Frozen dinners

Many people like to have frozen dinners for a quick lunch...but have concerns about all the sodium. Here are some guidelines to use when deciding what to choose.

Calories: 300-500
Total fat: 10-18 g (less than 30% of calories)
Saturated fat: 4g or less
Sodium: 600 mg or less
Fiber: 3-5g
Daily vitamins and minerals: 10% of recommended amount
Protein: 10-20g

Most frozen meals do not have a full serving of vegetables so try to have one serving of vegetables with it or a piece of fruit. The recommendation is no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day (equal to 1 tsp of salt) for someone who doesn't have high blood pressure. The body only needs 1,500 per day for basic bodily function.

Try to season foods with herbs/spices before reaching for the salt shaker since most foods already contain sodium.

Productive ways to sneak exercise into your day

Here's some great ways to get active while being productive at the same time. Exercise doesn't have to be limited to the gym or with equipment...see below:

Top tips to go for the housework burn

• Use a wax polish in a tin rather than a spray – you’ll need to rub much harder to get a nice shine on your furniture.
• Don’t leave things to pile up at the bottom of the stairs– take individual items upstairs as soon as you need to.
• Plan your housework so you constantly have to run up and down the stairs. For example, empty the dishwasher in the kitchen, then make the bed upstairs, then vacuum the living room downstairs, then clean the bathroom upstairs – and so on.
• Keep the laundry basket on the floor when you’re ironing (rather than on a raised surface like a table). That way you’ll constantly have to bend and stretch to reach the clothes.
• Get more creative in the kitchen – peeling, chopping, stirring, whisking and beating all burn more calories than simply heating up a ready meal in a microwave oven. And if you really want to work up a sweat, have a go at making your own bread – kneading the dough is hard work!
• Stick on your favourite music and turn up the volume –it will help you polish and sweep that bit harder.

Activity	Calories burnt in 1 hour*
Walking at a moderate pace	287
Vacuuming	193.7
Dusting	173.6
Painting, Inside Projects	66
Gardening, Weeding	287.8
Mopping Floors	193.7
Car Washing	234
Cleaning Windows	180.3
Ironing	113.1
Wallpapering	133.2
Chopping Wood	415.5
Walking up & down stairs, moderate	516.3

Just a reminder that the live calls with the dietitian is today at 11:30 a.m. EST and 2:30 p.m. EST if you have any questions/comments.

We'd like to hear from you....what are some of your favorite, quick healthy meals you like to have for breakfast or lunch? (You can submit your response as anyonmous)

Discussion questions

My wife and I have just started a drastic change in our eating and exercise habits. Her cholesterol is up a bit and her triglycerides were high as well. Our doctor put her on cholesterol medication. I had my biometrics done last Fall at Goodyear and found my triglycerides were high as well.

We have greatly reduced our sugar intake (not easy to do!), switched to low-fat foods, and cut down on greasy andstarchy foods. We also chose to reduce the amount of red meat we eat, something we did not eat a lot of anyway, and switched to chicken and tuna fish. We have a list of ideal foods to eat and what is not to eat from our doctor.

She also has starting walking more and doing cardiovascular exercises. I have continued in the frequent walks I have always taken and have started doing some of the exercises.

I joined the Choose to Lose program to instill better eating and exercise habits more than to loose weight.

Our major concern has been losing weight.....she weighs only 122 lbs and worries about getting too thin. I weigh 142 lbs, and perhaps can lose a few pounds, however no more than 10.

What are some good ideas for her to continue to eat well, and to maintain her weight?

It sounds like you've already made a lot of positive changes. You didn't mention weight training (which you may be doing already), but if your wife is concerned about getting too thin, building muscle helps. This is important not only for building lean muscle mass but also helps fight osteoporosis especially for small framed people. Resistance training twice a week is recommended. Try to have healthy snacks between meals around 150-200 calories, preferrable a carb/protein combination. For example, apple with string cheese, rice cake with natural peanut butter, cottage cheese and fruit. Try to eat every 3-4 hours with no meal skipping.

Looks like I have the incorrect weight entered - as much as I wish I was only 100 pounds that is incorrect. how do I enter my correct starting weight?

You would need to contact technical support at goodlife_team@goodyear.com

I have constantly tried to work on my eating habits, because I grew up a very active athlete and I never had to pay attention to what I ate and therefore I have not developed the best habits or varieties in food. Not only have these habits followed me but I am also a very picky eater. I always feel strange admitting this because I feel like only children are picky eaters and by the time you are an adult your tastes should have broadened. I have tried many times to acquire tastes for things but consistently stick to the same foods, typically very bland and carb (pasta) loaded if I allow myself. My question is what kind of foods can I eat that are healthy for me? The diet menus I always see have things on them that I wouldn't touch and I always think, well I would definitely lose weight on that plan because I wouldn't eat anything! Please help, this is not only a dieting woe but sometimes becomes a social hindrance.

The Change One plan is not a specific/restrictive meal plan like most diets. You choose what you want from each food group. For example, breakfast is one starch/grain, one dairy or high calcium food (doesn't have to just be milk/yogurt. It can even be spinach or broccoli), and one fruit.

You can always experiment with foods by trying a new recipe with herbs/spices or sign up for a local cooking class. Many times we find foods are better when they are prepared a certain way. Most people eat the same foods for certain meals (especially breakfast) because it's easy and that's okay...just try to mix it up at dinner or lunch. Check to make sure your food on the plate isn't always brown in color all the time and instead a variety of colors. 

I had my thyroid irradiated in 1990. It's all I can do to lose a single pound...then just to see it go back on overnight....I'm frustrated.

Yes, I have been on a balanced 1300-1800 diet for at least a decade....pretty much like the Change One book.........Any suggestions?

Weight loss can be difficult and slow with hypothyroidism. Focus more on healthier eating and losing inches than weight. Are your clothes fitting any better than they used to? Or compare your lab results to last year and use that as a measure of success.

 Drinking enough water throughout the day is also important. You can try different calorie levels to see how your body responds. More on the days you exercise and less on the days you don't. High intense, interval and resistance training is a great way boost the metabolism along with small, low-fat, frequent meals with no meal skipping.

The more muscle you have, the more efficiently you’ll burn calories. Just one pound of muscle burns three times the amount of calories as a pound of fat. You can also check with your endocrinologist for any recommendations pertaining to medication.

Breakfast time savers

 Many people say they don’t have time for breakfast, what do you do as a morning time saver to make time for breakfast?

•  Pack lunches and get clothes out the night before.

• Set my alarm 20 minutes earlier

• Have something portable like fruit, yogurt or granola bar and eat it at work.

 Any others suggestions? Please share your timesaver tips!


What about McDonalds oatmeal?

No foods are completely off limits. Is there a healthier way to have oatmeal? Yes. You could go for the one without brown sugar for 18g of sugar compared to the regular at 32g. Of course an even better choice where you can control the sugar intake and save money is by making your own. I like to use Irish Steel Cut Oats. They take a while to cook so make them the night before. Make a double batch. It reheats nicely with a chewy, not gluey texture.

Cereal on the go

Mix cereal with nonfat milk powder and put in a container. Later you can just add water and you've got instant cereal (great for travelers).

 

Mercury in Fish

Should I be concerned about fish and mercury content? I mostly eat salmon and cod.

Oceans are becoming increasingly contaminated with metals, industrial chemicals, and pesticides; the most researched offenders include:

Mercury, Lead, PCBs, DDT,Dieldrin

The strongest concern lies in consumption of tainted fish by pregnant women, as unknown levels of ingestion may cause birth defects or cancer; small children also are a high-risk group.

Methylmercury binds to protein and is found throughout the fish muscle; so, both fish steaks and filets may contain mercury.

PCBs accumulate in fatty tissues of fish—high concentrations pose health risks to those who consume large amounts.

It can take 12-18 months to reduce levels of mercury in the body and up to 5 years to rid the body of mercury entirely; for this reason, it is important that women who expect to become pregnant decrease their intake to avoid consumption of tainted fish.

Always weigh the risk-to-benefit ratio of consuming fish for their omega-3 benefits against the potential harm from consuming fish that is possibly contaminated.

Fish that are high in omega-3s, low in environmental contaminants, and eco-friendly include:

Wild salmon from Alaska (fresh, frozen, and canned), Arctic char, Atlantic mackerel, Sardines, Sablefish, Anchovies, Farmed oysters, Farmed rainbow trout, Albacore tuna from the United States and Canada

Fish oil is an alternative to consuming fish, but chemicals and metals can build up in the oil, as well; choose purified fish oil capsules as the best alternative

Fish with low levels of mercury
Enjoy these fish:

Anchovies, catfish, clams, crab (domestic), crawfish/crayfish, flounder, haddock, herring, mackerel (North Atlantic, chub), mullet, oysters, perch (ocean) , Pollock, salmon (canned)†, salmon (fresh) †, sardines, scallops*, shrimp*, sole (Pacific)¸squid (calamari), tilapia, trout (freshwater), whitefish, whiting

Fish with moderate levels of mercury
Eat six servings or less/month of the following fish:

Bass (striped, black), Carp, Cod (Alaskan)*, Croaker (white Pacific), Halibut (Atlantic)*, Halibut (Pacific), Jacksmelt (silverside), Lobster, Mahimahi, Monkfish*, Perch (freshwater), Sablefish, Skate*, Snapper*, Tuna (canned chunk light),Tuna (skipjack)*, Weakfish (sea trout)

Fish with high levels of mercury
Eat three servings or less/month of the following fish:

Bluefish, Grouper*, Mackerel (Spanish, gulf), Sea bass (Chilean)*, Tuna (canned albacore),Tuna (yellowfin)*

Fish with the highest levels of mercury
Avoid eating the following fish:

Mackerel (king),Marlin*,Orange roughy*, Shark*, Swordfish*, Tilefish*, Tuna (bigeye, ahi)*

*Fish in trouble: These fish are perilously low in numbers or are caught using environmentally destructive methods
†Farmed salmon: May contain PCBs, chemicals with serious long-term health effects

Dietitian calls today

Just a reminder, I will be available today to answer your questions covering Chapter 1 and the first week of the Choose to Lose presentation. 11:30 EST and 2:30 EST. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Carbs

Below are a variety of questions I’ve received so far.

My blood sugar is a bit elevated. While there appears to be a difference between whole grain and whole wheat, is this impact not on nutritional labels?

It should say if it is whole wheat or whole grain. Both are good but look for 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain and between 2-5g fiber per serving

Is a carb not a carb? Should I just manage total daily carbs?

There are simple and complex carbs. Simple carbs are refined, such as pies, cakes, and cookies. Complex carbs are vegetables, legumes and grains. Yes, you could manage your total daily carbs. Approximately 50% of your total calories would come from carbohydrates.

Should my total carb daily intake level be monitored and lower than normal guidelines?

It’s not about low carbs…it’s about evenly balanced carbs throughout the day to avoid spikes in blood sugar. This gets more into carb counting which is beyond the scope of this program. You can email me if you would like additional counseling.

What do you think about new Dreamfield Pasta that claims to have low glycemic index and low digestible carbs?

Many factors go into the glycemic index, making it unreliable. It is very difficult to measure since it depends on where the food came from, how it was prepared, what else was eaten with it, if you ate it on an empty stomach or still had undigested food, etc. If you enjoy the taste, that’s fine or have regular whole wheat, just stick to one serving and see how it affects your blood sugar if you are testing it.

Do you have a gluten/free diet plan/menu available?

Since this is a basic, public health program, we don’t offer specific menus for medical nutritional therapy. However, the plan is very easy to follow and can easily modified for special needs. If you would like, you can email me to schedule an appointment for further counseling/meal plans. For recipes go to www.celiac.com, csaceliacs.org/recipes.php or glutenfree.com/info/recipes_other.aspx

I can't find the online food log. I would like to start using one.

You can use www.fitday.com or www.sparkpeople.com are both good sites.

Welcome - Week 1

Welcome to Week One of the Choose to Lose Program. Congratulations on making this commitment toward better health!  First of all I’d like to find out what motivated you to sign up for this program?  Everyone has different reasons...maybe weight loss, more energy, feel better, look better, etc. What's yours?  

Also, think about where you would you like to see yourself ideally by the end of this program and even longer term…where would you like to see yourself a year from now?  Really think about this and post it if you’d like or write it down as a reminder to yourself.

Registration

Welcome Everyone! My name is Mary White, Registered Dietitian. Just a reminder that registration for Choose to Lose Program begins Monday, March 5^th.

YOU are the most important part of this program…change your life for the better! Start by reviewing the Introduction section and Chapter 1/Breakfast in the Change One Book as well as the presentation.

I will answer any questions you have on Week 1 either through live discussion calls, this blog site, or by email mwhitenutrition@yahoo.com.  I look forward to helping you to reach a successful, healthy lifestyle.