Nutritious New Year’s Resolutions December 31, 2008

The statistics are always changing, but it is safe to say that losing weight and eating healthier are often at the top.  Whether you are trying to lose weight, training for an athletic event, or just trying to make some healthy changes in 2009, here are some of my resolutions that will help you meet your goals.

This year I will:

1)  Eat breakfast – preferably something with fiber and protein

2)  Only grocery shop with a list – and stick to it

3)  Balance the calories I eat with the calories I am burning through exercise and daily activity

4)  Eat a green veggie every day

5)  Eat until satisfied, and stop before I’m stuffed

May you have a Happy, Healthy New Year!

Tips for feeding toddlers December 12, 2008

Ahh, the joys of feeding the independent, newly opinionated toddler! While babies may at least try a food once and are generally predictable in their likes and dislikes, the toddler’s newly found will is often expressed in what he or she decides to eat. What’s a parent to do?
1) Continue to offer a variety of foods. It often takes 17 introductions to a food before a child will like it. Keep putting those peas on the plate, even if it’s just 5 peas, and one day she may just pick them up and eat them.
2) Be consistent. Some parents insist that their child eat one bite, some want them to clean their plate – whatever your rules are, be consistent so your child will remember and be able to follow through. We do one mandatory “taste;” the food may come back out, but at least he has tried it once!
3) Substitute. Is your child refusing to eat carrots? Try sweet potato, mango, or peaches instead to give her the vitamin A. Won’t touch milk? Try yogurt or cheese for calcium and vitamin D.
4) Disguise. While it is definitely important to keep offering the rejected food, you can also disguise it in a favorite dish. Carrot puree in pizza/spaghetti sauce, Spinach in a smoothie, or even pureed carrots in “peach” yogurt are creative ways to get your toddler used to a new flavor. The two books The Sneaky Chef and  Deceptively Delicious both capitalize on this theme.  Do the math to make sure it’s worth the effort though…if you are only adding 1/4 cup of cherry or spinach to a pan of brownies or a batch of cupcakes, it comes out to very little extra nutrition per serving and the child is still getting a lot of sugar and white flour.

5)  Don’t buy it.  If your child refuses to eat anything but animal crackers and apple juice, keep those items out of the house for a while.  I promise, your child will not starve forever if there are nutritious alternatives offered to him on a regular basis. 

6)  Set the example.  Toddlers are great mimics, and your child won’t want to munch on mixed veggies if you are chowing on M&Ms.   However,  if you both sit down to a snack of apple slices and cheese or carrot sticks with a lowfat yogurt dip she will be much more likely to give it a try.

Happy AND healthy holidays December 12, 2008

Can you watch what you eat during the holiday season and still enjoy all your favorite foods?  Of course!  Here are some of my favorite tips for keeping it healthy during the holiday season, but also realistically enjoying the fun and fellowship that this time of the year has to offer.

1)  If you love it – savor it; like it – then limit it; dislike it – avoid it.  No point on filling up with tasteless storebought Christmas cupcakes when you know that you’ll be savoring Grandma’s amazing pecan pie in a couple days.
2) Pre-party with veggies; eating a salad with light dressing or crunching on carrot sticks on your way to a party with high-fat hors doeuvres will help you limit it to the really good stuff.
3) Drink water. One glass of wine is 150 calories. A mixed drink at a restaurant can cost you around 500 calories. Sip on water or tea (no sugar added) instead of wasting calories on beverages.
4) Use smaller plates. This a great trick for portion control, especially in a buffet. By serving dinner on salad plates, your eyes tell your stomach that you have eaten a full meal…even if it was half the size.
5) Stock up on salad. Bringing a dish to a holiday get-together? Offer to bring salad and dressing on the side. Then you’ll know you have at least one healthy option, and if you cover one third of your plate with salad you’ll be guaranteed a lighter meal.
6) Or bring fruit. If you are going to a dessert party, a tray of prettily cut and garnished fruit is a fun, light way to diversify the options.
7) Trim your portions. Can’t decide between pumpkin and pecan pie? Split a slice of each with a friend. Or just take half a slice, because it’s guaranteed someone behind you is thinking the same thing!
Sleep. Yes, that’s right. If you are underslept you are much more likely to overeat, so don’t get so busy with the holiday fun that you become too tired to get your beauty ZZzzzs.
9) Exercise. Morning, noon, night, or whenever you can squeeze it in! Even if you are just able to take the stairs or do a 10-minute walk on your lunch break, the extra activity will help compensate for some of those extra calories.
10) Socialize. If the food table is calling your name too loudly, go to the opposite side of the room with a glass of water and start up a conversation with a stranger. If you are fully focused on the other person, they will appreciate a good listener, you may make a friend, and your appetite will fade away.

Happy holidays!