protect against heart disease.
• The fiber richness of nuts helps you lose weight. A small handful about 30 minutes before a mealtime fills you up enough to keep you from overeating.
• And (news flash) it turns out that these crunchy treats help tame type 2 diabetes.”
For some folks, the only downside of nuts is that their fats make them high in calories. A couple of good ways to include some nuts in your diet without knocking your calorie consumption out of the park is to find ways to add small quantities of them to your regular meals.
You can use them as a garnish on salads, adding protein and healthy fats without too many calories. Ditto your morning breakfast, I love walnuts on top of my oatmeal. Use your imagination and you can make some heart-healthy changes in your daily diet and boost your protein consumption, too.
Tony
Filed under arterial plaque, arteries, chia seeds, Dr. Oz, fat, snack foods, Snacking, Weight
Dr. Oz Gives Dietary Tips
I am a big fan of Drs. Oz and Roizon, the authors of the YOU books, YOU on a Diet, YOU Staying Young, etc. I have read them and recommend them. I saw an ad that described them as “Serious science presented to you in a highly digestible way.” I think that is exactly right.
YOU on a Diet was the first Dr. Oz Book I ever read
On the premise that Americans find filling out their tax forms easier than following dietary info, Dr. Oz offered several simple guidelines for losing weight and reducing belly fat.
1. Don’t eat foods with added sugars or added syrups. When possible, avoid artificial sweeteners, too. They lie to your appetite control system and can lead to weight gain.
2. Choose 100% whole grains. Your guts, immune system, and heart will thank you.
3. Eat slowly so you can tell when you’re full. Then stop.
4. Eat often (4 to 6 times a day) to prevent hunger. Hunger leads to overeating, which is bad for the heart and triggers weight gain.
5. Get nine servings of fruits and veggies a day. Think of it as nine fistfuls of goodness.
6. Opt for lean protein. Good sources include chicken (no skin), fish, beans, and whole grains. Spare your heart and brain the damage that too much saturated fat causes.
7. Get a blood test to check your levels of vitamin D and B12. Take supplements if you’re deficient.
I think these are a good supplement to my How to Lose Weight – And Keep it Off page.
Tony
Filed under Dr. Oz, fresh fruit, fruits, health, healthy eating, healthy living, Snacking, Weight
How to Find a Healthy Snack
Choose popcorn over potato chips for a heart-healthy snack, says WebMD.
As you can see from the illustration there are about a third of the calories in popcorn as potato chips, more fiber and significantly less fat. And that assumes you are eating only one serving of each. I remember the old potato chip ad, “You can’t eat just one.” A serving of potato chips comes out to about 10 chips. That’s not a lot and likely not satisfying. If it leads you back to the bag for more chips, that’s like doubling down on a bad bet.
You can eat a lot more popcorn than potato chips and not be doing your body any harm with extra calories or fats.
Also, with popcorn, make sure you pop it fresh. Be very wary of microwave brands. They often have lots of fats and calories inside that you don’t need. When I have popcorn, I make it fresh and splash a little soy sauce on it which eliminates the fats completely.
Ice cream can be a killer with its fats and sugar calories. WebMD has some good suggestions, here, too. They suggest sorbets, sherbets, light ice creams or frozen yogurts for a fraction of the fats and calories. As you can see from the illustration you are way ahead (weigh ahead?) with any of them.
As with potato chips single serving size for ice cream is ONE HALF CUP. I have never seen anyone serve themselves that small of a portion. So, again you run the risk of doubling down on a loser in terms of calories, fat and your general health. Choose wisely.
Buon appetito!
Tony
Filed under arteries, popcorn, portion control, portion size, potato chips, snack foods, Snacking, Weight
Costco Changes the Roasted Seaweed Snack
Back in September I wrote Snacking on Seaweed after buying a box of Roasted and Salted Seaweed from Costco. I tacked on an addendum to that post about a month later when I bought a second box of 24 packages. Clearly, I really enjoyed the seaweed snack.
This is what the new Kirkland Seaweed package looks like
The last time I was at Costco there was a new Kirkland Brand of Roasted Seasoned Seaweed for sale. It came in a very large bag which contained 10 smaller packages of the product.
The seaweed I am talking about comes in a small sheet about 2-1/2 X 3-12 inches.
So, what does this all mean to the potential seaweed snacker? A number of things. I have written time and again about reading ingredients labels and paying attention to serving size. This seaweed snack is a perfect example of that.
The first packages I bought contained around 10 of the sheets (5 grams) with the following nutritional breakdown: Only 30 calories, fat 2 grams, no cholesterol, Sodium 50 mg, carbohydrates 1 gram, fiber 1 gram and protein 1 gram.
The new packages are significantly different. They weigh 17 grams not 5 like the original. So a serving of these new ones weighs 3.4 grams. That is less than the originals. Here is the single serving nutritional breakdown: 20 calories, fat 1.5 grams, no cholesterol, Sodium 60 mg, one gram of carbohydrate, no fiber and one gram of protein.
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Filed under calories, Costco, portion control, portion size, seaweed, snack foods, Snacking, sodium, Weight
Calorie-counting for People Who Don’t Count Calories – Donuts
I know. I know. It’s too much trouble to count calories. You have a halfway decent idea of how much you are consuming.
Well, here is a little example for you. You don’t have to be a policeman to love donuts. We all do.
According to WebMD, this chocolate covered donut with sprinkles amounts to 260 calories. How many guys can sit down and start munching on these delightful treats and end up eating the whole box. If you ate the whole box, you would consume 3,120 calories. That’s a lot. How much?
A 200 pound man would have to run 25 miles to work off the 3120 calories in that box of donuts. THAT’s a lot.
Okay, so maybe you wouldn’t pig out on the whole box. How far would a 200 pound man have to run to burn up just one donut? Just over two miles. If he ran at about a 10 minute per mile rate, he would have to run for 20 minutes.
Think about that 20 minute run the next time you find yourself reaching for a donut.
Tony
What Foods Hide High Sodium ?
Make no mistake about it. We need salt (Sodium) to live. It is important for fluid balance, muscle strength and for our nerves to work. On the other hand, most of us suffer from too much of a good thing – salt. We need around 2000 milligrams a day and medical experts say that many of us should cut it to 1500. So, how do we get ourselves to consume too much salt? The answer for most of us is – unwittingly.
Much of the salt we consume is hidden in other foods, it doesn’t come from the salt shaker on our table at all.
WebMD gives a list of offenders starting with frozen dinners.
” … a five ounce turkey and gravy dinner can pack 787 mg of Sodium.”
Some ready to eat cereals are big offenders, like raisin bran, but puffed rice and puffed wheat are sodium free, says WebMD.
Raisin bran can have as much as 250 mg per cup.
One that surprised me was canned and bottled vegetable juices which seem like the essence of healthy eating. One cup of vegetable juice cocktail has 479 mg of Sodium.
Veggie drinks can be big offenders.
WebMD goes on to list canned vegetables, packaged deli meats, canned soups, marinades and flavorings, spaghetti sauce, salty peanuts, pretzels, potato chips, ketchup, sweet relish. You can read them all at the WebMD link above.
The bottom line is that you really have to read food labels. That gives you a running start on protecting your health and controlling your weight. Also, you have to pay attention to serving size. A label may give an attractive-looking number, but if there are several servings in a package, you may be consuming more salt than you planned.
Tony
Filed under calories, food labels, portion control, portion size, salt, snack foods, Snacking, sodium, Weight
Fresh Fruit is Top and Fastest Growing Snack Consumed in America
Fresh fruit is not only the top snack food consumed in America, it is also one of the fastest growing, according to new snacking research from The NPD Group, a leading global information company. NPD’s recently released Snacking in America report finds that growing concerns about health and eating right are contributors to the increasing popularity of fruit as a snack.
How about this? Some good news on the eating front.
As an inveterate snacker, I have written about snacking here before:
What About Eating Movie Popcorn?
Some Tips on Losing Weight
Healthy Snacking as an Act of Kindness
What About Snacking on Seaweed?
Some Excellent Advice on Snacking from WeightWatchers
Portion Size Tips on Snacking
You Can Do Healthy Snacking - Harvard
Targeted Snacking
Can Cherries Cause an Upset Stomach?
Tony
Filed under fresh fruit, snack foods, Snacking, Uncategorized, Weight
Xtreme Eating Awards 2013- CSPI
A milkshake with a slice of apple pie blended right in. A 3,000-calorie plate of pasta. A breakfast that includes deep-fried steak and pancakes (and hash browns and eggs and gravy and syrup). Obesity rates may show signs of leveling off, but it looks like America’s major restaurant chains are doing everything possible to reverse the trend, according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. The group unveils the latest “winners” of its Xtreme Eating Awards in the current issue of its Nutrition Action Healthletter.
“It’s as if IHOP, The Cheesecake Factory, Maggiano’s Little Italy, and other major restaurant chains are scientifically engineering these extreme meals with the express purpose of promoting obesity, diabetes, and heart disease,” said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. “You’d think that the size of their profits depended on their increasing the size of your pants.”
Most people wouldn’t sit down to eat a 12-piece bucket of Original Recipe KFC all by themselves, says CSPI. Yet The Cheesecake Factory somehow crams about that many calories into a single serving of its Crispy Chicken Costoletta—though the bucket of KFC has less than half the saturated fat, “only” two days’ worth as opposed to the four-and-a-half days’ worth in the costoletta. In fact, the Crispy Chicken Costoletta has more calories (2,610) than any steak, chop, or burger meal on The Cheesecake Factory’s famously oversized menu.
To put these numbers into context, a typical adult should consume about 2,000 calories and no more than 20 grams of saturated fat and 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming no more than six teaspoons of added sugars for women and nine teaspoons for men. The Xtreme Eating dis-honorees include:
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Filed under arteries, blood pressure, body fat, calories, cholesterol, diabetes, fast food, fat, heart, heart problems, IHOP, Johnny Rockets, junk food, KFC, Maggiano's Little Italy, McDonald's, Olive Garden, portion control, portion size, Smoothie King, Snacking, sodium, soft drinks, sugar, The Cheesecake Factory, Uno Chicago, Weight
Oleda Baker on the Benefits of Quercetin- Guest Post
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As you can see from her photos, Senior Supermodel Oleda Baker is aging magnificently . I interviewed Oleda last month. She is a treasure trove of information on everything this blog stands for, namely healthy living and healthy aging, so I asked her if she would share some of her ideas with us. She has written 10 books on beauty and health. Her latest, written at the age of 75, Breaking the Age Barrier – Great Looks and Health at Every Age – was released in November 2010 and is available from Amazon or from her website www.oleda.com where she also sells her own line of health and beauty aids including Quercetin.
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Science has proven that antioxidants are beneficial to our health. One of the most prominent dietary antioxidants, Quercetin, is a flavonoid found in fruits, vegetables, tea, wine and many supplements. Quercetin is also an anti-inflammatory. Unfortunately, it is not possible to get sufficient antioxidants from diet alone because you cannot physically eat a sufficient amount of vegetables and fruits in a given day. Fortunately, supplements are available.
Quercetin promotes the thermogenic processes which increase your metabolism. This will increase your energy level without the unwanted effects of caffeine or other stimulants. Quercetin helps your body burn excess carbohydrates and fat, while providing antioxidant support for your body’s needs.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of Quercetin
Quercetin is a Free Radical scavenger helping to reduce oxidation within cells in order to fight off the damaging effects of these unstable molecules. As unstable free radicals move throughout the body they are able to bond to healthy/stable molecules in healthy cells. Once in the cells these free radicals damage cell membranes, chromosomes, and enzymes. This damaging of the cells will affect the rate of aging by accelerating the aging processes. Free radicals weaken the immune system, reducing the body’s ability to fight off infection from germs and viruses. A weakened immune system cannot fight off the effects of stress or overwork. Quercetin works to rid the body of these harmful unstable molecules, helping to prevent and repair the damage caused.
If Quercetin is this good how do I get it into me?
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Filed under aging, antioxidants, body fat, fat, free radicals, quercetin, Snacking
