8 Tips (and tools) on how to stay on a diet and still eat out

At this time of year, we tend to eat out a lot. It can be difficult to stay on track with your healthy diet when this happens. However, eating out does not have to derail your weight loss (or weight maintenance) efforts.  Being prepared and having a strategic plan will allow you to eat out at almost any restaurant and still stay on track. 

TIP 1 - Plan ahead:  Most restaurants have their menus online and some even have the nutritional info posted (chains mostly).  Go online, search for the nutrition information of the restaurant you want to go to, and plan out your choices. Popular restaurants that have all their nutrition facts posted online include Starbucks, Panera Bread, Au Bon Pain, Cosi,  Hale and Hearty, Pizza Hut, Chipotle, The Keg, Milestones, Montana's, Boston Pizza, and more. Try this website (click here) for a pretty broad listing of restaurants and their menu item nutrition facts. Also, if you want the low-down on nutrition information for menu items, The Economist ran a great commentary on the issue as it pertains to New York when in first hit the fan in 2011.

As you can see, getting the nutritional information before you go has become relatively easy; it just requires a little homework.

 

Once you arrive:

TIP 3-  Drink please!  Try ordering a warm drink first thing such as hot water with some fresh lemon slices.  You’ll be surprised how this warm calming drink can fill you up and soothe the craving/hunger beast.  Herbal tea is also a great option while coffee tends to throw off blood sugar levels and may lead to cravings and bad decisions later on.

TIP 4 - Be an assertive orderer:  Don’t be afraid to modify the menu.  Trust me, in this age of “nutritionism”, waiters are used to it. Ask questions and know the terminology.  Grilled, steamed, broiled, boiled, and baked are fine, but beware of terms such as creamy, smothered, lightly breaded, deep fried. Ask for sauces on the side and leave out the fries/rice/pasta/potatoes that usually come with the main entree and ask for extra veggies instead (most restaurants are happy to do this).      

                                  

TIP 5 - Start with soup or salad:  Both can be filling and satisfying. Order the dressing on the side and dip your fork lightly in the dressing before every bite.  Stay with non-creamy soups. Ask the server if dairy is added so you will know if they add cream or cheese or even butter (extra tip: you can tell your server that you are lactose intolerant to make sure they don’t add cream, butter, or cheese) 

TIP 6 - Appetizers as the main course: Try ordering from the appetizer menu if you don’t find anything you want on the main menu such as grilled calamari ,caprese salad, or shrimp cocktail.  Smaller portions save calories and are less expensive.

TIP 7 - Liquor Control:  Alcohol can stimulate hunger so never drink on an empty stomach (This really throws off blood sugar) and try to follow the 1:1 rule; follow a glass of wine with a full glass of water.  Even try to cut the wine with ½ club soda or Perrier in a wine Spritzer or mix vodka with soda water.

TIP 8 -  Portion Control/Leftovers for the next day:  Most restaurants provide huge portions--take a look at the size of the plate or bowl!  Eyeball your serving size (palm of your hand) and divide your portion accordingly.  Make a mental note to have the rest packed-up for home, or, better yet, ask the waiter for a to-go container and box it up right away.  Added bonus: you have less to cook the next day.

The smart phone world is still trying to stay on top of restaurant nutrition. There are a few good apps out there, but they need constant updating. Here are a few free ones that are worth trying, just to get a sense of what your waistline is up against:

Restaurant Nutrition by Foundation HealthCare Network

Restaurant Nutrition by Unified Lifestyle

Calorie Count Nutrition Search by Calorie Count

Exercise – The wonder drug

Years ago, doctors rarely told people with chronic ailments to exercise because they were unsure of how much physical activity these people could handle. In the last decade, exercise has proved to be effective in helping people manage – and prevent – everything from heart disease to osteoporosis, diabetes, and even cancer.

Do you exercise, or are you physical active?

Being physical active is a wonderful lifestyle choice, but it is not the same as being an exerciser. Physical activity is any body movement that leads to increased energy expenditure, while exercise is planned, structured, and repetitive body movement.

For instance, activities of daily living – stuff you have to do, like carrying the groceries – count as physical activity. To say you exercise means you might go for a brisk walk everyday during lunch, attend a weekly yoga class, or enjoy a competitive game of ball every Friday.

A Prescription for Exercise

When your doctor writes you a prescription for a drug it often comes in several different forms, a chewable tablet, a liquid suspension, etc. The dose of the drug also varies. It could be one large dose once a day or several smaller doses throughout the day.

Exercise is no different. There’s a “dose-response” relationship between exercise and health. In effect, you or your trainer could write a “prescription” for exercise, at a tolerated intensity, with your own personal “dosing” schedule. Whatever you choose to do, remember - the only requirements are that your physical activity be planned, structured, and repeatedly enjoyed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity every day for five days per week. Or, you can swap that for 20 minutes of vigorous physical activity three days a week. This is a great “prescription” to start with while working up to one hour of daily moderately intense activity.

Time well spent

Increasingly, chronic diseases are costing us time and money. That’s not news, but preventing disease by being physical activity is far less expensive than traditional medicine. Any time you spend enjoying yourself while being active, right now, means less time spent in convalescence, waiting for medical care when you are older. 

Speak to your regular healthcare practitioner or certified personal trainer and write yourself an Exercise Prescription today! Are you looking for a personal trainer? Contact me. Not only am I a certified personal trainer, I also work with other trainers and can help you find someone who will match your needs.

Have a favorite exercise? I would love to hear what it is! Either comment below or head on over to my Facebook page to comment.

Eat This, Not That

I am a huge fan of the Eat This, Not That series. I came across this write up that I thought you would emjoy. Emily Kennedy, MSc, Nutritionist, is a food researcher and writer who believes small changes can result in permanent weight loss.

To emerge victorious in the battle of the bulge you need to make small changes that are sustainable over a long period of time. In the long run, crash dieting and eliminating certain types of food will cause you to regain any lost weight. Small tweaks to your daily food choices - 100 calories here and there - may not have quick results but they will last longer.

Here are a few examples of small changes to save calories and reduce your energy intake:

Eat This	Not That
At Breakfast: McDonald’s Egg McMuffin    Calories: 290 Total Fat: 12 grams Sodium: 760 milligrams Savings: 260 calories, 18 grams of fat, and a whooping 740 milligrams of sodium! Tim Horton’s Cranberry Blueberry Bran Muffin     Calories: 290 (yes, same as an Egg McMuffin!) Total fat: 10 grams Sodium: 710 milligrams Sugar: 24 grams Savings: 110 calories and 7 grams of fat – but this is not a good substitution if you’re watching your sodium! Kellogg’s All-Bran Buds, 1/3 cup Calories: 80 Savings: 120 calories	McDonald’s Sausage, Egg and Cheese McGriddles Calories: 550 Total Fat: 30 Sodium: 1500 milligrams Tim Horton’s Wholegrain Raspberry Muffin Calories: 400 Total fat: 17 grams Sodium: 580 milligrams Sugar: 26 grams Good For You Muesli, 1/3 cup Calories: 200 (This is still a healthy product but you can do better calorie wise.)
At Lunch: Harvey’s Warm Grilled Chicken Salad w/ Asian Sesame Dressing Calories: 230 Fat: 5.5 grams Sodium: 814 milligrams Savings: 620 calories, 39.5 grams fat, 876 milligrams sodium Stonemill Organic Muesli Bagel with Flaxseeds Calories: 140 Savings: An even 100 calories. Hollywood Thins 100% Whole Wheat Bread, 1 slice Calories: 50 Savings: 90 calories Renee’s Gourmet Wellness Pomegranate Blueberry with Acai, 2 tbsp Calories: 10 Savings: 110 calories	Taco Bell Fiesta Salad Calories: 850 Fat: 45 grams Sodium: 1690 milligrams Wellness Multi Grain Bagel Calories: 240 Country Harvest 100% Whole Grain Sunflower Flax, 1 slice Calories: 140 President’s Choice Maple Balsamic Dressing, 2 tbsp Calories: 120
At Dinner: The Keg Teriyaki Chicken with Steamed Asparagus (instead of potatoes) Calories: 470 calories Saturated Fat: 1 gram Savings: 1340 calories and 48 grams saturated fat!!! Boston Pizza’s California Pizza Calories: 610 Total fat: 11 grams Sodium: 450 milligrams Savings: 140 calories, 16 fat grams, 1200 milligrams sodium!!	The Keg Prime Rib Classic, 8 oz. Calories: 1,810 Saturated Fat: 49 grams Boston Pizza Gourmet Pepperoni Calories: 750 Total fat: 27 Sodium: 1650
For Snacks: Power Bar Pria Calories: 170 Fat: 5 grams Savings: 250 calories, 12 grams of fat Source Salba Ancient Grains Bar Calories: 100  Fat: 2 grams Savings: 130 calories, 5 grams of fat Danone Silhouette 0% M.F. Yogurt Calories: 40 Savings: 110 calories	Tri-O-Plex Energy Bar Calories: 420 Fat: 17 grams Kellogg’s Chocolate Chip Vector Energy Bar Calories: 230 Fat: 7 grams Danone Creamy Coffee Yogurt Calories: 150
To Drink: Brut’s Champagne, 3 ounces Calories: 60 Savings: 291 calories Dairyland Fat-Free Creama Coffee Creamer, 2 tbsp Calories: 20 Savings: 100 calories even!	Bailey’s Original Liquor, 3 ounces Calories: 351 Nestle Coffee Mate French Vanilla, 2 tbsp Calories: 120

The Benefits Of Network Marketing

Network marketing has many appeals, the biggest of which is you are in charge of your time and the amount of money you make. However, many people are still a little leery of the whole MLM thing. What is network marketing and who benefits from it? Simply put, if you are looking for additional streams of revenue, then read on. If you are tired of being paid just for the hours you put into someone else’s business—you work 4 hours and get paid for 4 hours—then read on.

1. Most MLMs have a low start up cost. Any time you start a business, there is an inherent risk of losing money. The trick is to minimize the risk. With most MLMs, there is a low start cost and minimal financial risk. If you start with a company whose products you already use, there is even less risk.

2. There are so many MLMs from which to choose. The best way to narrow down if that product/company is right for you is to ask yourself 3 questions:

·      Would I use this product even if I were not going to market them?

·      Does this product add value to what I already offer to my clients?

·      Do these products offer the consumer any benefits other than the opportunity to make money?

3. MLMs offer an opportunity to make residual income. Once you have built your base of customers, you can enjoy the benefit of having residual income each month. Word of caution on residual income: it is not retail income. When you sign up with an MLM, you can add the product as additional retail in your current business. You make a commission on everything you sell. If you decide to build a team, then you start to really reap the rewards of residual income. It takes time and patience.

4. MLMs generally do not have an income cap. When you trade hours for dollars, as in a traditional job, you are capped on how much you can make. However, with MLMs, you can recruit and continually build your customer base to create as much residual income as you would like. If you were to work your MLM business 7-10 hours per week, for example, you can double or triple your income in 2 years. That kind of growth is not possible in a traditional “hours-for-dollars” job.

5. You no longer have to keep inventory in stock, nor do you have to sell door to door. Most MLMs now take advantage of what the internet has to offer. Customers can order from your website. Some companies fill that order for you; others have you place the order for what products you need. Either way, you no longer have to keep a room full of items on hand, which makes running an MLM business very flexible.

6. An MLM business is portable. Since much of the MLM is run off the internet and through the phone, you can take your business on the road or run it from your home office. You can set the hours that work best for you. How does making money while sleeping sound? You can do that with the right MLM.

7. You are plugged into a community of like-minded individuals. You choose an MLM based on your interests and the value the product can add to your clients. This means you choose a product that has a community of leaders who will help support you and help you grow not only in your business, but also as a person. It is a beautiful thing to not have to “go it alone”.

8. Almost all MLMs offer recognition and rewards, and who doesn’t like to receive a check or gift or pat on the back? When you have a product you believe in and a community that supports you, you become passionate. When you are passionate, people notice and want what you have. When people want what you have, your business grows, and as your business grows, your MLM community notices and gives you much needed and well-deserved recognition.

9. Network marketing is NOT a pyramid scheme. They are very different, and one is illegal. In a typical pyramid scheme, a person is asked to fork over a lot of money to join a game with no legitimate product. Only the people at the top would make any money and everyone else is left feeling ripped off. In an MLM, you can start at the bottom and work your way to the top; everyone has an opportunity to make money. Also, in an MLM, the product is solid and there is support to both the marketer and the consumer.

10. More and more companies are turning to network marketing. It is a powerful and cost-effective way to reach a lot of people. Success Magazine has stated that network marketing is “the most powerful way to reach the consumer” and companies have taken notice. What does this mean for you? It means network marketing is moving mainstream and more and more people are viewing MLMs as a credible business opportunity.

Thinking about adding a quality product from a strong company to your business or are you looking to leave the rat race and start your own business? I would love to help. Comment below with your interests, and we can talk. There is no pressure—only information.

The Quintessential Guide to Keeping your Bowels Healthy

A healthy digestive system is essential for a healthy body and optimal weight loss. The following are some simple tips to keep your bowels in tip top shape

1.    Ground flaxseed - Enjoy 1-2 heaping tbsp of ground flax or chia seeds daily – both are gentle sources of fiber that can help promote bowel movements. If you have been taking 1 tbsp try increasing to two.

2.    Psyllium fiber - Adding 1 tsp of psyllium powder to your smoothie can be helpful. Or try adding ¼ cup of Bran Bud’s to your morning yogurt and berries. Bran bud’s is one of the few cereals on the market that contains psyllium fiber.

3.    WATER! WATER! WATER! Bowels need to be hydrated to pass stools. If you are experiencing hard stools that are difficult to pass it can often be lack of water as the culprit. Ensure you are drinking at least 2 litres of water per day.

4.    Drink fresh lemon juice and warm water in the morning. Lemon juice is great for the liver stimulating bile flow, which gets the rest of the digestive system moving. No lemons? No problem. You can use Lemon essential oils from HERE.

5.    Magnesium –Magnesium is the 2^nd most abundant mineral in the body next to calcium. Magnesium stimulates peristalsis, which is the rhythmic contraction of your digestive system, moving things along the digestive tract. Great sources of magnesium include; dark leafy green veggies, whole grains, pumpkin seeds and black beans. Talk to your health care provider or me about supplementing with magnesium.

6.    Probiotics – healthy bacteria in our gut is essential for the proper breakdown and absorption of nutrients from our food as well as proper elimination. Plain yogurt with probiotics is a good place to start. Other food sources of probiotics include naturally fermented sauerkraut, kefir, miso and tempeh. For many, supplementation is needed for a more therapeutic amount of these healthy bugs. Click HERE for a good source of probiotics.

Want to know more? Set up a complimentary 30-minute discovery session. Click HERE.

Why Nutrition Research for Cancer Prevention?

According to the National Cancer Institute, as much as 80 percent of all cancers are due to lifestyle factors that you can change. That means up to 80 percent of all cancers are potentially preventable. Within that 80 percent of potentially preventable cancers, cancer researchers estimated that 35 to 50 are due to foods we consume in our daily diet. That’s an incredible number! No wonder there’s so much research about diet and cancer.

However, before we look at the latest research, we need a basic understanding of why diet plays a role in cancer development.

Cancer begins as a single abnormal cell that begins to multiply out of control. Groups of these rapidly multiplying cells form tumors that invade healthy tissue. Carcinogens from foods, the air, and even substances made in our own bodies promote the development of tumors.

It takes years for a noticeable tumor to develop. During this time, compounds known as inhibitors can keep the tumor cells from growing. Some vitamins and phytochemicals in plant foods are known to be inhibitors. Dietary fat, particularly saturated fat, is known to be a promoter that encourages the tumor cells multiple quickly.

The latest research is pointing to overall eating patterns – not specific nutrients or foods – as the more important way to view diet and cancer prevention. However, everyday scientists are still seeking to understand the beneficial biological processes specific nutrients or foods seem to promote in the fight against cancer.

Cancer is one of the most feared medical diagnoses, and many people who’ve been given this unfortunate news seek out new research and new alternative therapies that may help the fight their tumors. In research, unfortunately, not one study ever provides the last word on the subject.  Brief reports in the daily news often put too much emphasis on new findings - findings that may contradict previous studies.

It is with this disclaimer that this posting is not meant to diagnose or treat cancer and note of caution for you to do further research that I present some recent research on diet, nutrients, and four major cancers (breast, prostate, colorectal and liver). 

Overview: Phytochemicals and Foods linked to cancer prevention

Phytochemical	Foods with the highest content (from highest to lowest)
Glucosinolates (converted to sulforaphane when food is chewed or minimally cooked)	Brussels sprouts Collard greens Kale Watercress Turnip White or red cabbage Broccoli Bok Choy Cauliflower
Sulfur compounds (alliin converted to allicin when food is crushed, allicin converted to diallyl sulfide and diallyl disulfide)	Garlic Onions
Isoflavones (flavonoids)	Soy flour Dry roasted soybeans Edamame Miso Tofu Soy milk Tofu hot dog Soy sauce Chickpeas Soybean oil
Ellagic acid (antioxidant)	Raspberries and blackberries Nuts Pecans Strawberries Cranberries Blueberries Citrus fruits
Proanthcyanidins (polyphenol)	Cinnamon Cocoa powder Red beans Hazelnuts Cranberries Wild blueberries Strawberries Red Delicious Apples (with peel) Grapes Red Wine
Alpha-linolenic acid (plant omega-3)	Fresh Walnuts Ground Flaxseeds Walnut Oil Canola Oil Soybeans Tofu
EPA and DHA (animal omega-3)	Sardines Herring Mackerel Altantic Salmon Rainbow Trout

Cruciferous vegetables are a good source of glucosinolates and their hydrolysis products, including

indoles and isothiocyanates. A high intake of cruciferous vegetables has been associated with a lower

risk of lung and colorectal cancer in some epidemiological studies. Glucosinolate hydrolysis products

alter the metabolism or activity of sex hormones in ways that could inhibit the development of hormone-

sensitive cancers, but evidence of an inverse association between cruciferous vegetable intake and breast

or prostate cancer in humans is limited and inconsistent. Organizations such as the National Cancer

Institute recommend the consumption of 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, but separate re-

commendation for cruciferous vegetables have not been established.

Isothiocyanates and indoles derived from the hydrolysis of glucosinolates, such as sulforaphane and 

indole-3-carbonol (I3C), have been implicated in a variety of anti-carcinogenic mechanisms, but de-

leterous effects have also been reported in some experimental protocols, including tumor promotion 

over prolonged periods of exposure. (1) Epidemiological studies indicate that human exposure to 

isothiocyanates and indoles through cruciferous vegetable consumption may decrease cancer risk, but 

the protective effects may be influenced by individual genetic variation (polymorphisms) in the 

metabolism and the elimination of isothiocyanates from the body.

Cooking procedures also affect the bioavailability and intake of glucosinolates and their derivatives. Supplementation with I3C or the related dimer 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) alters urinary estrogen metabolite profiles in women, but the effects of I3C and DIM on breast cancer risk are not known. Small preliminary trials in humans suggest that I3C supplementation may be beneficial in treating conditions related to human papilloma virus infection, such as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, but larger randomized controlled trials are needed.¹

Researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University have found that sulforaphane – a compound found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, bok choy and brussels sprouts – has strong anti-cancer properties.

Even more promising results have been found in broccoli sprouts. The tiny, thread-like broccoli sprouts sold at stores next to alfalfa sprouts have more than 50 times the amount of sulforaphane than found in mature broccoli.

Emily Ho, a researcher with the Linus Pauling Institute and an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences at OSU, described these dietary inhibitors for cancer prevention at the conference on “Diet and Optimum Health,” organized by the Linus Pauling Institute.

Ho’s main area of research is on the dietary prevention of prostate cancer. The Asian diet could be a key in this prevention. White males born in the United States have dramatically higher rates of prostate cancer than Asian men. But when Asian men live in the U.S. for five years or more, their rates of prostate cancer rise significantly, Ho says.²

Past studies in Ho’s lab have focused on dietary elements in cancer prevention such as green tea and soy. In her new study, which was published in the Journal of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Ho and her colleagues at Linus Pauling Institute looked at cruciferous vegetables. While many cruciferous vegetables have sulforaphane, broccoli and broccoli sprouts have the highest amount and thus could be a major player in the prevention of prostate and colon cancer.

Ho said drugs classified as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are being looked at as potentially preventing cancer. She said their research shows that these same effects of inhibiting HDAC might be obtained by consumption of cruciferous vegetables. “I would say if you’re at all worried about cancer or at high risk of cancer, especially of prostate or colon cancer, then increasing your dietary intake of broccoli and other vegetables could be a good idea,” Ho said. “It certainly can’t hurt. And drugs can have negative side effects and be difficult to administer.”²

While Ho said the research is not at the point where she can make a specific recommendation on how much broccoli or bok choy to eat, she personally tries to have two servings of cruciferous vegetables a day. In human subjects, just eating some broccoli sprouts on top of a bagel with cream cheese resulted in HDAC inhibition. “The compound in broccoli may be one of the strongest anti-cancer fighters we have,” Ho said.²

1. Higdon JV. Cruciferous vegetables and human cancer risk: epidemiologic evidence and mechanistic basis. 

Pharmacol Res. 2007 Mar;55(3):224-36. Epub 2007 Jan 25.

2. Oregon State University. "Eat Your Broccoli: Study Finds Strong Anti-Cancer Properties In Cruciferous Veggies." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 May 2007. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070517100315.htm

Kitchen Secrets to Beautiful Skin

The skin is the largest organ in the body, functioning as a protective barrier, our primary organ of sense, and a very important organ of elimination and detoxification. Through perspiration, the skin can clear all kinds of toxins from our bodies to help keep us healthy and clean on the inside.

However, this essential task of removing toxins means that impurities from inside our body often show up on the outside as imperfections in the skin. This is why the secrets to beautiful skin involve ridding our insides of impurities through ample water intake, eating detoxifying foods and nourishing the skin from the inside out.

Nourishing the skin means nourishing the dermal cells and connective tissue that make up skin layers. Collagen makes up a large proportion of the skin's interior matrix and is literally behind the structure and shape of our face, our hands, our legs and everything else!

To maintain a youthful appearance, it’s important to protect the skin from premature aging and help it build and repair its collagen matrix. Collagen needs antioxidant vitamin C, estradiol hormone, and the amino acid L-lysine to stay firm and strong.

These nutrients may sound like a tall order but many of the foods that are rich in antioxidants, plant estrogens, and amino acids also contain water and detoxifying elements. Here are the foods you can eat to hydrate, detoxify, and nourish your skin:

Watermelon. Summer is the season to show off our skin so isn't it fitting that the quintessential fruit of summer helps us get beautiful skin? Watermelon obviously provides water to hydrate our skin, but it also contains antioxidants vitamin C and lycopene. These two nutrients will help build collagen and undo the damage done by harmful UV rays.

Soybeans. You've probably heard that soy contains phytoestrogens. These plant estrogens mimic the activity of estrogen made in our body by promoting synthesis of new collagen cells. Soybeans are also a great source of L-lysine, an essential amino acid that must be obtained from the diet to help collagen and cartilage grow. Go for organic, non-GMO soybeans whenever possible.

Flaxseed. Another source of phytoestrogens, flaxseed is a great detoxifying food because of its high fiber content. It also contains omega-3 ALA, which is converted to anti-inflammatory compounds in the body. That translates into clear skin that's clean from the inside out! Remember to always grind flaxseeds before eating them. 

Like what you've read or have any other food suggestions for healthy, glowing skin? Comment below.

Looking for more? Click here to book your free 30-minute nutritional consultation.

References

Beautifying Skin by Shelly Lynn Nellis. Vista Magazine, Volume 66, page 44.