Baseball season has arrived. Although it’s tempting to forgo eating healthily when you’re at the game, you shouldn’t let yourself get completely derailed. Ballparks are beginning to offer more and more healthy options. I love vegetables, but even for me it seems a little weird to be eating a salad at a ball game…but at least you know it’s there. If you do eat a hot dog, keep it to one and don’t also eat the nachos and big pretzel along with it – choose one splurge and savor it. You can also bring your own food in so you have something healthy on hand (such as trail mix, fresh fruit, protein bars and air-popped popcorn.)
Here are a few healthier options available at both Wrigley and US Cellular Fields:
Wrigley: Lemon Chill, Veggie Burger, Peanuts in the Shell, Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Fruit Cup, Vegetable Cup, Vegetable Chopped Salad, Starfruit Kefir Frozen Treat
US Cellular: Veggie Dog, Veggie Burger, Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Garden Burger, PB & J, Turkey Deli Sandwich, Mini Tacos, Peanuts in the Shell
A new study from Brown University tracked successful dieters for ten years or more to understand how people are able to keep off the weight they lose. The study found a number of lifestyle choices that were consistent among those dieters who were able to maintain their weight loss. Some of those choices included:
Instead of attempting a strict diet, work on eating mindfully. Think of food as nourishment and something to be enjoyed, but not something to be used to cope with stress. Here are some tips to help you start eating mindfully:
Mindful eating doesn’t happen overnight. It is a process and takes practice. However, once you make the commitment to eat without distractions (easier said than done!) and eat only when you’re hungry, you can focus your attention on other things. You will find that once no foods are off limits, you won’t feel the need to gorge on your favorite forbidden foods with the excuse that you’ll be going back on your strict diet tomorrow.
Try agave nectar as an alternative to sugar or other sweeteners. It can be found near the sugar in the grocery store. Agave nectar is extracted from the agave plant and is a syrup-like sweetener. It is sweeter than honey and sugar, but it is very low on the glycemic scale, which means it hits the blood stream more slowly than regular sugar. It’s a great alternative for diabetics and those watching their weight.
Agave nectar is rich in vitamins and nutrients including vitamins B, C, D and E, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, selenium, and chromium. It’s good in coffee, spread on toast, in cereal, and to cook with. In baked goods, use ¾ cup agave for every one cup of sugar, and reduce the amount of liquid in a recipe by ¼ cup. One teaspoon of agave nectar contains 16 calories, so you still have to count that, and note there is no difference in calories between light and dark agave nectar.
Avoid these six food items that won’t fill you up, and, in some cases, that make you hungrier:
Gum
Chewing gum stimulates the gastric juices, which produces saliva. This excess saliva enters the stomach and tricks it into thinking food is being digested, which in turn will make you hungry.
Diet soda
Studies have shown that drinking diet soda makes you hungrier. The theory is that artificial sweeteners trigger appetite, but unlike regular sugars they don't deliver anything to fill you up.
High-fructose corn syrup
Corn syrup interferes with your metabolism by slowing down the secretion of leptin, making you want to keep eating. Leptin is a crucial hormone that tells you that you’re full and should stop eating.
Frozen meals (especially diet frozen meals)
Frozen meals often don’t have enough calories to fill you up. Additionally, there isn’t enough roughage, specifically fresh fruits and vegetables, to expand in your stomach. If you’re going to eat frozen meals, do it rarely and make sure you accompany the meals with a salad or fruits and vegetables.
Pastries
Pastries do little to fill you up. White sugar and flour have no fiber or nutrients. Choose baked goods made with ancient whole grains and as little sugar as possible.
Breakfast bars
Although they are loaded with protein and minimally sweetened, breakfast bars might as well be a pastry. They are highly processed and still often quite sugary. They may seem like a shortcut, but in the end you'll just need another meal anyway. There are high-quality and organic bars, but it's still better to make breakfast.
Though it can be difficult, it is possible to eat healthily when traveling. Pack quick and easy healthy foods, such as fresh fruit, dried fruit, protein powder, oatmeal packets, protein bars, trail mix and nuts. If you are going to be somewhere more than a day or two, it's worth it to go to a grocery store and stock up on Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, hummus and low-fat cheese. Don't opt for convenient high-carb foods. When dining out, share a meal or order an appetizer as your meal. If you drink when you dine, count that as your starch for the meal.
There is a lot of hype right now for Greek yogurt. It contains probiotics that have digestive health benefits, and it is low in sugar and high in protein. However, just because a product says “Greek yogurt” does not necessarily mean it is healthy. Be sure to look for Greek yogurt that uses 100% strained yogurt. Some brands use milk protein concentrate and gelatin instead. Flavored versions can be very high in sugar, sometimes more per ounce than soda or ice cream. One cup of milk contains 12 grams of sugar, so a cup of 0% or 2% Greek yogurt shouldn’t have much more sugar than that.
It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that you feel full. If you eat quickly, you can miss your body’s cues and eat a lot of calories in that 20-minute timespan. Make sure to eat slowly, put your silverware or food down in between each bite, and chew each bite 20 times. This will help with both digestion and weight loss.
On Valentine’s Day, many of us indulge in chocolate treats, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Chocolate has a number of health benefits when eaten in moderation.
Benefits of chocolate include:
Chocolate’s benefits come from flavonoids, which are a type of health-boosting antioxidant that naturally occur in cocoa. When cocoa is processed, flavonoids are lost, so less processed chocolate is the best. Dark chocolate has the highest concentration of flavonoids; the higher percent of cocoa, the better. I recommend chocolate with 60% or more cocoa. Milk chocolate is generally only 7% to 35% cocoa and is often loaded with other fat and sugar. White chocolate is generally 20% cocoa butter, but it does not contain any of the healthy flavonoids found in dark chocolate. Try to steer clear of extra ingredients (caramel, marshmallow, nuts, etc.) that can add calories and fat.
There is no established serving size for chocolate, but moderation is always key.
It is a common misconception that if you exercise on an empty stomach, your body will use its fat reserves for energy. In fact, studies have shown that people experience a bigger boost in metabolism when they exercise after eating, as opposed to before eating. A higher metabolism means more calories, and therefore fat, are being burned. A pre-exercise meal or snack does not need to be elaborate. It can be something small with carbs, protein and fat, such as low-fat yogurt and fruit, whole grain cereal and milk, oatmeal and fruit, wheat bread with peanut butter, a turkey sandwich, banana with peanut butter, or a small energy bar.
Nutrition label facts may be off by as much as 20%. For example, if an item says that it contains 300 calories, it can actually have anywhere between 240 and 360 calories and still be within the allowable margin of error set by the FDA. Therefore, if your goal is to consume 1,500 calories daily, by following food labels you could end up consuming 1,800 calories daily. That may not seem like much of a difference, but over a year that would be an additional 106,800 calories, or 30 pounds.
Not every food has 20% more (or less) calories than what is listed. In fact, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that on average, packaged foods contain 8% more calories than advertised and restaurant food contains 18% more calories than advertised.
Limit your alcohol consumption, and be aware of the calorie content of the beer, wine and cocktails you drink. Alcohol is full of empty calories, and people generally eat more when they are drinking. In addition, alcohol in excess negatively affects your health.
Eat whole, real, fresh, and natural foods. Choosing foods as close to their natural state as possible will help you avoid the hydrogenated fats, preservatives, artificial sweeteners and additives in processed food. Find a balance between fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and dairy products.
Treating yourself to a “forbidden food” will help keep you from feeling deprived, which can lead to overeating. Nothing should be totally off limits; it’s all a matter of quantity.
Go meatless once a week. Occasionally cutting out meat reduces saturated fat intake and lowers the risk of disease. Get your protein from tofu, beans, nuts, seeds or quinoa.
Watch your portion sizes. In the age of super-sizing, it is all too easy to misjudge portion sizes. Become familiar with the portion sizes of the food you eat by reading the nutrition facts on food labels or checking the nutrition facts online for the restaurants you frequent.
Start your day off with a balanced breakfast. Breakfast helps you control your weight and avoid carbohydrate cravings. Make sure it contains at least three food groups. A good example is steel cut oatmeal, Greek yogurt and fresh berries.
The average person will eat about 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day! With so much delicious food and the excitement of the holiday, it is easy to get carried away and overeat. But with a few portion control tips, you can eat less and eat sensibly, even during the holidays.
Don't go to Thanksgiving dinner hungry. Eat a wholesome breakfast and lunch to avoid overeating at dinner. Try a high protein whole grain cereal with skim milk and berries for breakfast, and Greek yogurt with a handful of raw almonds for a morning snack.
Set a goal to include 30 grams of fiber in your daily diet. Fiber helps prevent disease, and it is very filling. Good sources of fiber include whole-wheat grains, fruits, vegetables, oats and a variety of beans.
Whether you like candy or not, we are all surrounded by it during Halloween. Click on the link below to see what 100 calories looks like for different types of candy. If you have the approach, “one for a trick-or-treater, one for me,” this may make you think twice! Just 13 pieces of candy corn will take a whole 10 minutes of running to burn off (and who stops at 13?).
http://www.fitsugar.com/Photos-100-Calories-Halloween-Candy-19305820?page=0%2C0%2C0#0
Cook your own foods as often as possible. The only way to have complete control over what you eat, the portions and the ingredients is to prepare it yourself. Studies show on average a person eats double the calories when eating out. When you do dine out, choose lean cut meats, vegetables, whole grain starches and ask for sauces on the side.
Incorporate healthy snacks in between your meals, as they help increase metabolism and energy. Opt for trail mix, fruit and string cheese, vegetables and hummus, Greek yogurt with fresh fruit, or whole grain crackers with almond butter.
Certain whole grains are considered “ancient grains” because the grain kernels have been unchanged. In contrast, corn, rice and modern varieties of wheat have been bred to look and taste much different from their ancestors. Ancient grains are all rich in fiber, antioxidants and phytochemicals. Ancient grains, confusingly, are not all grains. Grains are technically grasses. Kamut, farro, barley, spelt and wheat are all grains, but quinoa is not. Still, the common term "grain" has stuck for all of them.
Quinoa is often referred to as the “Mother Grain” even though it is technically a fruit. Nutritionally, quinoa is loaded with protein and the amino acid lysine. It contains about 17% high-quality protein, which is more than any other grain. The quality of the protein content in quinoa is as good as that of milk. Quinoa is also very high in iron, and it is an important source of calcium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and copper. Quinoa is gluten-free, but there is a slight risk in cross-contamination through its processing and handling.
Kamut has a nutty, almost buttery flavor and is a common ingredient in cereals, crackers and other foods. Kamut is high in protein and minerals, including selenium, zinc and magnesium. Kamut is also a terrific source of antioxidants. Kamut contains gluten.
Farro is a whole grain that is an excellent source for complex carbohydrates. It has twice the fiber and protein of modern wheat. Farro is also high in magnesium, Vitamin A, B, C and E. A carbohydrate in farro called cyanogenic glucosides is thought to stimulate the immune system, lower cholesterol and help maintain blood sugar levels. While farro does contain gluten, the gluten molecules are weaker than modern wheat, making it easier to digest.
Spelt contains up to 25% more protein than soft white wheat varieties. It is a rich source of B vitamins and fiber. Other nutrients found in spelt include iron, magnesium, niacin, thiamin and phosphorus. The carbohydrates in spelt help bolster the immune system and improve the body’s ability to clot blood. Spelt contains gluten.
Black Barley is one of the only grains that can go straight from farm to table without being processed because the bran layer stays attached to the kernel and is edible. It is high in protein, vitamin E and B vitamins. Black barley contains gluten.