Starting to Think About Thanksgiving

It is time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and what you are going to prepare and eat for this wonderful holiday. Some things you should do to start thinking about having a healthy holiday are:

Start making a game plan for the day - what will you eat during the day? when will you fit in your exercise?

How much will you eat at your Thanksgiving meal - will you eat a small breakfast and lunch before as to not overindulge?

What are those special foods that you will eat at this meal - are there 1 or 2 dishes that you love and only have once a year such as pumpkin pie or sweet potatoes with marshmallows? Will you enjoy a small serving of these foods? What foods can you pass on?

Are there foods that make better leftovers - what can you pass on today and eat tomorrow because sometimes leftovers just taste better and this can help you from really over eating.

Will you be the host to have control over the foods prepared or are you the guest who can bring a healthy dish or two for you and the rest of the guests?

Remember that this is just one day of the year so if you do overindulge you know you can get right back on track the next day.

What are some tips you have to help you have a Happy Thanksgiving?

Eating Slowly Can Help With Weight Loss

Perhaps you've heard that eating more slowly can help with weight loss. Here's why: When food enters digestive tract, hormones are released by the gut. These hormones signal the brain that we are full.  But this process takes time.  When you eat too quickly, by the time your brain gets the signal that you are satisfied, you've eaten way more calories than you actually need. Excess calories lead to weight gain. 

A study in an upcoming issue of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism demonstrates this effect. The researchers found that people who took 30 minutes to finish a serving of ice cream had higher levels of certain gut hormones and tended to feel fuller than those who ate the same size serving more quickly.

Eating more slowly can allow you to reduce your caloric intake but still leave the table feeling satisfied.  It can be hard to slow down in such a fast paced society, but here are some tips to help you slow down:

Don't eat in front of the TV, computer, or while reading

Set up an environment where you feel relaxed while eating

Put your fork down between bites

Chew your food completely

Don't eat in the car or on the run

What tips do you have to help slow down eating?

Boost Your Immune System to Prevent Colds

A strong immune system can help you fight of colds during the autumn and fall. One of the best ways to   boost your immune system is with good nutrition and eating the right foods. Eating a diet of whole foods will help keep you healthy, but make sure you are adding these foods to your diet to keep your immune system strong:

All Natual Whipped Topping

If you have browsed the aisles of your natural grocery store you may have come across TRUwhip  All Natural
Whipped Topping. This topping has no trans-fats, hydrogenated oils, or GMO's.

Enjoy this topping with fresh berries or on top of pie. A serving of this whipped topping is 2 tablespoons and each serving has 30 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 3 grams of carbs.

So if you are a user of whipped toppings that are full of chemicals and trans fats take a look for TRUwhip topping to make a healthy swap in your diet.

Coca Cola Moves Calories to the Front of the Can

Coca-Cola is jumping on the band wagon of making calories more visible by placing the calories and calories per serving on the front of the can. The new labeling will be on almost all products Coca-Cola has including soft drinks, teas, energy drinks, flavored waters, juice and fruit juice.

Pressure for this type of labeling is coming from consumers as well as law makers. "Now more than ever, people expect facts about the product they consume to be both readily available and visible," says Muhtar Kent, Coke's chairman and CEO, in a statement. "This global commitment is about making it easier for consumers to quickly see the calories information for our beverages."

Some say that by Coca-Cola putting this labeling on the front of the can it is building consumer trust and loyalty, but I say that is is just a public relations move. After all no matter where the label is these beverages are full of sugar and provide little to no nutrients, but hopefully with the calories more noticeable people will start drinking more water.

Vegetables as the Main Dish

If you are looking for a vegetarian dish, or if you just want to have a meatless meal, prepare 
your friends and family this Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart. Although this is a little bit labor intensive it is packed full of fresh vegetables and fresh flavor - and it is truly delicious!

Each serving has 225 calories, 20g carbs, 3g fiber, 14g fat, 3g saturated fat, and 6g protein

This fabulous dish can fit into all meal plans and will be a hit for dinner, lunch or brunch.

Smart Choices or Not

Have you seen the Smart Choices label in your local supermarkets lately?

The image on the right is what it looks like. This new labeling is called front-of-pack labeling which allows consumers to see the calories per serving and servings per package of the product they are purchasing. Every product that has the label must meet science-based nutrition criteria based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, reports from the Institute of Medicine, and other sources of consensus dietary guidance. 

Lose It!

Can an iPhone app help you lose weight?

There are many apps for the iPhone aimed at helping you lose weight, but the one that I've read the most about is called Lose It!

Lose It! calculates the amount of calories you should be consuming each day based on your current weight and how much weight you want to lose per week. You use this app as your food diary and it keeps track of the calories you consume as your food items. It will also track your exercise and calculate the calories you burn at different activities.

If you have an iPhone I would recommend this free app since it is easy to use and can work as a motivator to log your daily food intake and exercise.

Let us at ND know if you've used this app and how it worked for you or if you have other iPhone apps that have helped you with your weight loss.

Eating with the seasons

In many cultures people eat with the seasons. As it gets colder people eat less cold foods and start eating warmer foods. One way to eat with the seasons, and still get your fill of vegetables, is to eat soups.

Soups are easy to prepare and can help you with your weight loss. Studies have shown that if you start off your meal with a broth based soup you will eat less during the rest of your meal.

White Bean, Kale, and Roasted Vegetable Soup is a great recipes to try at the start of the fall season. This soup can be a great starter for any meal or can be a meal itself. You can also prepare this soup ahead of time and freeze it in individual containers so you always have a quick meal to go. This soup is low in calories and high in fiber making it a great addition to your weight loss plan. A nutritional analysis of this recipe is available.

photo by: Carrie Lloyd

Move over vending machine...here's something greener and healthier!

A Denver based company called Boulder Natural Vending has come up with a greener and healthier

version of a vending machine.

Frank Price, the founder of Boulder Natural Vending, offers his clients:

• Organic snacks and beverages that don't contain artificial sweeteners or trans fats.
• At least 50% of the products sold are from local businesses
• A greener option to the vending machine since the snacks are displayed in a bamboo display case and beverages are in an energy star or Freon free refrigerator
• People pay the new vending machines on the honor system 

Bringing your own snack (fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, home-made trail mix) to work is your best option because then you are not forced to have to buy something from a vending machine. Since the average vending machines has food items that could derail your diet having healthy items available is a great thing.

I think that greener and healthier vending machines will become more common in many offices. Do you think these vending machines would be popular in your work or school environment?