or rather...Try This On For Size...
Sometimes a little common sense goes a long way. I've found that making a few minor adjustments to some of my less healthy eating habits have really paid off. So here a few tips...
Feeling Groovy: Mindfulness in Eating
"Slow down you move too fast. You've got to make the moment last."
We all multi-task and gobble on the go. But thanks to participating in the UCLA Bruin Health Improvement Program , I'm learning to apply theories of mindfulness to my eating habits. Alisa, the BHIP fitness guru extraordinaire, has helped me learn to experience and savor food rather than inhaling it. It's really quite simple. Take a bite. Put your eating implements DOWN. Chew thoroughly before swallowing. Move the food around while chewing so that you taste the food with all portions of your tongue. Swallow. Take a drink of water and take at least two breaths before taking another bite. Paying attention to the act of eating and being present, engaged, and mindful while eating helps send the right signals to your brain that you're FULL and don't need to eat that super-sized side of french fries after all.
I'll Have What She's Having
We all remember this line from When Harry Met Sally, and yes, Sally ordered her oil and vinegar on the side. So, when you're eating out, go ahead and order that big salad, but be sure to ask for the dressing on the side, or better yet, hold the dressing and pull a Sally. Ask the waiter for some mustard (preferably dijon), olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Add a packet of Splenda to two teaspoons of mustard. Add two teaspoons of balsamic vinegar and stir in two teaspoons of olive oil, and voila, you have a low cal/loc carb vinaigrette.
Spice Things Up a Bit
If you're cutting back on calories, carbs, and fats, you're gonna need to add as much flavor from herbs and spices as possible. I find myself using the same combination of spices in many recipes (including everyday cooking, italian, mexican, and even asian, etc.), so why not stir up a big bunch of mix. Also, by using a combination of flavorful spices and spice mixes, I can add flavor while cutting back on salt. I like a good deal of heat, but cayenne can be cut back or left out. So if a recipe calls for salt, using this mix will net less sodium than just salt alone, (this mix has over a third less sodium as in the same amount of table salt, but obviously, this is for savory dishes rather than sweets or baking).
How Sweet It Is
You can sing it sweet and low, but just don't put it in your coffee. Why on earth are people still eating sugar when sugar substitutes have come such a long way from the days of Saccharine. Splenda is a great product that tastes very close to sugar, and is a good substitute in cooking (ok, so maybe it doesn't caramelize like sugar, but do you really need that caramel toffee). Stevia is another good product, and completely natural, but I still find it has a slight bitterness to it. So it's a good additive for foods that can stand a little bitterness (um, does chocolate come to mind), but for everyday, I prefer Splenda, if it does have a trace more carbs than Stevia.
What Rises to the Top is Not Always Good For Us
Let's not forget, cream isn't the only thing that rises to the top. I've found that the simple act of forgoing cream with my morning coffee has given me big dividends in caloric savings. Yes, I was drinking the good stuff (half and half), not paying attention to the calories and fat this was adding to my diet. Though I'm not willing to give up caffeinated coffee (sorry, just can't do it), I have converted to a much healthier creamer substitute, which is lower in carbs, cals, and has good fat rather than the bad stuff. If you don't feel like mixing up this concoction, then just add a little splenda to some unsweetened almond milk.
Water Water Everywhere
So drink it. Unlike our friend the Ancient Mariner, our water is conveniently delivered to us in handy dandy little plastic bottles, so go ahead, chug a lug some H 2 O (but remember to recycle the bottle, or better yet, refill it).
You're so Fresh You're Makin Me Blush
Yes, it's OK to be fresh, particularly if you're a fruit or vegetable (at least of the produce variety, that is). If you have time to support local growers by frequenting farmers' markets, the produce is fresh and most likely organic. But let's face it, many of us just don't have the time and/or money to buy local and organic. It's hard to be a conscientious consumer in today's environment. It would be great to only buy organic and cruelty-free products and not be slave to agribusiness conglomerates and discount chains. I would love to put my money where my mouth is, if I had money, that is. So, yes, some of us have to buy chilean produce from the box store. But there are some ways to support smaller regional growers, such as CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture).
And while your enjoying your fresh veggies, don't forget that you can saute your produce in a little water with lemon juice (or veggie broth) rather than stir frying in oil. I picked up this trick from the terrific food blog Batter Licker (www.batterlicker.com), and you'll see I've borrowed several recipes from this site, so check it out yourself. So, depending on what you're trying to control (calories or carbs) consider giving your veggies a nice hot steamy bath rather than slathering them in extra fat.
If you can, it's important to measure and track what you're eating. It's surprising how many calories we can accidentally consume if we're not paying attention. Luckily, there are many excellent tools that can help. I've been keeping an eating log in Daily Burn (dailyburn.com), and will be posting my daily food journals for full accountability. This resource (and many others) access USDA data for nutritional content of food products and allow the community of members to enter products and recipes for shared use (not unlike wikipedia and other web 2.0 tools that leverage collective intelligence). Daily Burn also has mobile apps so you can track your meals on the go.
So if you're willing to take the first step, there's no shortage of tools and experts out there to help you on your fitness journey. If you don't have time to track your meals, then follow along with my diet diary (but be forewarned, I have the slowest metabolism on the face of the earth due to years of yo-yoing between severe fad diets and binges, so my calorie intake might be way different than what you might need). Who knows, maybe you'll learn something about your own eating habits along the way. Just remember, do as I say not as I do (or rather, do as the experts say, not as I do). I am not, I repeat, am not a nutritionist or expert. Just a sojourner along the path in dietland.
Happy Trails...
