Barriers

We all have things that stop us from reaching goals from time to time. It's good to be aware of those barriers and develop a plan to overcome them.

What is your barrier to weight loss or reaching another health goal?

Kitchen Tools for Making Healthier Meals

Healthy cooking requires the right tools. Does your kitchen include the tools you need to make healthful foods?

Citrus zester

Adding lemon, lime, or orange zest is an excellent way to add flavor to many dishes—from meat and poultry to steamed vegetables and low-fat desserts, such as angel food cake.

Wok

A stir-fry is one of the fastest, healthiest dishes to create, and a wok makes it even easier and tastier. Choose your favorite vegetables and a source of protein, use low-sodium soy sauce, make some rice, and relax—dinner is done!

 

Oil mister

Pour your favorite oil into the canister. Spritz your food to add a touch of flavor without all of the added calories and fat that you would get from adding oil by another method.

Crock-Pot^®

A Crock-Pot provides an excellent way to prepare your own soups and stews, and to cook lean meat so it is tender and juicy. It also is good for making low-fat puddings, and casseroles. Many Crock-Pot cookbooks are available. A quick browse on the Internet will yield dozens of recipes as well. 

 

Immersion blender

Getting out the traditional blender, assembling it, and then taking it apart and cleaning it can seem like too much work for making a simple smoothie or a chilled soup. You will save time and space by using an immersion blender for these small jobs.

Garlic press

Full of antioxidants and flavor, garlic is excellent when added to poultry, sauces, soups, and vegetables, such as spinach or tomatoes. 

Salad spinner

A salad spinner makes cleaning your lettuce a snap, which makes eating a salad seem like a much more appealing idea.

 

Food processor

A good food processor makes almost every meal easier to prepare. It chops vegetables and fruits, shreds cheese, and mixes ingredients. You will find many uses for this tool.

 

Food scale and measuring cups/spoons

Learning to recognize appropriate portion sizes is one of the most important steps to eating a healthful, well-balanced, diet. 

 

Thermometer

You can not tell by looking at a food whether it is cooked well enough. Some dishes look underdone when they are actually done, and others appear cooked through when they are really not. The only way to know for sure is to use a reliable thermometer. 

Grill basket

A grill basket is useful for making grilled vegetables or even fruit, especially if you are tired of watching your meal literally fall through the cracks. This device will hold all of your food together, so that none is lost during the grilling process.

Kitchen scissors

Many herbs contain as many or more antioxidants than fresh produce. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to easily snip fresh herbs into your dish. These scissors are useful for many kitchen chores besides chopping herbs. Just make sure you sterilize this tool after every use to avoid cross-contamination. 

How healthy is your kitchen?

What are the first three things you see when you open your refrigerator?

Weekends/Holidays

This week we discussed weekends and holidays. We tend to eat different during these times. Share your tips or post additional questions:

How do you keep yourself from overeating at family functions?


Do you have people who try to sabotage your efforts? How do you handle that?

Questions - Trans fats

What makes Trans fats so bad?

Trans fats are bad because not only do they raise our LDL “bad” cholesterol but they also lower our HDL “good” cholesterol. Manufacturers like to use it because it increases the shelf life of a product. It is normally liquid at room temperature but they have chemically altered it to make it stay solid at room temperature. This is how stick margarine holds its shape and why you don’t see oil floating on top of regular peanut butter.

 
It is typically found in prepared foods like pie crust, crescent rolls, crackers, icing, mixes, and cookies. The FDA does not require the manufacturers to list trans fats if there is less than .5g per serving. We recommend no more than 2g/d if any at all. If you eat 4 servings at .5g then you’ve reached your limit…which is not hard to do if the servings sizes are small.

Play food detective…look at the ingredient list for the word “partially hydrogenated” and that means they do include trans fats. 

I’ve heard that eating an apple can make you hungrier?

I haven’t heard that but if you pair that apple with some protein, for example, a piece of string cheese or 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter or a handful of nuts, it will keep you fuller longer and prevent blood sugar spikes which may make you hungry.

Protein takes longer to digest…so pairing it with high fiber (which an apple is) is a great combination.

Six slimming foods

If you're looking for creative (and delicious!) ways to enhance your weight loss efforts, here's a fresh collection of six slimming foods you should add to your repertoire. I'm a firm believer that dieting and losing weight doesn't mean you have to subsist on bland, boring cardboard. With that in mind, I've put together a list of strategic skinny eats, each of which has its own unique way of satisfying your taste buds while blunting your appetite. 
 

1.      Pumpkin Pudding: Decadent, creamy pudding for less than 150 calories--and it helps you lose weight! Just combine a 6-ounce container of nonfat vanilla yogurt with ½ cup canned 100% pure pumpkin puree and a dash of cinnamon. The pumpkin bulks up the yogurt--already a protein-rich, nutrient-packed food--and adds a hefty dose of fiber. This winning combo of protein and fiber expands in your stomach, keeping you full long after you finish, so you're not looking for more munchies an hour later.

 

2.      Vegetable Soup: Studies have shown that just by starting a meal with a fiber-rich bowl of broth-based veggie soup, you can reduce your total calorie intake by 20 percent. That's because this "veggie first course" helps to fill you up, so you wind up eating less at the main meal.

3.      Cucumber Tomato Salad:  Thanks to their high percentage of water (95%!), cucumbers are low-calorie, high volume, and top-notch for weight loss! Slice up one whole cucumber plus a medium tomato, then toss with light vinaigrette or unlimited vinegar (balsamic or red wine is delish) plus 1 teaspoon olive oil. The entire salad has only 125 calories!

4.      Ginger Green Tea: Nursing a warm mug of tea is a calorie-free way to de-stress after a long day without falling prey to emotional eating. As an added bonus, research suggests that regularly drinking green tea may give you a slight calorie-burning advantage. Steep your tea with a thin slice of ginger root for an extra punch of flavor.

5.      Fiery Chicken Salad: Adding a few dashes of fiery hot sauce to your food slows down your eating big time so you're less likely to eat past the point of fullness. For a simple lunch, whip up a chicken salad with diced chicken breast, 1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayo, hot sauce to taste, and any diced veggies on hand. Serve over a bed of lettuce (and have a glass of water handy!).

6.      Shrimp Cocktail: At around 8 calories a piece, shrimp are a fabulous source of lean protein, which helps rev your metabolism and keeps you feeling full for hours. Next time you dine out, start your meal with a shrimp cocktail appetizer. When you're eating at home, dunk your shrimp in this could-not-be-easier cocktail sauce recipe: simply combine 1 tablespoon ketchup with 1 teaspoon bottled horseradish and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. 

Share your strategies

We want to hear from you! Share your ideas with other Change One Participants.

Question:  What is your favorite quick and healthy meal to have for dinner?