Five Benefits of Meal Planning

Changing our food habits can be challenging. There are so many things that go into proper nutrition, and an awful lot out there to choose from. But spending a few minutes each week designing a game plan can save you in more ways than one.

1. It’ll save you money: Going into the grocery store with no plan at all is a recipe for disaster, but even with a shopping list, you may be spending more money than you need to. By planning all of your meals for the week, you’ll only buy the items required to prepare those meals. Match up your plan with sales and coupons, and you’ve got a double bonus on savings.
2. Avoid impulse buys: Wandering up and down the aisles trying to remember what you need sets you up to buy impulse items—especially if you shop hungry! These items tend to be snacks or comfort foods that cause trouble when they’re in the house. If it’s not on the list, don’t buy it.
3. Variety is key: Buying the same things over and over means eating the same things over and over. Boredom can lead to cheating. With meal planning, you can ensure you’ve got plenty of different veggies, protein sources, and flavors to keep it interesting and healthy.
4. What’s for dinner? Coming home to an empty fridge or a fridge full of leftovers can tempt us to eat out or order in, a sure-fire way to waste money and eat poorly. Knowing what’s on the menu for the week makes it less challenging to stay on track. Additionally, you should plan your meals around your schedule. Make a simpler dish later in the week or on an evening when you might get home later. If you’re tired, you’ll be more willing to fix something simple.
5. You know exactly what you’re eating: Eating out or picking up pre-made meals makes it incredibly challenging to know the true content of your food. But when you’re the creator you know exactly what is—and what isn’t—in your dishes. Avoid the excessive sodium, additives, and calories in pre-made food or restaurant dishes. 

As a bonus, track your spending and calories to see your savings and progress. Happy shopping!

Snack Attack: 5 Tips for Choosing Wisely

One of the biggest challenges we face when changing our food behavior is controlling snack habits. The phrase “healthy snack” poses a multitude of challenges and can be incredibly misleading. Following these tips will help you get your nibble fix without destroying your calorie count and nutrition efforts.

1. Portion control: With the exception of crudités (that’s fancypants for cut up, raw veggies), “healthy snack” doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you want. This applies to fruit, nuts, trail mix, and other options. Be mindful of the serving size. Most foods come equipped with a serving size on the label. For fresh fruits, it’s easy to look up a serving size. With fruits such as apples, oranges, plums, or peaches, one piece is typically one serving. Other items, such as berries, should be measured or counted out.  One of my favorite resources for nutritional data is http://nutritiondata.self.com/. Not only does it give you calorie and nutritional data on foods, but it allows you to compare amounts to make a decision on how much you’d like to eat. Grazing on a great big bowl of nuts, grapes, or berries is a sure-fire way to tack on too many calories.
2. Read the label: Fresh fruits and vegetables, and plain, raw nuts are pretty straightforward when it comes to what they are made of. But packaged snacks can be misleading. It’s important to not only examine nutritional information, but ingredients. A good rule of thumb: if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it. Even items that claim to be “all natural” can have odd ingredients, chemicals, and other additives that you don’t want. Sticking with basic, original-form foods is your best bet.
3. Check your watch: Is it the 3 o’clock slump? The post-dinner munchies? Boredom nibbling? The time of day can help you choose the type of snack you want—or choose to not snack at all. The mid-afternoon snack should be something that will boost your energy (without a crash later). A handful of trail mix is a great way to boost your energy and your brain, and will be a great source of fuel for your after-work gym session. Evening and boredom snacking can be tricky, so this is the best time to reach for those fresh veggies or for nothing at all. Eating too close to bedtime can interrupt your sleep. Boredom snacking can lead to binging and packing on too many unwanted pounds. Drinking tea or water can help you determine if you’re really hungry, or just looking for something to do. If it’s been too many hours since you’ve eaten, you’re likely hungry for real.
4. Meal-planning: Snacking should be a part of your overall food plan every day. Just as you should be planning breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you should be including your snacks and using your other food choices for the day to weigh your options. If you’re a little light on the greens for the day, use snack times as a way to get more veggies in. Skimping on the protein? Choose your almonds or cheese. Snacks need to be part of your balanced eating habits.
5. Stay hydrated: Thirst is very often confused with hunger, so be sure to stay hydrated. This healthy habit can prevent you from over-snacking. Making sure you get at least 64 oz. of water a day is a must! You can also snack on foods with a high water content, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, or green peppers. They’re refreshing and low in calories.

Snack happy, snack healthy! 

Workouts Do Not Equal Free Eating Pass

It's Friday evening. You just got home from spin class, your fourth one this week. You're starving, and all you can think about is ordering a pizza. You were good all week, right?  What's one night of pizza and junk food? How much could it hurt?

A lot.

Our perceptions of caloric intake/expenditure are often skewed. We tend to downplay the caloric value of food and overestimate how much we've actually burned. This misconception can lead to weight gain or a weight loss stalemate, which results in frustration and diminishes your efforts.

The best defense against this vicious cycle is knowledge. Most food tracking apps and programs will give you the nutritional value of foods, which you should also compare to the food label. It's important that you are utilizing accurate tools to calculate these numbers.

It's also important to remember that all calories are not equal! Attached to those calories are a host of other
nutrients and ingredients that impact your workout and your overall health. The 100 calories in an apple are going to be far better for you than 100 calories worth of cake.

Calculating calorie expenditure can be a bit more tricky. We don't all burn calories at the same rate. But averages are available and are a good way to get a handle on true expenditures. How often have you thought, "I must've burned 1,000 calories in that class/workout!"? The truth is, it's incredibly hard to burn 1,000 calories in 45-60 minutes, unless you are an athlete doing a super-high intensity workout. For example, you'd have to keep a racing pace (20 mph or greater) for one hour in a spin class to break the 1,000-calorie threshold. Chances are, you're somewhere between 500-800 calories burned, even if you are a seasoned spinner. A one-hour Zumba class can burn up to 400 calories, but you're probably somewhere in the 250-300 range.

One slice of pizza, on average, is worth 250-350 calories. 

Will one meal, once a week hurt? Probably not. As a matter of fact, it's probably a good thing to employ the 80/20 rule. It's okay once in a while to indulge. But having a "bad meal" or a "cheat snack" daily because you worked out is a slippery slope, and will kick off a very dangerous fitness glut. Arm yourself with knowledge, make smart choices, and take pride in your efforts to fuel your body with nutrition.

Three-Bean Salad

Another super easy, super quick recipe perfect for grab-n-go living. Beans are a great source of fiber, protein, and healthy carbs. Eat this as a side, add it to some baby spinach for a great salad, or serve it with wheat crackers as a snack.

Ingredients:

1 16-oz can of chick peas
1 16-oz can of black beans
1 16-oz can of red kidney beans
1/2 red onion
2 cups fat-free balsamic vinaigrette
sea salt (to taste)

Directions:

Rinse and drain the beans in a strainer and mix into a large bowl or container
Finely chop the onion and add it to the beans
Add dressing, and mix thoroughly
Add salt to taste

Serving size: 1 cup

Tip: You can use any 3 beans for this recipe, as well as dry beans!

Overcoming Cravings

Cravings can be one of the most powerful adversaries against weight loss and healthy eating. They can strike mid-day as your energy levels drop, in the evening when you're winding down, or during times of stress. They can disrupt your day, your concentration, and "undo" your entire day of "being good". In order to beat your cravings for sweets or salty treats, you need to understand where those cravings come from.

In the past, our bodies would respond to a lack in a specific nutrient via cravings. It is the body's alarm system that something is low or lacking. But in our modern-day society, we have access to all the essential nutrients our body needs, particularly with foods being enriched and fortified, and access to vitamins. Therefore, your cravings are likely behavioral or psychological (but if you crave healthy foods, such as spinach or bananas, eat them!). Rather than looking for "healthy" ways to satisfy bad food cravings, you can put an end to them altogether.

Eating balanced, nutrient-dense meals and snacks throughout the day will keep you nourished and satisfied. If you're not eating enough throughout the day, you'll find yourself hungry, particularly in the evening, which leads to craving and overeating. You're so hungry, you're thinking about something unhealthy and indulgent. The first step toward healthy eating is a complete, well-balanced breakfast, followed by a meal or snack every 3-4 hours. A good pattern to follow is the 6-9-12-3-6 model: 6am breakfast, 9am snack, 12pm lunch, 3pm snack, 6pm dinner.

When your body has everything it needs, it is likely your cravings are coming from another place: your imagination. According to a 2010 study by The Association for Psychological Science, "mental imagery may be a key component of food cravings — when people crave a specific food, they have vivid images of that food....As we are imagining a specific food, much of our brain power is focused on that food, and we have a hard time with other tasks." We can see this in food advertising, which shows vivid, appealing images of food that can trigger your cravings.

Conversely, have you ever noticed when you're fully engaged in a task or a project you "forget to eat"? Cravings tend to strike when we are bored or dissatisfied with whatever activity we are engaged in. We look to food for entertainment, comfort, and joy. Finding something else to do or focus on can make these craving disappear. Pick up a book, go for a walk, or tend to a task on your "to do" list. You'll find the distraction/disruption of the craving will make it disappear.

Are you simply used to settling down in front of the tv with popcorn? When you find yourself wishing for chocolate or chips, ask yourself if you're actually hungry. Old, bad habits need to be replaced with new, good habits. DVR your television programs and do something else in the evenings. Read, craft, meditate, stretch, or call a friend.Train your brain to not expect that evening snack. If you share this struggle with a friend, make a no-snack pact! Keep a calendar, and set a goal. If you can go x number of days without indulging in unhealthy snacks, treat yourselves to something (non-food related!): a mani/pedi day, a movie, etc. Work toward a goal and reward it when you meet it.

Being mindful of your food behaviors and creating new habits is the most effective, long-term tool against junk food cravings. It also doesn't hurt to see your pants fit a little better when you trade chocolate for a nice chat!