Monthly Archives: December 2010

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Sodium is the New Trans Fat (“7 Nutrition Trends in 2010”)

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Looking at our recent blog “7 Nutrition Trends in 2010,” sodium is going to be the next item that will
incur the wrath of the health community. Since the average American consumes more than two or three
times the recommended amount of sodium, we’ve set ourselves up for a long battle.

One of the hardest places to control your sodium intake is when eating out. Since you have less control
over ingredients, and since many restaurants can be quite liberal with the salt usage, you have
to watch what you’re eating, especially if you suffer from hypertension or other heart diseases.

But all is not lost. There are a few ways to keep your social eating life intact, while maintaining the
healthy balance you need when it comes to your sodium. First, check to see if the menu has “Heart
Healthy” choices on the menu. These usually indicate plates that are low in sodium.

If there’s a lack of “Heart Healthy” choices, don’t fret. Here are a few tips:

If you’re with a friend or spouse, split the entrée. Portion sizes have gotten out of control, so this way
you get your allotted portion and helps keep your sodium intake lower.

Make your side order full of fresh or steamed veggies instead of fries or onion rings.

Choose a tasty appetizer as your main course instead of an entrée. This helps again with portion control
and sodium intake together.

There are more tips where that came from in “The DASH Diet Action Plan,” a resource for anyone
looking to lose weight, and to keep their heart healthy.

“The DASH Diet Action Plan” can be found in our catalog or online by searching for item #3732.

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Holiday Portion Control: Drinks & Desserts

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Eating during the holidays can be tough if you’re trying to stay on a diet, or if you’re worried about eating too much. Since portion sizes have gotten out of control in the past couple of decades, it can be hard to judge how much you should be eating. When looking at the following tables, be sure to remember to eat proper portion sizes. Visit www.MyPyramid.gov for more information on a balanced diet and good nutrition.

Drinks & Desserts

Here’s the tricky part to navigate. Since these are usually readily available at any party tables or serving platters, it can be easy to lose track of how much you actually eat. Make a single pass and figure out which desserts are the most appealing to you. Then, only eat the ones that are most important to you. Serving sizes are important to keep in mind when figuring out holiday nutrition:

Drink Serving Size   Dessert Serving Size
Wine 4 oz   Cookies 2 in cookie
Water 8 oz   Cake 2 inch piece
Beer 12 oz   Pie 2 inch slice
Soda 12 oz   Candy Typically, 1 piece
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Six Picks: The Top 6 Things You Need to Know About Snack Attacks

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1. Snacks don’t have to be bad for you. Snacks can be a perfectly healthy way to help stave off hunger
pains and keep your body fueled between meals. Just because you don’t have time to sit down for a
meal doesn’t mean you have to throw the idea of nutrition away as well.
2. Get your pick-me-up. By snacking in a healthy way, you can get that little burst of energy that you
need to tide you over to the next meal, or to keep those thoughts of eating out of your head until
you can really address them.
3. Snacks don’t have to be unscheduled. If being hungry seriously hinders your mood, then snacking
might be just what you need. Nothing is wrong with refueling periodically throughout the day, and
when those snacks are well-thought out and planned, you can keep going with something healthy.
4. Eat better, not more. Try to avoid high-sugar and high-fat treats. They won’t keep you satisfied for
long, and aren’t good for the body and mind. The fiber in whole-grain foods give you the long-lasting
energy you need to get through the day, and oranges have vitamin C to keep you alert and healthy.
5. Look for portability. Try some of the following foods that are easy to carry with you during your
day: dry cereal, yogurt, fresh or dried fruit, applesauce, peanut butter sandwiches, string cheese or
sunflower seeds.
6. Try for vend-ability. The following foods (and more) can often be found in vending machines:
granola bars, trail mix, low-fat milk, animal crackers, baked chips, pretzels, fresh fruit or nuts and
seeds.

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Holiday Portion Control: Side Dishes

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Eating during the holidays can be tough if you’re trying to stay on a diet, or if you’re worried about eating too much. Since portion sizes have gotten out of control in the past couple of decades, it can be hard to judge how much you should be eating. When looking at the following tables, be sure to remember to eat the proper amounts of servings, as well as the proper serving sizes. Visit www.MyPyramid.gov for more information on a balanced diet and good nutrition.

Side Dishes

Side dishes are where the most variance can occur as far as available foods, so we’ve included just a sampling, though the sizes can be relative to most side dishes. Remember to vary your side dishes to ensure you’re covering your food groups, and getting the right nutrition. Keep your calorie count in check by remembering these portion sizes:

Side Dish Serving Size Everyday Equivalent
Mashed Potatoes ½ cup ½ Baseball
Green Beans
Casserole
Cranberry Salad
Corn
Stuffing
Baked Potato 3 oz Computer Mouse
Salad 3 cups Paperback Novel

 

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Six Picks: The Top 6 Things You Need to Know About Waist Size

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  1. Weight and fat are not equal. How much you weigh and how much fat you have stored on your body are not the same, and can represent very different things. See this Today Show video on “Skinny Fat”
  2. More weight can be better in the right cases.  Bone and muscle weigh more than fat. A female that’s 5’4” weighs 145 lbs. can actually be much healthier than a female of the same height weighing 120 lbs. since the heavier female may have greater amounts of muscle and bone density.
  3. Ratios are the way to go. Calculating the ratio of weight to height is called your Body Mass Index, or BMI, Many studies have shown that a BMI greater than 25 increases a person’s chances of developing heart disease or cancer; especially more so after it increases above 30.
  4. Fat is different in different places. Excess fat on the waist and chest can increase the risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, in comparison to those who have excess weight on the hips and thighs. Normal waist size in circumference for women is less than 35 inches and less than 40 inches for men.
  5. You can control your weight. Burn more calories than you consume, to put it simply. Exercising moderately for 30 minutes, four to six days a week will help you keep your weight under control.  
  6. Build muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. When exercising, it’s important to include some form of muscle strengthening at least twice a week.

During the holiday’s, it is important not to completely forget about yout nutrition. However, don’t restrict yourself too much. It will make for a stressful holiday season!

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Holiday Portion Control: Main Dishes

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Eating during the holidays can be tough if you’re trying to stay on a diet, or if you’re worried about
eating too much. Since portion sizes have gotten out of control in the past couple of decades, it
can be hard to judge how much you should be eating. When looking at the following tables, be
sure to remember to eat the proper amounts of servings, as well as the proper serving sizes. Visit
www.MyPyramid.gov for more information on a balanced diet and good nutrition.

Main Dishes

Main dishes usually contain meat or protein, and often have bread or pasta included with them as well.
Main dishes will normally contain the most calories out of your entire meal. Make sure you get enough
of these, since so much time and effort are being put into them. However, don’t overdo it. Here’s what
considered the standard serving size of any of these dishes:

Main Dish

Main Dish Serving Size Everyday Equivalent
Ham 3 oz. Computer Mouse
Turkey
Prime Rib
Beef Tenderloin
Lasagna 1 cup Baseball
Spaghetti (Noodles) 1 cup Baseball
Spaghetti (Sauce ½ cup ½ Baseball
Seafood Pasta ½ cup ½ Baseball
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Six Picks: The Top 6 Things You Need for a Stress-Free Holiday

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1. Control your hunger. Make sure when you go to parties you’re hungry… but not TOO hungry. If you
aren’t hungry, you may find yourself eating simply because everyone else around you is chowing
down. But, if you’re too hungry, you may consume too much before realizing that you are overly full.
2. Keep the proper amount of baked goods on hand. Too few and you won’t have enough for the
party. Too many, and you’ll end up eating all of the extras through the ease of convenience.
3. Cut caloric corners. Have healthy alternatives on hand when baking the holiday treats. Little steps
like reducing sugar and fat contents of the ingredients, or using things like egg substitute in a recipe
will help keep you trim during the holidays.
4. Keep an eye on the vegetables. Eat a salad before going to a party, or make sure that vegetables
make up half of what’s on your dinner plate. This will cut down on sugary baked goods and will help
get you the vitamins and nutrients you need.
5. Make your holiday activities active. Go door-to-door caroling, take up skiing, do some decorating or
go ice-skating. Keep the activities over the holidays fresh and full of movement. Turn off the TV until
those winter nights come, enjoy the winter days with some active movement.
6. Get a friend involved. Making a pact with a friend to stay healthy and to go workout over the
holidays makes it easier to stick to your healthy lifestyle goals.

And, always remember, we have a dietitian on staff here at NCES who would love to answer your questions and provide any tips you need. Just give us a call at 800.NCES.BOOKS or chat online at www.ncescatalog.com.