No rules eating

This interesting 20/20 link came across the ADA (American Dietetic Association) wire today. It just reinforces the fact that extremes in eating or eating fads, can be really dangerous, even if they are masked as being healthy strategies.

The goal with living a healthier life is to find a balance. If eating or the concept of "eating healthy" becomes more of a chore than it is enjoyable, it is time to reevaluate your goals. I found the article and it's videos to be of interest because I get so many questions about "what is the perfect diet?". The answer is "there is no perfect diet and in fact that isn't what one should strive for either".

Finding balance is key and people should be encouraged to learn strategies for adding healthier foods into their life, but not feel pressured to eat "perfectly". Today take the time to add something healthy into your day, but make sure you do it for in a positive way. Take the stairs, eat a piece of fruit, eat 1/2 of the Milky Way rather than the whole thing! Small, subtle changes in your diet that allow you to still be you and still feel positive about the foods on your plate will ultimately help you be healthier all around. If you are feeling overwhelmed by all of the fad diet strategies out there, take the pressure of of yourself to consume only foods that you think fit "perfectly" into a "perfect diet", by knowing that the old strategies, while less "sexy" still hold true: eat everything in moderation, even chocolate!!
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Stossel/story?id=5735592&page=1

Protein for B'fast

A recent study out of Purdue University confirmed what we know, eating more protein at your meal leaves you more satisfied, but went further to develop an association with the timing of eating protein by comparing breakfast, lunch and dinner events. They found that the feeling of fullness was greatest and most sustained throughout the day when the additional protein, from high-quality protein foods was eaten at breakfast.

Most of us eat in a pattern that essentially end-loads our calorie intake. We want to try to change that pattern and begin to front-load our calorie intake at the start of the day. Here is a visual example of what I mean. Imagine a triangle sitting on it's base (the widest part). It has a skinny tip and gets wider as you move along to the base. Most people eat in a pattern that matches that image-less in the morning, noon and more calories as they go throughout their day into the night. Imagine flipping that triangle so it is sitting on it's sip with it's base in the air. Now an eating pattern that matches that image would have you front-loading your calories or taking in more throughout the morning hours and dwindling it down as you go into the evening. This type of eating pattern also mirrors how you body naturally runs it's "engine"--revvs in the morning, burns throughout the day and slows into the evening.

If you notice that you are always searching for a snack mid-morning or even an hour right after you eat breakfast, take a peak at what you are eating. If you aren't eating enough, work on boosting your breakfast. If you are eating enough, but only eating all carbohydrates (i.e. a big bowl of rice chex or a big bagel) get more balance by adding protein and fruits.

Here are a few protein ideas:
-Canadian bacon (this is more like a slice of ham, not bacon)
-1 oz of low-fat cheese
-1 tbsp of peanut butter
-eggs (hard boiled are easy to make on Sunday night for the week)
-1 oz of nuts
-1 slice of deli meat rolled with one slice of low-fat cheese
-whey protein added to fruit smoothie
-Greek yogurt

7-Day Goals: Think about your typical breakfast. Think about how soon after breakfast you feel hungry again. Take out a piece of paper and draw a triangle. Write down your meals in the empty triangle. Does your pattern look like it is more of a front-loaded pattern (more food in the morning/lunch hours, dwindling at night) or an end-loaded pattern (few calories in the morning and more throughout the evening). What changes can you commit to making to shake up your meal pattern?
~K

Getting a Jump on Kitchen Prep

Monday was a perfect day to get my hands dirty in the kitchen. One of my favorite concepts to use is creating pre-prep "meal kits" used by Food Network's Robin Miller. She has a book called "Quick Fixes with Robin Miller" and a show as well.
She suggests prepping for the weekly meals on the weekend and I have to tell you this method truly works. She has a few other strategies besides pre-prepping that work as well, such as "meal morphing". This is where you take the leftover ingredients and ingredients within the same family of flavors and make multiple meals out of them throughout the week. This is all done with minimal time and minimal effort. The bulk of your time spent in the kitchen comes on the weekend. Some might say, "well, that is still a busy time for me". Try to look at it from a different angle. If you want to be your best self, you need to carve out time and put the effort in.
Here are some of the steps you can use to follow this type of a "quick fix" flow in your kitchen:

1. Make a list: Don't leave home without it! This sounds like a boring message, "don't forget your list"...however, it really makes a difference in the types and amounts of foods you bring home. Without a list you are more apt to make spontaneous decisions that are often times higher in calories, fat and more expensive. You most likely will end up with more food waste as well because the foods in the cart were not properly organized into well planned meals. Approach the list from two angles: a. What meal kits can I make today to immediately freeze for use on a busy night? b. What staples do I need for the meals I will prepare this week? (For meal kits for example I knew I was going to make a marinade with flank steak and freeze. I looked at the necessary ingredients for the marinade and bought the steak).
2. Unpack with purpose: When you unpack your groceries put the foods that you can easily separate into 1 serving snack packs to the side before you pack them away. I do this with blueberries and baby carrots. I wash and put them into little on-the-go bags right away before I get lazy and forget they are even in there! Each night, I grab that snack baggie and put it in my lunch bag for the next day. Works like a charm!
3. Meal Kits: My first kit was for chicken sausage in a delicious sauce, the second was flank steak in homemade marinade and the third was for oat encrusted chicken fingers. I tackled them one by one. After each was prepared, I poured the ingredients into individual freezer bag. I dated each bag, listed the contents, put what page I could find the recipe on in the book and lastly put what additional ingredients I would need to have on hand to complete the meal. Many of these kits will require me to simply cook pasta, cook the meat and voila.
4. Weekly Meal Prep: Cutting and chopping can be a chore, but why not do it once a week versus 5 or 6 times a week instead? Just get er done! Then when I am ready to have a salad or cook a stir fry I simply grab the chopped ingredients and start cooking.
5. Rotisserie chicken: Again,one of my favorite items. Before putting it in the fridge I cut off most of the meat and made a chicken salad with celery and cranberries. Prep it right in the bowl you will store it in the fridge in and you save a wash. Then you simply scoop out for sandwiches and salads all week.

7-Day Goals: Look at your week. What day can you carve out some time for pre-prep?

~K