5 Fattest Ways to Eat

Illustration by Laura Coyle from The Dish on Cheating, Chapter 6 of The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!!

Five Fattest Ways to Eat: Maybe it's not what you're eating, but HOW you're eating!!

1. Mindless Munching: You can lose track of how many you gobbled when you eat directly out of a bag of chips or package of cookies. Same goes with nuts. Sure, they’re full of heart healthy fats but enjoy a handful not a can full. When dining out at a Mexican place count out three or four tortilla chips and place on your side plate for better chip control. Use the same tactic with the restaurant bread basket. And if your favorite restaurant is famous for serving huge portions ask for half of your meal to be placed in a take out container before it comes to the table. You won’t be tempted to eat the whole thing and you’ll have lunch for tomorrow.

2. Over Accessorizing: Whether it’s a salad or a steak dinner often times it’s the add-ons that pile on the pounds not the foundation. Watch the little extras that can add up to big calories blown on garnishes that you could easily skip. Limit the fried croutons, bacon bits, blue cheese crumbles and creamy dressing on salads. Enjoy a small steak without the gravy boat filled with Béarnaise sauce or onion rings on the side.

3. Super-sizing Snacks: Snacking between meals can be a healthy habit if you're consuming them in snack sized portions. Enjoying a cup of creamy cold lemon gelato during an afternoon stroll is OK. Wolfing down a giant triple scoop bowl of ice cream with chocolate and chunks of candy on top is not. Same goes for chips, cookies and crackers as snacks. Choose the 100 calorie packs to keep track and savor them slowly.


4. Gonzo Guzzling: Don't forget the liquid portion of portion control. Maybe what's making you gain weight is not on your plate. It could be what’s in your car cup holder. Watch intake of sodas, presweetened teas, fruit flavored beverages and remember that alcoholic beverages pack a caloric wallop too.

5. Silly Splurging: Be smart about eating splurge foods you crave whether it’s chocolate brownies, French fries or lasagna. Realize you love these foods and allow yourself to enjoy them in sensible portions. Feel the textures and smell the aromas to help you feel more satisfied with a smaller portion. That’s what the women in the Rhode Island University study did that helped them to feel more satisfied with fewer calories.

What color do you crave?

Add beauty to your plate with the many colors found in fruits in vegetables. The pigments are an indication of the kind of nutrients that lie within.
http://www.cbs46.com/video/16964738/index.html

When Wheat Doesn't Mean Whole Wheat

Carolyn reveals the whole truth about whole grains when you’re shopping for breads, cereals and pastas. Why whole grains are healthier and how to spot foods that “pretend” to be whole grain.
http://www.cbs46.com/video/16897335/index.html

Write Way to Diet

Waiter: “May I take your order please?”
Dieting Diner: “Yes, thank you, and if you don’t mind after you’re finished writing it all down can you make me a copy? I’m keeping a food diary.”

This hypothetical restaurant request may sound a bit far fetched, but it turns out that the simple act of writing down what you eat every day may be more powerful than a kick boxing class when it comes to weight loss success. In fact, a study from Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research found that keeping a food diary can double a person’s weight loss and the longer food and physical activity records are kept the more weight you’ll lose. Results of the study involving nearly 1700 overweight men and women, published in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health, found that – even though everyone was on the same diet and exercise regimen- those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. Researchers say the process of seriously reflecting on what you eat and how much helps dieters become more aware of habits and face the facts. It also puts the brakes on mindless munching such as grabbing an extra handful of chips or snacking on chunks of a broken cookie when food diaries demand an honest record of every bite.
The Pen is Mightier than the Scale
This new study adds more weight, if you will, to the advice dietitians have given dieters for years that one of the best ways to identify your cravings and eating triggers is to keep a food journal. The best ones are a running record of not only what you eat each day, but what happened and how you felt before and after eating. Journaling is considered one of the most powerful tools for changing behavior, from anger management to weight management. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll uncover about your own hidden food triggers and the in between meal baby bites that add up over time to tip the scale. No need to let it be an open book. It’s nobody’s business, but yours. This is between you and your diary. Continue after you’ve started making healthful changes in your eating habits and marvel at the progress you’ve made. Don’t let it become an obsession. Just know that once you stop journaling, it’s not a bad idea to pick it up again, occasionally, for a spot check to see how you’re still doing. “Dear Diary…can’t wait to tell you what I had for dinner last night!! The 6 ounce serving of grilled salmon lightly brushed with olive oil and lovingly doused with fresh lemon juice was served with 8 perfectly steamed asparagus spears and a cup of nutty brown rice. Yes, there was a healthy scoop of freshly churned summer peach gelato for dessert….but I split it with you-know-who!!!!”

Dining Out with Your Food Diary
Check out menu offerings on the restaurant’s website ahead of time. Some provide nutrition information and many include exact ounces of serving sizes. Print out the menu and you make your notes on this paper at the restaurant.
Ask the server to quantify portion sizes. Is the pasta a two cup serving? Restaurants know their serving sizes, because that’s an important part of controlling food costs.
Don’t believe everything you read. If the menu says “8 ounce sirloin steak” note that could be the raw weight. The cooked weight would be about two ounces less.
Watch those extras. Don’t forget to write down the nuts nibbled at the bar while you waited for your table. Or how much olive oil you used for dipping your bread into at an Italian restaurant. Add 120 calories for each tablespoon of olive oil.
Give yourself credit for good behavior such as ordering salad dressing or sauce on the side. It will be easier to estimate how much you used when you apply it yourself.
Don’t have paper and pen? Left your journal in the car? Use your cell phone to text or email yourself and add it to your food diary later.
This just in. Now you can call yourself with all the dining details and it will be emailed to you via voice transcription. It’s a free service provided by www.Jott.com. Once you’re signed up you can call 866-JOTT123 and leave yourself a voicemail message such as this, “Rushing back from lunch meeting with client from LA. Had the California Cobb Salad with balsamic vinaigrette on the side. Didn’t eat the blue cheese or the bacon. Had a small chocolate chip cookie and coffee with one sugar. Don’t forget to drink two glasses of water this afternoon at your desk!” Five minutes later, the transcribed, typed message appears in your e-mail in-box. Cut, paste and add to food diary. Done!

New Age June Cleaver

Where is June Cleaver when you need her? With food prices going up and penny pinching on the

rise there's a renewed retro-modern interest in good old fashioned Home Ec advice to stretch

the food dollar and still whip up family pleasing meals. As a registered dietitian who earned a

degree in Foods & Nutrition at Florida State University's School of Home Economics ( now called

the College of Human Sciences) I think it's time we tapped into some of the time tested truths

from the experts on food, clothing, shelter and family finance. But, how can you cut corners

on your grocery bill without sacrificing good health? In this video clip from CBS 46 Atlanta

I share a few tips with reporter Tracye Hutchins.

http://www.cbs46.com/video/16830419/index.html

CBS Better Mornings DietTips

Now you can literally watch what you eat! Each week I share a video segment full of diet tips on a different nutrition topics for Atlanta CBS-46's Better Mornings with corresponent Tracye Hutchins.

Think about Your Drink reveals how it may be the liquid portion of portion control that's tipping the scales in the wrong direction for some folks. In fact, a recent survey found that up to 22% of daily calories are coming from beverages, not what's on your plate.

http://www.cbs46.com/video/16488794/index.html

Or maybe you'd like Beat the Bloat! Beverages play a role here too, but in a good way. Did you know that drinking MORE water and "watery" foods can help you prevent water retention??

http://www.cbs46.com/video/16570318/index.html

Stay tuned for more topics.........

Summer Food Shockers

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water ......bumm..bumm..bumm..bumm....bumm.... bumm....

Look out for seemingly "light" summer menu choices that can take an ugly bite out of your bikini sized summer diet calorie budget!! From fresh fruit smoothies serving more fat than fiber and grilled corn on the cob slathered with melted butter... there are many ways that excess calories can sneak into your diet even when you're trying to eat "lighter".

Jamba Juice Chunky Strawberry Smoothie PER SERVING (12 oz.): 450 calories, 14g fat.

Krispy Kreme Oranges & Kreme ChillerPER SERVING (12 oz.): 630 calories, 28g fat.


Corn on the Cob: Every tablespoon of butter slathered on adds 100 calories. Instead crunch into freshly picked sweet summer corn that's been steamed; you won't miss the butter.


Salads aren't safe from stealth calories, either. Some are so heavily doused in dressings, cheese, croutons and other high fat/calorie ingredients...you might as well have ordered the hamburger! and the fries!!

And avoid drowning in these calorie laden summer drinks:

Daiquiri: With four ounces of mix and one ounce of liquor, a daiquiri weighs in at 305 calories -- almost all sugar. And these "umbrella drinks" are often served in very large quantities (12 to 16 ounces) so can be as high as 800 calories.

Long Island Iced Tea: Using TGIFriday's mixer and a 12-ounce serving adds 520 calories to your daily intake.

Pina Colada: A five-ounce glass nets 245 calories. Supersize it to 10 ounces and it's 490 calories.


Instead...quench your pool side thirst with these lighter liquid choices:


Mimosa (one part champagne and one part orange juice): At 130 calories, this traditional morning libation won't wreak havoc on your waistline. And you'll get 100 percent of your vitamin C requirement from the orange juice.

Wine Spritzer: With three ounces of wine and three ounces of club soda, wine spritzers top out at about 60 calories.

Sangria: The combination of wine, fruit juice, club soda and fresh fruit makes for a low-cal, refreshing drink, about 80 calories.