Written for the River Current Publication
I often sit quietly and listen to the gals at work chat about food and the
current diet trends they are entertaining.
It is interesting to hear of their successes and struggles. I remember a few years ago working in an
office where the gals all had a neat little calorie calculator for a certain
diet plan that was popular at the time. I
was intrigued and fascinated as they tediously tracked and monitored their
calorie intake…listening to their strategies of manipulating the plan so they
could have dessert (or a beer or two) on a Friday night.
There
was great comradery in their efforts and to be honest, for some crazy reason I
felt left out. I wanted one of those
damn calculators too! (Don’t scream, but I
have never been invited to participate in this Calorie Counting Club. To give you an idea, my nickname in high
school was Stick Woman...ugh. Stick women are
never invited to play in these weight watching games.)
One
thing I have learned after years of listening (combined with my nutrition
training), is that diets are not ‘one-size-fits-all’. If one individual is having great success
with a particular diet, that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone in the
office will have that same success. There
is no one perfect way of eating that works for everybody. There is a term for
that; it is called bio-individuality. Everyone
has their very own specific needs for his or her own health that is specific to
them…according to their age, constitution, gender, size, lifestyle and
ancestry.
We
are living in an age of modern nutrition.
This means that almost everyone is on (or has been on) one diet or
another, diet books are best sellers, and every day we are informed of a new
discovery proclaiming the health benefits of a certain food or the best way to
lose 10 pounds in a week. It is
impossible to keep up with all of this information and even harder to determine
what is pertinent to our own personal health.
So,
what is the answer? Listen to your
body. It knows what foods you need, when
it needs them and what is best for you. Make
small changes like adding more fresh vegetables and fruits to your diet, as
well as whole grains. Learn to pay
attention when you eat, so you can decide when you’re full. Learn to recognize the difference between
‘real’ hunger and eating just because you’re bored or stressed. Cook healthy foods at home, make better
choices when you eat out, and eat out less.
Head to the kitchen and cook real food.
Check out what constitutes a ‘portion’ size so you can stop over-eating
at a meal. Learn to slow down and savor
your food instead of rushing through a meal because you have things to do or
while working at your desk. Turn off the
TV and enjoy the food that is in front of you and those that surround you. Eat what I call ‘real food’.
Even
though each person is a distinct individual, we all share the same instincts.
Don’t ignore the personal messages your body is sending. We are what we eat.
Here
is a Martha Stewart recipe that I tweaked a bit...it will be great to try out on my ‘dieting’
friends at the office next week.
No-Bake Chocolate-Almond Oat
Bars
1
cup smooth almond butter (Or peanut butter works beautifully, if you have that on hand)
1/3
cup honey
1
stick unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2
cups rolled old-fashioned oats *Use oats processed in a gluten-free facility,
if you are avoiding gluten.
½
cup chopped toasted almonds
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (1/1/4 cups)
½
tsp. sea salt
1.
Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper.
2.
Melt almond butter (or peanut butter), honey and butter in a saucepan over medium heat; stirring
frequently.
3.
Remove from heat and add chocolate; stirring until melted. Add remaining ingredients; stirring until combined.
4. Pour mixture into
prepared pan. Refrigerate until set up;
at least 3 hours. Remove from pan and
cut into 24 bars. Store in refrigerator
up to 3 days…if they last that long!
In order to lose weight, you need to eliminate overall calories, not macro-nutrients, from your diet. Approximately 500 calories a day should be eliminated either through exercise or eating less. According to the American Dietetic Association, the proportions of macro-nutrients consumed should stay the same. The elimination of carbohydrates, fats or proteins to lose weight is not only unhealthy but also dangerous. The American College of Sports Medicine advises that for the body to function properly, it is important to consume adequate amounts of the macro-nutrients and no fewer than 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,800 calories a day for men.I recmonded you Macro calculator app through this you get more results about Macro calculator .
ReplyDelete