What are some daily habits of skinny people?

So many people want to lose weight.  They try a fad diet and may indeed lose some weight.  But once off the diet, the weight returns and in some cases even more weight than before the diet started.  Making lifestyle changes can lead not only to a healthier you but maybe a drop in some of those unwanted pounds.  EatThis,NotThat has a good article, 20 Healthy Eating Habits to Lose Weight Right Now.  What are some healthy habits they recommend in this article?

 

• Weigh yourself every day – This may sound like a downer to some people, but getting on the scale every day can actually help you lose the weight and keep the weight off.  How?  Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that study participants who weighed themselves every day, lost more weight than participants that didn’t weigh themselves every day.  In fact, they found those who stepped on the scale every day actually lost twice the weight as those who never weighed themselves on their own (they did get weighed as part of the research).  But not everyone recommends this.  If you are in WW, they recommend the weekly weigh-ins at the meetings but not weighing yourself every day at home.

• Eat Breakfast – I always eat breakfast even when it was a “grab-and-go” breakfast as I was rushing out the door on my daily commute.  How can eating breakfast keep those pounds off?  A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that “skipping breakfast was associated with increased risk of obesity”.  They also noted that eating breakfast and dinner away from home was associated with an increased risk of obesity.  The later finding is not surprising as so many “breakfasts” away from home consist of donuts, a sweet roll, or a high calorie “muffin” and not oatmeal and a glass of juice.  Those who eat breakfast are less likely to hit the candy machine for a mid-morning pick me up and actually breakfast eaters eat less throughout the day.  To help stave off those hunger pains, include some high-quality protein in your breakfast like cow’s milk in a smoothie, yogurt, or eggs. Earlier this month we talked about some easy breakfast options. (See:  How can you lose some fat and gain energy?  )
•  Enjoy Some Snacks – Why avoid snacks?  Some parents even avoid giving snacks to their kids.  But kids need snacks between meals as they have smaller stomachs and need to eat more often.  Adults need snacks too.  But healthy snacks, not junk food snacks.  Ever look at a snack machine in an office building?  So hard to find anything nutritious.  What kind of snacks help keep one skinny?  A study in Advances in Nutrition found that healthy snacks not only suppressed hunger but led to less overindulging at the next meal.  This study also found snacks should contain some protein such as a yogurt, cheese, or nuts.  When I was in the office my morning snack was often a container of yogurt.  Include snack foods that contain some fiber as fiber helps fill you up.  I like popcorn as an afternoon snack.  It is whole grain and provides some fiber.  Kids often enjoy some cereal as an afternoon snack.  Make it a General Mills cereal and then they are getting whole grains and some fiber.  EatThis,NotThat notes:  “Healthy snacking keeps your blood sugar from spiking, preventing hunger pangs, cravings and body fat storage”.
  

• Drink Water – such an easy habit to adopt.  I always have some water with me when running errands.  I have a glass of water at my desk.  Can drinking more water help with weight loss?  One study found that women who drank a liter more of water each day, lost about five pounds in a year.  A Virginia Tech study found that men and women who drank about 2 glasses of water before every meal over a 12-week period, lost more weight, about 30% more, than those who didn’t.  If you are drinking sugared sodas, sweet tea, exchange those empty-calorie beverages for some plain water.  

• Eat Some Whole Grains – so many people have no whole grains in their diet and many have no idea what whole grains foods are.  Adding some whole grains adds fiber which helps fill you up and stave off those hunger pains.  And whole grains help you not only lose fat but lose belly fat.  A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that those who ate more whole grains had less belly fat than those who ate more refined grains (white rice, white bread).  To get this result, aim for 3 servings of whole grains a day.  I try to eat whole grains at breakfast and at lunch and as a snack such as popcorn or whole grain chips.  To be sure it is whole grain, look for the word “whole” as a first ingredient such as whole wheat, whole corn. (See Whole Grains in Your Diet by Sophia Cable .)  

What skinny habits can you adopt this week?  Try drinking more water, especially before meals.  If you are a breakfast skipper, try having something for breakfast.  A breakfast skipper in my class, started drinking a glass of OJ each morning.  Another drank a glass of V8 juice.  Eat something when you start your day.   Choose one of the above habits and try it every day for a week or two until it becomes one of your “skinny habits”.

Sources:  20 Healthy Eating Habits to Lose Weight Right Now , Researchers , American Journal of Epidemiology , How can you lose some fat and gain energy?, Advances in Nutrition , EatThis,NotThat , Virginia Tech , American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , Whole Grains in Your Diet by Sophia Cable    Image Sources: Weigh , Water , Habits  

Eating for healthy eyes

Everyone knows that healthy eating promotes good health.  But did you know there are foods you can eat to promote good eye health?  The New York State Department of Health has a great article, Look to Fruits and Vegetables for Good Eye Health.  They note that eating more fruits and vegetables will improve eye health and help prevent some eye diseases.  Choosing foods rich in antioxidants is the key to better eye health.  (Fruits and vegetables are good for your overall health, see “Why are berries and other fruit and veggies so good for your health?”)  Fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidants but a number of other foods are also rich in antioxidants.  

What antioxidants protect our eyes and what foods provide those antioxidants? 

Lutein and Zeaxanthin – you may have seen commercials on TV that promote lutein.  If you look at the daily vitamin/mineral supplement you may be taking, you may find “lutein” listed.  These antioxidants have been shown to slow the progression of some eye diseases and “play an important role in protecting again age-related macular degeneration”.  Foods rich in these two antioxidants include:

• Eggs, dark green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, turnip greens, collard greens, romaine lettuce), broccoli, zucchini, corn, garden peas, and Brussels sprouts

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) – Vitamin C helps delay and may even help prevent cataracts – the “clouding of the lens” of the eye.  NIH notes, “...it seems clear that a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, coupled with healthy lifestyles can help reduce the risk factors for age related cataracts...”  What foods are good sources of vitamin C?

• Red and green peppers.  Red peppers are especially high in C.
• 100% juice from orange, grapefruit or guava.  Tomato juice.  Be sure it is 100% juice and not a juice drink. 
• Oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon
• Other vegetables: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, potato, tomato 

 

Vitamin E – most people never think about their intake of vitamin E.  This vitamin is an antioxidant that helps protect your eyes and may protect age-related eye diseases.  Along with lutein and Zeaxanthin, vitamin E may help protect against cataracts.  What foods are good sources of vitamin E?

• Vegetable oils:  sunflower oil, safflower oil, corn oil
• Wheat germ and whole grains
• Nuts:  almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts and peanut butter
• Seeds:  sunflower seeds

Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene – you may know that eating carrots is good for your eyes.  Carrots contain beta-carotene that your body converts to vitamin A.  Foods rich in beta-carotene are orange, green and red.  The darker the color, the richer the food is in beta-carotene.  Thus, iceberg lettuce would provide little beta-carotene but spinach and other dark-green leafy vegetables are rich sources of beta-carotene.  Beta-carotene is another antioxidant that helps prevent cataracts.  (It also helps prevent aging skin, some cancers and heart disease.)  What foods are rich sources of beta-carotene/vitamin A?

• Beef liver – vitamin A is stored in the liver so live is a good source.
• Dark orange vegetables and fruit:  sweet potatoes, pumpkin including pumpkin pie, carrots, cantaloupe, apricots
• Dark Green vegetables:  spinach, green peppers
• Red:  red peppers, tomatoes
• Dairy:  Milk – cow’s milk, yogurt

Zinc – this mineral is important for eye health.  Zinc and vitamin A work together to help protect your eyes.  You don’t want to start taking supplements of zinc as too much can affect absorption of copper, although many zinc supplements also provide copper.  Better to get your zinc from foods.  What foods are good sources of the mineral, zinc?

• Oysters – are the highest in zinc of all foods.  Other seafood that provides zinc includes crab and lobster
• Meat, poultry:  beef roast, beef patty, pork chops, chicken
• Vegetables:  baked bean, chickpeas
• Dairy:  Swiss cheese, cow’s milk yogurt

In the nutrition class, I always recommend eating fruits and vegetables and aiming for at least 5 A Day.  The color of the fruits and vegetables is an indicator of the nutrients that fruit or vegetable provides.  Eating a rainbow of colors means you are getting different antioxidants   How can you eat for better eye health this week?

 

Sources:  Look to Fruits and Vegetables for Good Eye Health , Why are berries and other fruit and veggies so good for your health , eye diseases , cataracts , NIH notes , sources of vitamin C , beta-carotene , prevent , rich sources , mineral , good sources  Image Sources:  food for eyes , antioxidants , vitamin C

How can you lose some fat and gain energy?

Have you ever had the energy blues?  Just no energy at all.  And many people want to lose some fat.  How can you up your energy levels and lose fat too?  I had a student in my class that worked full time and then went to class at night.  She noted she was often tired by the end of the day and often had little energy.  Then, she started applying what she learned in the nutrition class I teach like eating breakfast every day, eating at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day.  After a few weeks she explained that she had much more energy and was quite surprised at how much better she felt by just eating better.

There is a group called Insider Nutrition Clinic and you can write to a dietitian and ask for advice.  A reader, a 29-year-old woman, wrote in and asked, “I want to lose fat and gain energy”.  The woman had 3 goals:  gain some energy, lose some fat and also build some muscle.  This reader has a desk job but does try to exercise 3 times a week for 30 -60 minutes each time.

What recommendations did a dietitian provide?

1.  Don’t skip breakfast:  I agree with those that say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  (See Some easy ways to each healthier .)  Your body has been fasting for over 8 hours and you need some food to “break the fast”.  The Insider dietitian notes that breakfast is an energy boost for your body and it doesn’t need to be fancy.  A quick and easy breakfast is fine.  Some suggestions:

• A piece of fruit – As I noted previously, Injohnnyskitchen recommends taking a piece of fruit with you when you leave the house.
• A breakfast bar
• Peanut butter or a nut butter on a piece of whole wheat bread
• Smoothie
• Make an oatmeal pot to take with you 

 

2.  Balance your meals:  So many people have no idea anymore what a “balanced meal” even means.  Growing up we had the Basic Four – eat something from each of the 4 four groups at every meal.  So easy.  Now there is MyPlate which is fine but many people have never heard of it and even if they have, they don’t plan their meals around it.  Balanced means you have something from each of the 5 food groups at your meal. 

a.       Include protein – protein foods help you fill fuller longer.  Choose lean protein, baked not fried protein foods. 

b.       Add some veggies to lunch and dinner:  Are you getting at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day?  I try to have some baby carrots and a fruit at lunch every day.  When packing your lunch, pack some vegetables to take with you.  Buying lunch?  Then pack some baby carrots or other cut up vegetable to eat as a snack.

What does the Insider dietitian recommend for balanced meals?  “As a general guide, try and make sure that half of the plate is vegetables or salad, a quarter starchy carbohydrate (opting for whole meal varieties, if possible, like brown rice or wholemeal [whole grain] pasta), and a quarter good protein sources like eggs, lean meat, or meat substitutes, lentils, black-eyed beans, mixed nuts, and seeds.” 

3.  Plan your meals:  Working full time can lead to many unplanned, rushed meals.  Take some time once a week to plan out the dinners for the week, plan what you will be bringing in your lunch each day.  Plan for some healthy snack foods to have on hand.  

4.  Snacks – who doesn’t love snacks?  Have some healthy options to choose from such as fresh fruit, nuts, whole grain crackers, whole grain chips.  Your kids will also benefit if you have healthy snack options.  (See Healthy After-School Snacks for Kids .) 

As for fat loss, it wasn’t counting calories.  The dietitian recommended balanced meals and varying one’s diet.  Portion sizes also need to be considered.  The portion sizes of so many foods are so much larger than they were even a few years ago.  A serving of meat is the size of the palm of your hand.  Too many Americans are “super-sizing” it when they should be “down-sizing” it.  Try some of the above suggestions this week and see if you give your energy a boost.

So easy to pack a protein snack or lunch box. 

 

Sources:  Insider Nutrition Clinic , Some easy ways to each healthier , Injohnnyskitchen , balanced meals , Healthy After-School Snacks for Kids   Image Sources:  Breakfast , after school snacks , protein snack box

Vitamin and Supplements to Boost Your Immune System

How can you boost your immune system?  The students in the class I teach are now asking about what they can do to boost their immune system.  This question was never asked before but in the age of COVID, people are now interested in finding ways to build a stronger immune system.  My husband shared a good article with me on this topic:  The 4 vitamin and supplements this doctor takes every day to strengthen her immune system .  I find it interesting that throughout this pandemic so little was being said about what we could do to live a healthier lifestyle including enhancing our immune system.  Well, this article gives you some ways to do so.

Often health experts say that if you eat a healthy diet, you don’t need supplements of any kind.  I eat a healthy diet but I also take some supplements just to be sure I am getting all the vitamins and minerals I need each day.  Many Americans are not eating healthy diets and don’t take supplements.  Some researchers note that under times of stress or inflammation in our bodies we may need even more nutrients than we are getting in our diets. 

Dr. Heather Moday, an immunologist, says, “I always say that you cannot supplement yourself out of bad health or replace a poor diet with vitamins, but you an fill in the gaps to give yourself that extra leg up”.   

Dr. Moday says there are 4 supplements she takes every day and she recommends these supplements to her patients.

1.       Vitamin C – this vitamin is not one your body makes and not one it stores.  Thus, you need to be replenishing this vitamin every day.  What Americans used to do is start their day with a glass of orange, grapefruit or tomato juice.  This way they started their day with a good dose of vitamin C.  So many Americans no longer drink juice and if they do, it is often not real juice but a juice drink like SunnyD or Hi-C. 

What does Vitamin C do?  This vitamin is an antioxidant, is anti-inflammatory and it strengthens our immune system.  NIH notes that vitamin C helps our immune defense by supporting the cells in our immune system.  Vitamin C deficiency leads to an impaired immune system while infections result in more inflammation and the need for vitamin C.  Dr. Moday states that vitamin C “gets used up rapidly during infection and when we are under tremendous stress”.  I tell my students that taking extra vitamin C can shorten the duration and severity of a cold.  Now studies have found that supplementing with vitamin C can “lessen the severity of hospitalized COVID patient’s symptoms”. 

The RDA for vitamin C is 90 mg a day for adult men and 75 mg a day for adult females.  Dr. Moday recommends taking 500 mg of vitamin C, twice a day.  That is a lot of vitamin C but seems to be a safe dose for adults as the upper limit for adults is 2000 mg a day. 

If you want to up your intake of vitamin C with foods, here are some to add to your day:

• Citrus fruits:  oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, tangerines.  Or 100% juice made from citrus fruits.
•  Cantaloupe and watermelon
• Peppers – bell peppers, red bell peppers provide almost 2x the C as green peppers
• Strawberries – cut some up and add to a smoothie, ice cream or cereal
• Tomatoes – add some tomatoes to a salad, enjoy red spaghetti sauce, salsa with corn chips
• Vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and even a baked potato provides vitamin C

Add some vitamin C rich foods to your day.

2.       Vitamin D

So many Americans are low or deficient in vitamin D.  Not a good thing as vitamin D is a must for a healthy immune system.  Vitamin D “makes our innate immune system more efficient in killing bacteria and viruses, and can reduce the frequency of upper respiratory infections”.  A recent study in Israel found that taking vitamin D before an infection can reduce the severity of an illness. 

Few foods provide vitamin D such as cow’s milk, most yogurts made with cow’s milk (some Greek yogurts have no vitamin D, check the label.)  Eggs provide vitamin D and some fish like salmon, trout, sardines, tuna fish.  Our bodies can make vitamin D when exposed to sunlight but harder in winter months when many are not outside as much and when we go outside, we are covered with coats, gloves and hats. 

Dr. Moday suggests taking 1,000-2,000 IU a day of D. You want to take vitamin D with a meal with some fat in it as vitamin D needs fat to be absorbed into your body. 

3.       Zinc – the mineral zinc is also important for healthy immune systems.  Although the World Health Organization reports “zinc deficiency is common worldwide..”, it shouldn’t be a problem for most Americans as we like our protein and protein foods are a rich source of zinc.  NIH states, “Zinc is known to play a central role in the immune systems, and a zinc-deficient persons experience increased susceptibility to a variety of pathogens.” 

Up your intake of zinc with foods rich in zinc by adding these foods to your day:

• Meat:  beef, pork, chicken (Note:  plant-based “meats” may have zinc added but the added zinc may not be absorbed as well as the zinc naturally found in meat. )
• Seafood:  crab, lobster, flounder
• Vegetables:  baked beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, peas
• Nuts:  cashews, almonds
• Dairy:  cow’s milk, cow’s milk yogurt, Swiss cheese, Cheddar cheese, Mozzarella cheese
• Cereal:  oatmeal

Dr. Moday recommends adding 15-30 mg of supplemental zinc a day, “especially during the fall and winter months and at the first signs of cold or flu.  (Note:  these would be recommendations for adults as these amounts would be above the upper safe limit of zinc for kids.) 

4.        Curcumin = turmeric

So much has been written about the positive health benefits of spices, especially curcumin/turmeric.  (See Anti-inflammatory foods .)  Curcumin is found in the turmeric root and is known for its many health benefits.  A main health benefit is that it is anti-inflammatory.  Another benefit is curcumin helps your  gut flora and promotes a healthier immune system. 

Supplements:  when looking for turmeric, look for the one with black pepper as our bodies don’t absorb turmeric well and black pepper enhances its absorption.  Like vitamin D, you want to take turmeric with a meal that has some fat in it as fat aids in its absorption. 

We take turmeric with black pepper, 500 mg a day.  But recently thought we should up the amount to 1,000 mg a day.  Dr. Moday recommends 1,000 mg a day and to take with food.  I recommend not just food but with a meal or snack that contains fat.  I have started putting some butter on my toast and then jam to add some fat to my breakfast as that is when I take my daily vitamin and some turmeric. 

Dr. Moday provides some great suggestions on how to boost your immune system.  You can choose foods to give your immune system a boost and add some supplements.  Be careful with supplements for kids as the amounts recommended by Dr. Moday seem to be for adults, not children.  A safe way to add supplements is a basic multivitamin/mineral one-a-day pill.  They make them for kids and for adults.  Start your day with a glass of 100% juice like orange or grapefruit juice.  Get three servings of dairy made with cow’s milk each day to up your vitamin D.  Check your yogurt label to be sure vitamin D has been added.  

 

Sources:  The 4 vitamin and supplements this doctor takes every day to strengthen her immune system , says , day , NIH , shorten , RDA , red bell peppers , immune system. , fish , Israel  reports , NIH states , recommends , Anti-inflammatory foods , gut flora , black pepper , turmeric   Image Sources:  Vitamin C , Zinc , Immune system