If you are trying to lose weight or simply eat better, the thought of the upcoming holiday season and its cornucopia of food offerings may leave you feeling overwhelmed and disheartened. But stay calm. With planning, a little courage, and the realization that although you will practice restraint in the next few months, you also will give yourself plenty of opportunities to enjoy food with family and friends.  We can all attest to the fact that most social rituals are intertwined with food. Can you imagine a Thanksgiving without the traditional meal, or a Christmas without plates full of …

Not all of the foods we think are healthy actually are! Here are some more of those perceived “healthy” foods and why they may not be the best choice. Continued from last week... 5.) Pretzels These are often touted as a better choice than chips because they are lower in fat. While pretzels are low-fat and sometimes even fat-free, they are also low in nutrition. The carbohydrates in pretzels are absorbed fairly quickly due to a lack of fiber, which will likely leave you feeling unsatisfied and may prompt you to eat a few handfuls more than you should.  6.) Restaurant salads Depending on what …

Not all of the foods we think are healthy actually are! Here are some more of those perceived “healthy” foods and why they may not be the best choice. 1.) Jumbo Muffins and Bagels What is faster than grabbing a bagel or muffin and coffee and heading on your way? Not much, but you might want to consider how many calories that bagel or muffin is setting you back.  Panera’s cinnamon crunch bagel has 420 calories, 6g saturated fat, and only 2g of fiber. Bruegger’s whole wheat bagel may provide you with 9g of fiber, but with about 400 calories it is equivalent to about 4 slices of bread!  You also…

Last week we highlighted the basics of menu planning. Once you have the hang of it, keep going! Menu planning only gets easier with time. First, let’s review some of the great benefits to menu planning. A small investment of time really does reap great rewards. A menu plan: Improves nutrition. With careful planning, you can make your meals healthier, thereby increasing your consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Saves time. You won’t have to dash to the nearest fast-food joint or frantically search through the freezer for something (anything!) to thaw for dinner. …

Even if it seems tedious, it pays to sit down once a week to make a menu for the coming days. Menu planning not only helps prevent stress but also provides the satisfaction of knowing your meals are fresh, unprocessed, and healthy. Best of all, menu planning does not have to be complicated. Unfortunately, for too many of us, making a menu plan is one of those tasks we intend to do ... someday. Instead of seeing menu planning as an activity that inevitably adds to our quality of life, we dread the process of sitting down to decide Wednesday's dinner. There’s no question, however, that having …

Overweight children and childhood obesity have become a significant health problem today. An overweight child faces more than just medical troubles—there are huge emotional and social setbacks as well.  This week I’ll discuss the general causes leading children to become overweight, how taking a family approach to change is key and provide some tips on getting your family moving. Next week, I’ll provide specific eating and lifestyle strategies designed to help the overweight child. Weight problems in children occur when more calories come in than go out through physical activity. Although …

 I recently worked with a client who had had an array of troubling experiences working with self-proclaimed nutrition experts before she found my business. As someone who strives to provide the most accurate and safe nutrition advice possible, I was very upset by her stories. To help protect you against misinformation, risky advice, and misleading claims (not to mention to make sure your money isn’t going to waste), I felt it was important to use this week’s column to address the question: How do you find a reliable expert to help you with your nutrition and weight loss needs? There is no …

Although many factors affect our skin, good nutrition plays a key role in giving skin its healthy glow and can help minimize skin problems.  One of the best defenses against the free radical damage of oxidation is a diet full of antioxidant-rich foods. Research suggests that certain antioxidants—vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin A—nourish and protect skin to prolong its youthful appearance.  Some topical antioxidant preparations also have been shown to affect a variety of skin problems. This week we take a look at seven key nutrients to include in your diet for healthier skin.   1…

It's the second week of our "hits list"— the best ways to incorporate fruits and veggies into your diet. Whether it's a struggle for you to eat either daily, or you're struggling to eat more, these veggie tips are for you.   Resuscitate the old meal stand-bys: Switch from the familiar green beans, corn, and peas routine to okra, winter squash, spinach, or kale. Eat more “meal salads.”  Use a variety of leafy greens as the base, but throw in other tasty and filling extras —a couple ounces of cooked chicken or turkey, canned tuna, some low-fat cheese, or legumes. Take advantage of ready-made …

Do you struggle to consume fruits and vegetables every day?  Is it hard for you to get excited about trying to eat more fruits and veggies? Here are 25 ways to make eating your fruits a breeze. Next week, check back for 25 ways to get your veggies. Have at least one fruit serving with each meal. It’s easy. For instance, have some sliced strawberries on cereal for breakfast, an apple or banana with your lunch, and a generous bowl of fresh cherries with dinner. Put fruit in your vegetables. Add sliced or chopped apples, pears, grapes, melon, kiwi and orange sections to tossed spinach and …

You may have heard the claim that eating late at night causes weight gain. One theory behind this assertion is that you won't have time to burn off the calories if you consume them close to bedtime. Another theory is that your body processes food differently at different times of the day, and calories eaten at night are somehow stored more quickly and easily as fat. Both of these assumptions deserve a closer look. First, you must understand that the total number of calories you consume and the amount of physical activity you partake in over the course of a few weeks, several months, or even …

The butter versus margarine debate is not new. What you choose really depends on a variety of factors: Are you planning to cook or bake? How often do you consume either one? Do you usually buy stick or tub margarine? Let’s take a closer look at our options. Butters Butter is made from animal fats and contains more saturated fat and cholesterol than margarine—there isn’t a whole lot that can be done to improve the nutritional quality of this food. And let’s face it: Sometimes there just isn’t a substitute for real butter’s richness and flavor, so it’s nice to know that a little bit can have a …

Summer is in full swing. Snacking can help you stay energized between meals and can help prevent overeating. If planned for, healthy snacks will help you avoid eating less-healthy food items such as chips or candy on impulse. Most healthy snacks are easy to prepare ahead of time so you can grab them at a moment’s notice. If you are running out of ideas for easy and nutritious summer snacks, here are some that will leave you satisfied without packing on the pounds: Watermelon is a summer fruit favorite and takes little to no preparation. Plus, if you store a whole melon at room temperature, …

Summer means travel, and travel means eating on the road. While I recommend bringing your own healthy snacks and meals whenever possible, sometimes pulling into the closest fast-food or quick-service restaurant wins out among weary and (often) cranky travelers. Unfortunately fast food, even “healthier” fast food, is still going to have more sodium than you need. But if you are faced with fast food or no food on the road, check out the following “better” and “better left alone” sandwiches. Arby’s The classic roast beef sandwich ends up being a much healthier pick than Arby’s seemingly …

I often get the question: “So, what do YOU eat?” It is usually asked innocently enough by one of my clients or a nutrition student, but for some reason the question always makes me squirm a little. Similarly, when I have friends over, like clockwork my cupboards and fridge get peered into, with the spectator proclaiming something to the effect of, “I want to see what a dietitian eats!”  While I can certainly understand their curiosity and desire to find out if their dietitian friend is really a potato chip-eating human, too, I still shy away from proudly displaying the contents of my …

Many of us have professions that, in the absence of a good life-work balance, could easily consume us. This isn’t always a bad thing—it usually means we are living in the moment; we are passionate about our work. It also can mean, however, that the less-immediate things in our lives get put on the back burner: our health, for example. There are five nutrition “offenses” that I see esteemed and educated professionals committing again and again. To see the first two, check out last week's column. This week, let's take expose the final three: The third common offense is drinking your daily …

Many of us have professions that, in the absence of a good life-work balance, could easily consume us. This isn’t always a bad thing—it usually means we are living in the moment; we are passionate about our work. It also can mean, however, that the less-immediate things in our lives get put on the back burner: our health, for example. There are five nutrition “offenses” that I see esteemed and educated professionals committing again and again. This week, let's take two off your rap sheet: 1.) The first nutrition crime is impromptu eating. This involves eating whenever you get a chance or …

We have all seen advertisements for products claiming to help us lose weight quickly, gain that competitive edge in sports or strength training, or even get rid of chronic illnesses. The reality is that these products usually do nothing for your health and are costly. Moreover, unproven products, remedies, and alternative treatments can sometimes be harmful and give you false hope while necessary medical treatment is delayed. Bottom line: If a product’s claim seems too good to be true, it most likely is. And yet, Americans spend upwards of $30 billion per year on dubious health products and …

There is no question: We Americans eat more than our fair share of salty foods.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults consume more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day on average—an amount much greater than what we should be consuming on a daily basis. The 2011 Dietary Guidelines recommend that adults limit their sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day. People age 51 and older; African Americans; or those with high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease (it is estimated that more than half of the U.S. population falls into one or more of these categories…

There are many benefits to keeping your body well-hydrated—especially when the summer temperatures rise. About 60 percent of your body weight is water after all. Moreover, water helps transport nutrients within the body, maintains optimal body temperature, and provides the medium in which nearly all body processes take place. It is common for regular water-drinkers to feel more awake, be less run down by the end of the day, and make better food choices. Because the body has no storage capacity for water, you need to constantly replenish the supply.  So how much do you really need each day? …