A Candid Look At My Diet

Many of you commented on my last post about how you eat more fruits and/or veggies than the recommendation. Some of you also asked me if that was ok to do, and my answer is YES! The only thing I will say is that if you eat more than 3 servings (cups) of fruit you need to consider the sugars, especially if you are diabetic. It's definitely true that the sugar in fruit is a much better form of sugar than that added to foods ("added sugars") but it will still affect your blood sugars and I wouldn't go much over 3-4 servings of fruit per day. The same is true with starchy vegetables. Since the starchy veggies (corn, beans, peas, potatoes, etc.) have more carbohydrates, you should watch your intake, but still remember they are much better sources of starches than let's say...white bread or white rice. Remember, there are no "bad foods" only "bad food patterns". Look at your diet as a whole, and don't judge it on one specific food or type of food. If you haven't read the new dietary guidelines yet, I really encourage you to check them out. It will take about an hour to get through the entire document, but it's really easy to understand and filled with some fabulous information that will help you for years to come!


This brings me to the topic of today's post. In the (almost) two years I've had this blog, I have posted a day of my eats only one time. I think it's great that some people like to take photos of everything they eat, but it's just not for me. However, I do find it to be fun, every....once...in a while, and even then I don't take a picture of everything that goes in my mouth. I like to use these "day of eats" posts as an opportunity to teach! I do actually practice what I preach, so these posts are meant to help explain how I decide what to eat every day, and how I make sure to get all of my nutrients in each day. I also thought this would be a great follow-up on my previous post about volumetrics and nutrient density.


So I'll start from the beginning of my day, when I wake up around 6:30am. I typically workout in the morning, before work, so I eat a little granola (~60 calories worth) and about 3 cups of half decaffeinated coffee. I used to eat my entire breakfast before working out, until I realized my workouts were just as effective when I consumed only about 60 calories (and some caffeine!) to get me going.

After my 60 minute workout, I eat my favorite meal of the day, breakfast!



I'm addicted to oatmeal in the morning, because it's the best way to get multiple servings of whole grains (16 grams of whole grains = one serving and one serving of oatmeal contains 2-3 servings of whole grains!). And of course I like to get some dairy and a fruit or vegetable, so I top my oats with pureed pumpkin (or cooked sweet potato!), 2% yogurt, and walnut butter for some essential fatty acids (and more protein). Breakfast typically my largest meal of the day (~350-400 calories).

I pack my lunch every single day, so I'm not tempted to eat at work. The food at work is amazing, but I don't want to spend the money, and I rarely sit down to eat while I'm working, so I graze all day on what I have packed in my lunch.

Check it out! Can you tell what I pack?

1 cup yogurt

~1/4 cup granola (homemade)

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

2 clementines

~1 ounce veggie chips

~1/4 cup carrots

Almond butter

I tend to eat the yogurt and granola first. The yogurt gives me another full serving of dairy for the day, and the granola adds to my oil and protein intake (it contains almonds, walnuts, and peanuts) and of course my whole grains.

I eat my clementines (2 clementines = 1 cup fruit), and tomatoes (1/2 cup tomatoes = 1/2 cup vegetable) around 1pm, and my vegetable chips and carrots (carrots + chips = ~ 1 cup vegetable) around 4pm. I always dip my carrots in almond butter!



I work at a place that gives out food to customers just about every day, all day, therefore I tend to take a couple samples throughout the day, adding to my food intake. I only do this if a) I'm hungry and all of my lunch food is gone, or b) they are sampling a food I want to try! Just yesterday they were sampling maple and brown sugar fried bacon. You better believe I tried that!! Heavenly.

When I get home I usually have a glass of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze (1 cup = 1 cup dairy/dairy alternative).

At around 7pm Nick and I sit down for dinner. I usually have 3-4 ounces of a protein, and then tons of vegetables. I will add cheese or yogurt to my meal if I think I need more dairy.


I eat a lot of egg whites because they are easy. Sometimes I mix one egg with my egg whites, other times I don't. On this particular night, I didn't.


Underneath all that green is about 3/4 cup of egg whites (~ 3 ounces protein), some canned tomatoes (~1/2 cup vegetable), 1 handful of raw organic spinach (~1/2 cup vegetable) and 1/2 cup spaghetti squash (1/2 cup vegetable). I added parmesan cheese and Frank's Red Hot for flavor. Sometimes I add a dollop of plain 2% Greek yogurt.

This is a large volume dinner with not too many calories and loads of nutrients (putting into practice the concept of volumetrics and nutrient density!).

I have a beer with dinner 2-3 nights a week :)

My nighttime eats typically include:

- 1/2 cup frozen berries blended with 1/2 cup almond milk
(1/2 cup fruit, 1/2 cup dairy/dairy alternative)

- 2 plain rice cakes + 2 T nutritional yeast + 1/2 T walnut butter
(1 whole grain, 1.5 ounce protein, ~ 2 tsp. oil)


1 piece of Lindt's 85% dark chocolate




The following is my estimated intake (based on MyPyramid.gov) of servings for each food group:

Grains: 3-4 ounces whole grains

Vegetables: 3.5 cups

Fruits: 1.5 cups

Dairy/Dairy alternatives: 3 cups

Meat and Beans: 4 ounces

Oils: 6 tsp.

Calories: ~2000-2200

This is pretty close to what is recommended for my age, height, weight, and activity level. I may be a little low in grains and protein, but on average I think I get plenty! This was also a very rare day for me in the vegetable category. I usually get about four or five servings a day.

Question: Do you eat the same thing on most days or do you like to change what you eat daily? I typically eat the same breakfast and lunch, but switch up my dinner and snacks. I really don't mind eating the same thing every day (for a while at least). I tend to change my "obsessions" with the seasons!

That's SO MUCH Food!

In order to promote healthy eating and the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, one of my recent major events at work was the New Year, New You event. The event took place each weekend in January and I had a table set up with food models depicting what a well-balanced diet might look like. I used MyPyramid.gov to determine how many servings (approximately) of each food group the average American needs each day, then I displayed the servings on paper plates with these fun food models.

Grains: ~ 5-6 ounces

Vegetables: ~ 3 cups

Fruits: ~2 cups

Milk: ~ 3 cups
(1.5 ounces of cheese counts as one cup. There are 3 ounces of cheese in the picture below.)

Meat and Beans; ~ 5-6 ounces

Oils: ~6-8 tsp
(one packet of Hogsdon Mills travel flaxseed counts as 3 tsp oil)

You wouldn't believe how many people came up to me and said, "Seriously, I have to eat all of this food?!" Yep, this does look like a lot of food! But in truth, many Americans get more calories than this each day, without even realizing it! Can you guess how many calories are depicted in the photos above? It's about 2100 calories, which is a normal amount of food for most Americans. But looking around and seeing that about 70% of American adults are either overweight or obese, indicates to me that many Americans are eating more calories than this each day.

So why does this look like so much food?

• Many people don't consider two important concepts when they eat; volumetrics and nutrient density. Both of these concepts are important when you're trying to either lose weight, or just be healthier overall. The focus is on eating foods with less calories and more nutrients, per unit of volume, or per serving. If you focus on these two concepts you will get full faster (larger volume of food!) while eating less calories and consuming the right amount of nutrients.
  

• To put this into perspective consider that many people are used to getting 500 calories from a very small calorie dense burger or piece of pizza, when they could get 500 calories from a slice of whole grain bread with 1 T nut butter, a cup of yogurt, a piece of fruit, and a string cheese (much greater volume of food, same amount of calories).

• Most Americans don't get even close to the recommended amounts of fruits and veggies, so seeing a plate full of fruits and veggies does look like "a lot of food" because it takes up a lot of space (volume) on the plate, but also provides very few calories and tons of great nutrients.

• Many people see all of the grains in the first picture and think, "I am supposed to eat that much grain?!". Well, in truth most Americans do eat that much, and sometimes more! The problem is that they are eating the wrong kinds (mainly refined grains) and they are often eating it all in one sitting (thus they aren't even realizing how much grain they are eating!). Think about restaurant plates of pasta, which can be up to 6 ounces of grain (1/2 cup pasta=1 ounce grain). That's an entire day's worth in one sitting, which most people don't even consider a problem.

QUESTION: What do you think about the concept of volumetrics? Do you use it in your daily eating routine?

One example I have is when I make eggs for dinner. I like using one egg, then the rest egg whites. This allows me to have more volume of food, for fewer calories, and plenty of protein (and lutein, vitamin D, iron, and choline from the real egg). And of course I also add more volume by adding lots of cooked vegetables! More volume, fewer calories, tons of nutrients and taste.

Weight Loss Tips, Continued...

My last post included the first twelve out of twenty-five tips for successful weight loss (from this article ). Here are the remaining thirteen, with my own comments in italics.

13. Cut out liquid calories. Eliminate soda and sugary drinks such as sweetened iced tea, sports drinks and alcoholic beverages. Liven up the taste of water by adding lemon, lime, cucumber or mint. Choose skim and 1% milk.

So far I've helped two people at work cut out their sweetened beverage habits. They didn't think they could do it, but they did, and I'm so proud of them. One can of soda has more than a day's worth of added sugar.

14. Practice the "Rule of One." When it comes to high-calorie foods, you won't go wrong if you allow one small treat a day. That might be one cookie or a fun-sized candy bar.

I'm all about this! If you read my blog regularly, you know what my "treat" is everyday; either a beer and dark chocolate, or a small bowl of ice cream and dark chocolate (one of the squares below).

15. Pace, don't race. Force yourself to eat more slowly and savor each bite.

16. Hydrate before meals. Drinking 16 ounces, or two glasses, of water before meals may help you eat less.

17. Downsize plates, bowls, glasses, silverware. Using smaller versions of your serving ware will help you eat less food naturally.

18. Adopt the motto "after 8 is too late" for snacks after dinner.

Sorry, I don't agree with this at all. If you get hungry past 8pm, eat! If you are eating past 8pm just because you are bored or saw something on tv that made you hungry, that's another story. I don't think there should be a certain time in the day when you need to stop eating, unless you truly have a problem with "mindless eating" late at night.

19. Buy a pedometer. Health experts recommend taking at least 10,000 steps a day, which is roughly 4 to 5 miles, depending on your stride length.

20. Treat yourself occasionally. If your chocolate craving is getting to you, try diet hot-chocolate packets. If you need a treat, go out for it or buy small prepackaged portions of ice cream bars. If you love chocolate, consider keeping bite-size pieces in the freezer.

Above (number 14 ) says treat yourself once a day, but now they are saying to treat yourself occasionally? I'm confused. I'll stick with the "treat yourself once a day" tip. After all, desserts are included in the food guide pyramid (they are basically the discretionary calories).

21. Dine at a table. Eat from a plate while seated at a table. Don't eat while driving, lounging on the couch or standing at the fridge.

22. Dine out without pigging out. Figure out what you are going to eat in advance. Get salad dressing on the side. Restaurants usually put about one-quarter cup (4 tablespoons) of dressing on a salad, which is often too many calories. Best to stick with 1 to 2 tablespoons. Dip your fork into the dressing and then into the salad.

23. Get plenty of sleep. Scientists have found that sleep deprivation increases levels of a hunger hormone and decreases levels of a hormone that makes you feel full. The effects may lead to overeating and weight gain.

I truly believe this is one of the most important tips in this entire list. Don't underestimate the power of sleep, or the power of sleep deprivation. Not getting enough sleep can truly effect your ability to lose weight.

24. Weigh yourself regularly. That's what successful dieters and those who manage to maintain weight loss do. Some step on the scales once a week. Others do so daily.

Sorry, I disagree. I think this strategy works for some, but not others. I know some people who get on the scale and see zero weight loss, which motivates them to do better, but others who see zero weight loss, which causes them frustration. This frustration might cause them to give up on their diet, or to take part in not-so-healthy weight loss strategies, such as skipping meals. If you associate with the later example, try weighing yourself once every other week.

25. Reward yourself. When you meet your incremental weight loss goals, say losing 5 pounds, treat yourself to something — but not food. Buy a CD or DVD you've been wanting or go out to a movie with a friend.

Question: With which of these tips do you agree or not agree ?

Ninety Percent of Americans are NOT Getting Enough Whole Grains!

Are you one of the 9 out of 10 people in America who are not reaching the minimum recommendation for whole grains (the minimum rec. is 48 grams of whole grain, or 3 servings, per day)? Are you one of the 4 out of 10 Americans who consumes less than one whole grain product in a two week period?! (Source: Today's Dietitian Magazine)

Why are whole grains so important? Check out this article to find out.




A while back I posted a day of my eats and I realized I wasn't getting enough servings of grains, according to MyPyramid, which recommends that I consume about 6 servings of grains per day. I was (and still am) getting closer to 4 servings of grain, which is fine with me, as I think 6 servings is too much for my needs, personally. I was reaching the minimum amount of whole grains (3), so I still felt confident that I was eating right.

*** If you go to MyPyramid and find out how many servings of grains you need, just take half of that and that's how many servings of whole grains you should consume each day. ***

Apparently in 2009 there were about 3000 new products released with whole grains, compared to year 2000, which had only about 164 new products released with whole grains. In addition, many restaurants (including fast food) are jumping on the bandwagon and including whole grains on their menus. So we no longer have an excuse to not reach our whole grain goal.

It's a fact that most American's consume a majority of their whole grains at breakfast. I know I do!

1.5 servings of whole grain (24 grams) in my morning oats

I always look for the Whole Grains Stamp on my grain products. If a food has 8 grams of whole grain, or more, it can bare this symbol. LOOK FOR IT!

I love buying whole grain tortillas (for Nick only, because they contain wheat).

And when we don't go through them fast enough, I make them into tortilla chips.

(Cut them into rectangles, spray with EVOO, sprinkle with a dash of salt and some garlic powder).

Bake at a low temperature (~200) for about 20 minutes, while continuing to watch them in order to prevent burning.

Something Nick has been doing lately (and I'm very happy about) is buying the burrito bowl at Chipotle......

Then when we get home he adds it to our whole grain tortillas! It definitely beats the tortilla at Chipotle, which has ZERO whole grains, and tons of lard (I don't do this because I can't eat our tortillas. Does anyone know of a wheat-free tortilla?!).

Other Favorite Whole Grains

Popcorn

Quinoa

Brown Rice

Oatmeal

Whole Wheat products

Wild Rice

Bulgar

QUESTION: What's your favorite whole grain and what are some ways you make sure to get them in your diet? While traveling for training I struggle to eat very healthy and I have found it hard to consume 3 servings of whole grain. An item I have been buying a lot is sushi made with brown rice. It's definitely helped me reach my 3 serving goal!

Coming Up/Training Update

I'm on my way back to Pittsburgh tomorrow morning, for my last week of training (well, sort of). As I said in my last post I will be starting at another store in Columbus (yeah!) at the beginning of August.

Thanks for reading everyone! Have a happy Monday :)

MyPyramid Updates, The Dirty Dozen, and a Video Blog!

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend! This morning my friend Cathy and I walked the Race for the Cure (a race that is held every year in Columbus, which benefits breast cancer research). Cathy isn't a runner (and really, neither am I), so we always choose to walk instead of run. That's fine with me, as we get a nice opportunity to talk about life. She's getting married this fall!

We wore the t-shirts that her company designed; Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW). Many companies have their own t-shirts for the race.

As always, it was a HUGE hit. Literally thousands of people take part in this event each year.

I walked for my grandma Lois, who died from breast cancer 10 years ago. I love you grandma!!

Video Blog

Want to brush up on your "fat" knowledge? Check out our latest video blog! In this video (on the side bar) I talk about "The Skinny on BAD Fat".

Dirty Dozen

Someone asked me to post the list of foods that are most highly contaminated with pesticides and herbicides, also known as "The Dirty Dozen". Check out this link to find the list! I try to purchase these foods in organic varieties, whenever I can. They also provide the 12 "cleanest" fruits and veggies. These lists do not pertain to other countries, only the United States.

MyPryamid Updates

Remember my rant about MyPyramid? I e-mailed the creators of MyPyramid about a month ago and they finally returned my e-mail! I'm sure they are busy people, so despite the late response, I really appreciated the time they took to explain their answers:


Question: Why does processed cheese count towards our intake of milk, but soymilk and almond milk do not?

Answer: We are in the process of updating how we handle soymilk and soy products in MyPyramid, concurrent with the development of the 21010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In the future, we expect that calcium-fortified soymilk will be considered a part of the Milk group.

Question: Why does tofu count as a vegetable, but tempeh does not? Why are french fries considered a vegetable, but tempeh is not? (it's a bean!).

Answer: The best food group placement for tofu and other soy products is being examined, and we will have better guidance on this by early 2011. Not every food fits neatly into one MyPyramid group. This is true for foods that are fried and contain a lot of fat or oil. Potato chips are made from potatoes, which are a vegetable. They are cooked in oil, so they also are high in oils. Therefore, potato chips would be considered a vegetable, but one that would be in the narrow upper section of the vegetable food group-the section representing vegetables that should be consumed less often. Also in this upper section would be such vegetables as French fries, onion rings, other fried vegetables, and creamed vegetables. All of these foods are vegetables, but they contain a large amount of fat or oil and therefore should be eaten less frequently. Vegetables to be consumed more often can be considered to be in the base (the wide lower section) of the vegetable group. These would be vegetables without a large amount of added fat, oil, or sugars. So, a plain baked potato and other plain raw or cooked vegetables would be in the base. Think of this as "you should base your food choices on foods from the base."

Conclusion: It sounds like the people from the USDA are really working hard to perfect MyPyramid. This is fantastic news. Rather than ignoring the issues, they are being proactive and answering America's concerns. They deserve a HIGH-FIVE!

Coming Up

How much added sugar do you consume each day? Research indicates that added sugars are associated with a greater risk for heart disease and other chronic diseases. Monday I will post all the foods I eat, which contain added sugars. I've added up my daily intake and.....well.....you'll see.

Thanks for reading everyone, and enjoy the nice SUNNY (hopefully??) weekend!!

Percentages vs. Gram Macronutrient Recommendations

Thanks so much for all of your comments on my last post. As an RD I am always prepared to have people dispute what I write on my blog. In fact, I encourage my readers to share their opinions, whether or not it coincides with my own, and I'm always more than happy to comment with my own detailed thoughts and explanations. I also encourage you all to dispute anything I say if infact you believe I am wrong. I've actually had readers teach me stuff I did not know (when I did the MyPyramid post I said 1/2 cup cooked vegetables = 1 cup uncooked. WRONG! Apparently that's not the case with the new MyPyramid.gov. Now I know!).

I received another comment from a reader named Lara, to which I would like to respond. Again, her comment is in black writing, and my responses are in red.

In my previous post I wrote that my personal trainer at Urban Active had suggested that if I want to gain more muscle I should consider a 40% protein diet. In my blog post I wrote that I didn't think this was accurate, as I would likely lose weight if I chose such a diet. Lara said:

Why would you lose weight if you ate 40% protein. That makes no sense. Weight loss is primarily about calories. Yes, this is true. When my PT at Urban Active told me that I should consume 40% of my calories from protein, I was considering my own personal diet. I am aware that I consume an average of 2000 calories per day, and about 80-110 grams of protein. This equals about 16-22% calories from protein (there are 4 calories per gram of protein). When the PT said this to me I was considering what this would do for me personally, not the general public. If I started increasing my protein intake, I would likely decrease my carbohydrate and fat intake. I would also likely eat less calories, as higher protein diets have been proven to decrease a person's appetite, and I know that is the case for me.

And as an RD you should know that percentages are meaningless. 40% of 1500 calories is a lot different than 40% of 2500 calories. It is grams of the macronutrients that are what is important. Of course I know this. I don't feel that I need to explain every single thing I say, 100%, on my blog. If I did, my posts would be a mile long. I know that 40% protein for me would be about 400 grams, which equals about 4.2 grams per kg body weight. This is simply too much for me (and really too much for anyone if you ask me....).

Macronutrient intake is very personal of course, some do better with more of this or that but the comment that 40% would make the rest of your diet be unbalanced is totally unfounded. In my personal case, this is not totally unfounded. For others, you are correct. I was discussing my own diet, not the diet of someone else. That being said, perhaps I sounded like I was making a general statement, and I apologize for the confusion. I have seen people live happy and healthy lives on a high protein diet, and I really have no problem with these diets. If your kidneys are healthy and you compensate for the possible risk of dehydration, high protein diets are perfectly safe.


Any more comments out there? Bring them on! I'm happy to answer any questions, concerns, and/or complaints you may have. And please, don't ever hesitate to share your feelings.

This weekend I finally bought a new pair of shoes, thanks to Joanna's suggestion to do so on her post "Spring for Some New Shoes". I sprung!

The green inserts are for my high arches. I was told I have high arches, which is what causes my to get shin splints and stress fractures so easily. I started using these Dr. Scholl's inserts about 4 years ago and have not had any problems since. Of course, I also don't run outside as often anymore, and I think that makes a huge difference too.

Some of you asked me if I was sore after my session with the personal trainer on Thursday. The answer is YES. I was VERY SORE. I am now convinced that I need to do more resistance training. Nothing major, but more than my typical 10-15 minutes, 3 times a week. I actually enjoy it more than cardio anyway.

Coming Up

Did everyone watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on Friday?? I finally had a chance to sit down and watch it last night, and I plan on actually doing a post about it tomorrow. Stay tuned!

If you're interested in how I would eat if I were a vegetarian athlete, check out my post on our workplace wellness blog. I've been really into tempeh lately and I think tempeh would be a major staple in my diet if I were to become a vegetarian (heck, it already is!).

Thanks for reading. And have a great day!